How do bottom pour molds work? In this case Saeco

[302w]

Edit: I am referring to a furnace, not a mold. I should pay more attention.

I have an old Saeco furnace I inherited, and I have used it to pour some ingots before.

The last ingots I made I probably poured too cold, and I think it was a weird alloy because there were lots of purple. I believe it was poured around 625 degrees. Today I tried to make boolits, but I would lift the handle and no pouring was happening. No biggie, I tried to raise the heat from 700ish degrees to 825 and I heard sproing and I think the switch broke at that time. I can probably fix the switch, but I have no clue on the pouring mechanism.

I heated the spout with a torch to try to clear out any frozen lead, and I only got a few drips. I think something is mechanically amiss. I can see the rod going into the bottom of the crucible but nothing more. The rod from the crucible moves.

Suggestions? Thanks!

[GhostHawk]

First off when I see lots of purple hue's it is in my experience almost always pure or near pure lead.

Second, I suspect your Saeco "Mold" is really a bottom pour lead melting pot. A mold would go under that spout and produce bullets.

Third I would turn it on, and walk away for 20 minutes to half an hour. Give it some time to get everything up to temp.

Then I suspect I would take a dipper and make ingots out of what is in your pot. Once the pot is empty you can better see what is happening. And would probably be a good time to fix the switch.

If all else fails, get a cast iron fry pan in 6-8" size with 1-3" sides, and a casting ladle.
Kitchen stove, camp stove, grill, turkey fryer all have been known to work.

Best of luck to you.

Hardest part of any new hobby is learning the in's and the outs, terminology is a big part of that. When in doubt, check the sticky's or ask. Welcome aboard and hope you figure your pot out.

[302w]

I can't believe I said mold. I will edit it. Long day I suppose.

Yes, I was referring to a furnace/pot. I removed the last of the lead with a ladle, but the lead was so cool from the broken switch that it would not even pour from the nipple. Overall, a complete mess.

These were also COWWs with some plated bullets.

[country gent]

Plated bullets as in copper plated? First fix the switch, it may actually be a rehostat. Make sure element is and thermostat are also good and working. Copper plating from bullets may be the plug in the nozzle. Whenmelting in a bottom pour pot the alloy needs to be clean and well blended. Flux at least once with sawdust, woodchips, wax or parrafin. Stiring to get impurites to the top. You may have to use a small drill bit to clear the spout. First once pot is again working get some molten metal in the pot and try working a finewire thru spoyt to clear it. I would not recomend smelting in a bottom pour pot. A bigger set up with a burner that can be easily fluxed and cleaned works better.

[302w]

I found out what my issue is. Strangely, my thermostat was completely frozen. I should not say thermostat, but rather the input screw that was connected to the adjustment knob. Backing out that screw/bolt was a chore, and the screw is toast. Replacing the screw will require a lathe to make a new one and knowing exactly how long it needs to be, so I will buy one of these:

http://orders.ppe.com/odr/rbpperetail.htm?p-part=B-200

Others have had good luck with them. Maybe a cheap lead thermostat so I know where I am at.

Thanks!

[302w]

I believe this pot will be the death of me.

I purchased one of the B200 thermostats that people have been putting in these pots. It required some modification to physically fit in, but it is in now.

On my first test I was able to melt lead, but it was very cool. The lead solidified immediately after pulling it in the ladle.

I then removed the indexing tab on the thermostat, and moved it 180 degrees forward. I have read that some people have done that to increase the temperature. The pot now is definitely cooler, and will not melt lead. What is wrong?

When this cools, I would like to measure the resistance of the thermostat. Less resistance=more current=more heat IIRC. I don't want to bypass the thermostat, but I am beginning to hate this pot.

[GhostHawk]

Ok, first off, your ladle is COLD. Put it in the pot and let it heat up as the lead melts.

On your thermostat I have no clue, don't have or use one. I cast for years with just a cast iron pan, a ladle, and a big old spoon to scrape off dross and fish out clips with.

[odinohi]

You can bypass the thermostat. But your lead will get very hot. I had one that I bypassed, stuck my lead thermometer in and it pegged out. Too hot. Poured with it like that for quite a while though. Good luck.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Yes, my guess would be something non-meltable blocking the nozzle, and thick electroplating seems like one possibility. It would take probing from below to clear that, and while the contents are melted if there are any contents. I would be very wary indeed of trying that.

Possibly you can unscrew the lever and plug so that you can probe from above. But you need to be completely sure the mould or other container below the spout will accommodate the full contents. Otherwise I think I would set up a melt outdoors, with the pot adjacent to a large aluminium tray, with a long piece of wood to tip it over. Then before the pot empty pot cools, push a piece of wire through from below. If the tray is large, the resulting lead sheet will be thin enough to cut or break up to go back into the pot when the problem is solved.

[Mike W1]

There aren't that many things to be bad and if it's cooler lead now than when it was before you adjusted the thermostat it sounds like that's not working right. I'd bypass the thing and see if it heats the lead hotter. Don't get the impression you've got a thermometer though.