Thoughts on filling the pot at the end of a casting session

[Walter Laich]

As I finished my casting today and refilled and skimmed the junk off before turning it off I realized I might be doing this somewhat differently than others:
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Once I'm done casting I return all the spur to the pot along with enough ingots to fill it. I give it a change to heat up to melt all the added lead and I remove all the trash and such.
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This way it's one homogeneous mass and there is no water trapped inside that could explode when the pot is reheated down the road.
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It takes a bit longer for the pot to cool off but it's all ready to go for the next casting session

[JSnover]

Not a thing wrong with that, for exactly the reasons you described. It wouldn't be practical for people who use more than one alloy but it works well for me.

[Vann]

I use three separate pots, one for soft alloys, one for hard alloys, and the third for mixing. I usually try to keep an inch or so in the bottom, just because I think that it helps to get the next batch melted faster when I start my next casting session.

[1Shirt]

I use two pots, one for hard (dipper only), and a 20 lb lee for soft to med hard.
1Shirt!

[williamwaco]

+1 on the inch or so.

[Beagle333]

I leave a couple of inches, to half. I would leave it full, but I gotta carry it in and out before/after using. 8-)

[Sticky]

I do as Beagle, unless I am going to change up alloys (only have one pot :( ) and then I pour off the remainder after finishing the casting session into an ingot mold and pack em away for next time around. Gives me a chance to clean the pot once in a while too.. ;)

I also return my sprue and some scraps as I find them as I cast. I am old.. need a break on occasion, let the melt get back up to full temp and the mold to cool a bit.. and me to cool a bit.. LOL

[country gent]

One other trick Ive done in the past is after the full pot has solidified and is still warm run a wax candle or stick of beeswax around seam of pot and lead. This provides a seal between the two and acts as a moisture barrier also. dossnt take alot of wax but the additional seal may help in very humid conditions.

[Sticky]

I do this as well, since I use beeswax almost exclusively in my casting pot, I add a little at the end when the pot is cooling pretty well down to coat the surface of the remaining alloy and it helps keep the rusting down on the walls of the pot too in humid summer conditions around here (I keep the pot indoors, but cast in the garage).

[bhn22]

Since I am using scrap metals for casting, I mix each pot up to match the needs of my next anticipated batch. Then I cast that batch until it's almost used up. Then I mix a new batch and start the process all over again. My range scrap varies in it's hardness, as do wheelweights anymore, so this is the approach I finally took. I keep all lot numbers separated and marked, of course.

[Walter Laich]

understand the weight issue--mine is on a rolling table so it comes out of the garage when casting. I think the 'right' way is whatever the caster does, short of pouring water on the molten metal.

[blikseme300]

I always refill, flux & clean prior to turning off at the end of the casting session. Being the OCD type I have 3 pots ready to go anytime with different alloys depending on the need. Yes, the full pots when cool do weigh a bunch but I am fortunate to still be in good health and can carry them around.

[1_Ogre]

I always keep my cool pots at least 1/2 to 3/4 full when I'm done. All the sprue goes back into the pot, remelted, skimmed, then I turn off the pot. When it's cooled enough so you can hardly touch the pot without being burned, I take some of the excess boolit lube from the luber and put it on top of the cooling lead. This seals it from moisture, but most importantly it keeps the oxygen away from the lead in the pot thus really slowing down the oxidation of the lead mix

[Down South]

I usually fill the pot back up unless I'm planning on giving the pot a good cleaning at the end of a casting session. After I clean the pot, I fill er back up.

[fredj338]

I don't fill it per say, but I never let it get more than half empty. So sometimes it gets shut down that way or a bit more. Faster start up if it is only half full. :-)

[cajun shooter]

I started casting in 1970 and my mentor at that time taught me to refill the pot when your casting session is over. I live in Louisiana and have never had one single problem with moisture on my next start up. If it's going to happen, I would have seen it here in the land of 100% humidity days.
When you fill the pot up at the end, it makes your next session easy to start. Later David

[borg]

heating a cold, full pot would give any moisture time to remove itself

[Old Scribe]

I use 2 pots, one for soft lead for m/l round balls and the other pot for hard boolits. I fill the pots when I'm done casting, let the lead start to cool, then sprinkle saw dust on top. I leave the ash on top and store the pot:bigsmyl2:

[montanamike]

When casting I throw the sprue back in, let them melt and keep going. When I'm done I'll unplug the pot and throw the pile of sprue in to cool it down faster and keep the pot primed for next time.

[MediumCore358]

I like to keep it all together as well, pot stays fluid why not put all the same alloy scraps back in!

[kenyerian]

I also use 3 different pots for different alloys and keep them full.

[Bigslug]

Never know what I'm going to cast next, so I always ingot out and drain to empty.

[tazman]

I only use 2 different alloys and I have 2 pots so keeping track is not an issue. When I finish a session, I unplug the pot and put the sprue back in and add ingots until the lead solidifies or until the pot is full. This helps it to cool down faster. I will clean it when I heat it up again. Just part of my routine.
I don't trust walking off and leaving a hot pot just sitting there unattended even though I have a cookie sheet catch basin under it.
I think everyone develops their own routine. Use whatever routine works for you.

[trixter]

I'm in the keep it full crowd and I have no troubles. I add the sprue back in just before adding ingots and let it come back up to temp, then resume casting. When I am done for the session, I put the sprues back in and fill the pot with ingots and switch off.

