Plummers pot?????????????

[spurgon]

While gathering a dutch oven and cast iron muffin pans for my smelting endevors I

pasted up a plumbers pot. Dimentions approx 7" H. x 7-8" W. It would be only a few

bucks. Even though, I plan on getting an electric furnace would this cheap plumbers

pot be something I will wish that I had gotten down the road ? It had a thick flaky

crud residue in the bottom. I thought I had read somewhere that this could be a

problem from a cleanliness/purity of product standpoint. Should I go back and get it?

Will it come in handy for something?

thanks
spurgon

[R.M.]

Go back and get it, or else, [smilie=b::killingpc

[spurgon]

I went back and got the pot. My estamation was incorrect about the size of it . It is

about 4" tall and 6" in diameter, flat bottomed. But it did have some "slag" deposit

on the bottom from an old "smelt" . My only guess is a plumbers pot. The bottom

inside is pretty pitted. What is the best way to clean up before melting down the

first batch? does the go for my ingot molds too.

thanks
spurgon

[Pepe Ray]

From your description, I suspect that the "slag" is a substitute jointing compound. I forget its name, maybe "Leadite?" It's OK for plugging Bell Joints but NOT for boolets.
If it was mine, I'd heat the pot till I could pour out all that would flow and then aggressively scrub as soon as I could stand the heat.
Been their, done that, got the pot.
Pepe Ray

[longbow]

I have been melting lead for casting in a plumber's pot for about 40 years. It was my grandfather's pot - and ladle. I have owned and tried several bottom pour pots and didn't like them. I tried the Lyman dipper in my pot and didn't like it, so filed a slightly smaller groove in the pouring lip of my granfather's ladle and have used that set up for casting ever since.

It is simple and maybe even crude but I find it the easiest way to cast. That pot has been sat on a natural gas hotplate, Coleman stove and now a propane stove. I used this set up when I was in my teens to cast boolits for a local gunsmith to sell. I cast him thousands of pistol and muzzleloader boolits/balls/minies and have cast many thousands for myself and others.

If you don't want to use it for casting it will likely have uses for making alloys.

Simple is good.

Longbow

[Vly]

That plumbers pot is going to be very useful for rendering your wheelweights and any other lead scrap goodies you come across. Use it for alloying your metal also. That will prevent contamination in your electric pot.

I've been using a propane fired one for years...the pot is older than me and still works great.

[TexRebel]

If it was mine, I'd heat the pot till I could pour out all that would flow and then aggressively scrub as soon as I could stand the heat.
Pepe Ray

I got an old pot like that years ago, I heated it , poured out what would pour, then took a snadblaster to the still hot pot, it came out cleaner than when it was new

[spurgon]

Texrebel
Why didn't I think of that?
spurgon