[jsizemore]

Why would you want to heat the same lead twice? Not me.

[country gent]

Well alot here smelt reduce to clean the scrap lead up and pour into ingots. (1st melting) Then check hardness and come up with blend for alloy and make a large batch and pour into ingots. ( 2nd melting) Then melt to cast bullets (3rd melting here). I add ingots to the pot right after shutting the burner off they sink in and fill pot but may not melt completely. But the pot is full with very little airspaces. WHen I fire it up there is no fill refill till full to start. It comes up to temp and is ready for fluxing and casting.

[jsizemore]

I guess you missed the OP.

[country gent]

No I didnt I posted what I did for him to make a deccison on trying in post #26. He asked if he was doing it diffrently than others.

[jmorris]

I fill mine up. If it is full it has less chance to rust (same goes for metal fuel tanks). With my caster I generally insert a 1/4" stainless rod in the center until it cools.

This allows an easy insertion of my 6mm thermocouple into the center (controls my PID) so I just come back in a half hour once everything is ready to go, from starting it up (my pot holds just over 60 lbs).

[Case Stuffer]

Why would you want to heat the same lead twice? Not me.

Why not? Myu RCBS Pro Melt is rated at 800 watts and in fact is closer to 750 watts and takes 20 minutes to go from cold (70F) to 725F so about 240 watt hours or less than 1/4 of a KW which even at summer rate cost me about $0.03 . One primer cost that much these days.

Just so happens I put my Pro Melt amawy for the summer this morning. It is just to hot even at 6 AM for me to cast these days and I should have plenty Boolits to last this summer or perhaps even longer.

[jsizemore]

No I didnt I posted what I did for him to make a deccison on trying in post #26. He asked if he was doing it diffrently than others.

Just like I did.

[popper]

I used to think a full pot would deter rust but then noticed that the lead shrinks when cooling and leaves a fine gap around the pot. I now leave an inch or so to aid refilling cold pot. Some for my smelting pot. Larger surface are to melt the new lead.

[fredj338]

Why would you want to heat the same lead twice? Not me.

And this would hurt what exactly?

[waltherboy4040]

I always leave my 4 pound palmer full, the previous owner left it empty so the heating element is pretty rusty.

[dragon813gt]

And this would hurt what exactly?

Money is money no matter how small the charge. You will pay for the electricity to heat the pot up twice if you fill it up when done. We aren't talking much money but it still costs you.

[Down South]

Why would you want to heat the same lead twice? Not me.
If you reheat it many times, it turns into Gold.

[Hawks Feather]

s-3 mentioned adding lube to cover the top and prevent rust and one or two mentioned sawdust on top. Are they the only ones doing this or is it somewhat of a ‘given’?

Jerry

[Geezer in NH]

s-3 mentioned adding lube to cover the top and prevent rust and one or two mentioned sawdust on top. Are they the only ones doing this or is it somewhat of a ‘given’?

JerrySawdust is for smelting to me. None in my casting pots to much crud. I use wax in the casting pots and keep them filled when shutting down.Each uses a different alloy unless doing large runs of round balls.

[GhostHawk]

Ok it takes X amount of juice to melt three ingots in your pot.

Normally when I top off my pot I unplug it first. So really I'm melting them with residual heat.

When I fire the pot up to cast it is the same either way. So it costs me nothing to leave the pot full.

It is one of those small finesse personal choice decisions in my book. Certainly nothing I'm going to go to war over, or even start harsh words. I don't expect to change anyone elses mind, and I don't expect anyone could change mine. I'm stubborn, I admit it.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive allways filled them before shutting them down. If nothing else when you want to cast again you don't have to stand there for a 1/2 hour adding ingots.

[gtgeorge]

I have always filled them when shutting them down. I was reading over the weekend from the Magma Master Caster manual and found this interesting section:

Initially fill the pot with smaller pieces
of lead or alloy until molten, then fill half full. It is not necessary to keep the pot full to the top. It is safer
to use half full and will cast better. When half-full and cold, the pot should melt down and come to casting
temperature in 15 to 30 minutes.
and then this which sounds like undue stress is put on the metering system with a full pot at shut down or possibly just means that the pot will likely leak from being full and pulling the rod off the seat?

Re-heating a full pot of lead can cause the pour spout to leak; there is no cure for this. With the operating
handle down a small size bread-baking pan placed under the pour spout will catch the drip. Once the pot is
molten the drip should stop. If the dripping continues there may be foreign deposits on the valve stem and
seat, a light tap on the top of the valve stem should stop the leak.
Anyhow I have only had a pot leak on startup a few times since putting away the Lee pots. I wonder if the dripping etc. would be less on the Lee if the pot was refilled when starting up instead? Just a thought when thinking about the forces of the lead hardening and melting since it does shrink when cooling (which I guess is better than expanding like ice/water does)

[Southerngunner]

I use my old 10 lb. lee pot for smelting and the 20 pounder is usually full and ready to go for the next session. But summertime in Arizona and casting is hard to get enthused about.

[popper]

The pot has a heater rod wound around it, has to get really hot to melt alloy in empty pot. Leaving some alloy in it reduced stress on the coil. Aloy shrinks so leaving a pot full doesn't really help the rust situation, moisture WILL get between the alloy and pot wall. Sealing with wax may help when it's almost cool but then any moisture trapped stays there. Thus said, I usually leave some alloy in it when done.