How to clean a bottom pour spout

[Wm Cook]

I'm about ready to load up my freshly cleaned out bottom pour Lyman Mag 25 and wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions about an absolute method of cleaning out the bottom spout. After cleaning the pot last night I added another half cup of the Hydrogen Peroxide / white vinegar mix with the toothpick plugged just enough that the mix would drip out slowly. This morning I still had some solution in the pot and the drip was coming out brown.

So I think there must be a way to clean the nozzle tip that I am unaware of. I can put a 5/64th drill bit thorough the spout by hand so its about that size. I tried steel wool twisted on the tooth pick and various other methods. I just don't feel confident that it'll clean up right unless I have a brush.

I went by my local welding store last week and asked about a tip to clean a welding tip and they said they had never heard of that before.

So the question is; How do you clean the spout of your bottom pour furnace. Thanks, Bill.

[higgins]

When it gets sluggish during casting I insert the tip of a bent paper clip, the big size clip, to knock loose whatever has partially clogged the tip.

[poppy42]

If the welding supply you want to said they never heard of a tip cleaner you need to find a new welding supply outfit

[big bore 99]

They do make a tip cleaner for oxy acet torches. different sizes in a folding holder. I've never had to go that far. A paper clip is all I use.

[44Blam]

When it gets sluggish during casting I insert the tip of a bent paper clip, the big size clip, to knock loose whatever has partially clogged the tip.

This ^^^^

[Conditor22]

I use a paneling nail attached to the end of a short stick.
I can even use this when casting

https://www.amazon.com/National-Hardware-N279-349-V7735-Panel/dp/B00DIQZ8TQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1546205435&sr=8-2&keywords=paneling+nails

[Winger Ed.]

I use a bent paper clip too. When it dribbles, stick it up in there, open the spout, and wiggle it around for a second or two.
Whatever piece of crud in there wants to float, so just get it moving and it'll clear itself.
For this method, welding gloves are highly recommended.

[dale2242]

Put your ingot mold under the spout of your bottom pour when you clean the spout.
Hot lead will be coming out.
Wearing gloves would seem to be a no brainer...dale

[Wm Cook]

I'm leaning towards big bore 99's solution. there has to be a brush kit to clean small openings + OR - .125". The paper clip method would take the major issues away but only a brush with the right solvent such as Hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar will clean the sprout.

Since I posted the question I thought about (touchy feely method) JB bore paste and mate the stem that blocks the passage of allow to pass through the pour. Or the ruff and rugged side I thought of using valve seat seating paste and spinning the stem to seat the stem to the passage way that blocks the spout from allowing flow. Those recommendations only address the immediate the small area were the stem seats in the passage way. Maybe a fraction of an inch. What I would like to do is both. Polish the entire area of contaminants and then seat the stem to the passage way in a proper manner. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks, Bill.

[lightman]

I used a drill bit of the correct size from the bottom and a piece of emory cloth on the plunger.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use the correct size Allen wrench, can be done while HOT, during a casting session if necessary.
I use the correct size drill bit during a complete "cold" cleaning...which is a rare event.

[bosterr]

A while back I filed/hack sawed a screw driver slot in the top end of the metering rod on my old Lyman Mag 20 and when the pot started to drip I turned it back and forth with downward pressure with a straight blade screw driver. Apparently crud would build up on the sealing surfaces and hold the rod open and turning the rod a few degrees back and forth stopped the drip immediately. The new Lyman 25 appears to have the identical metering assembly.

[Cherokee]

I use bent copper wire, cause it have it laying around, to shove up into the spout and wiggle around. I have also used the screw driver in the slot for the plunger as well. Last time I "cold" cleaned the pots, I used a drill bit up the spout.

[robg]

Bent bit of wire too or paper clip

[mdi]

An aside; Be very careful with your Hydrogen Peroxide/Vinegar mix as it will corrode/etch/dissolve steel. I have a very nice Dan Wesson 44H that has a pitted barrel. Several years ago I left that solution in the barrel after shooting some undersize bullets, maybe 6-8 hours, and my slightly leaded barrel came out clean, no lead, but has pits in the barrel...

I have never had to go to the extremes as the OP as I just emptied the pot, wire brushed the interior, polished the needle valve and lapped the seat (only once every 2-3 years have I polished and lapped. All other times I'll just wire brush and use a wire, drill, paper clip of appropriate size)..

[W.R.Buchanan]

I heat the spout with a little butane torch. Works just fine.

Randy

[redhawk0]

I have an assortment of dental picks....One is a curved tip. It keeps my hands out of the way when I jam it up in there. However, a paperclip would suffice. You just need to dislodge the contaminate and allow it to float to the top....or flush it out the bottom if its small enough.

redhawk

[Wm Cook]

Best of the ideas that I gathered. In no particular order:

- Hydrogen Peroxide/Vinegar mix as it will corrode/etch/dissolve steel. (I left a cup of solution in overnight to clean the spout and that was not smart)

- filed/hack sawed a screw driver slot in the top end of the metering rod

- tip cleaner for oxy acet torches. different sizes in a folding holder

- If the welding supply you want to said they never heard of a tip cleaner you need to find a new welding supply outfit (loved that one)

- a piece of emory cloth on the plunger

- And I liked my idea about using a lapping compound which is a spin off of the emery cloth idea.

But before I botch this up I think I'll give Lyman a call on Wednesday and get their advice. I'll let you know what they say.


Thanks to all. Bill.

[beagle]

After it's cleaned out, I touch a bee's wax chunk to the bottom. All kinds of junk comes out then. It kind of pulls the wax up into the spout. I then take rounded wooden dowel and a bit of valve grinding compound and polish the seat a bit to remove any crud. Then I polish the rod a bit with emery cloth. Normally, that gives you a good, drip free pot. Running a few bars through it will still result in some residual crud coming out./beagle

[DocSavage]

I use a single length of 14-2 Romex.

[Shiloh]

Black iron wire, paper clips, and used sparkler wires for me.

Shiloh

[Wm Cook]

A dimly lit light bulb finally went off in my head and I ran a bore scope through the pot side of the nozzle. The Hawkeye is sized for .22 barrels or larger so I imagine it's about .200 in diameter. Using drill bits as a feeler gauge my best guess is that the tightest the spout gets about .0781 to about .0795. So there was no way that I could look at the tightest spots. And there is no way for me to tell the actual point were the plunger seats in the spout (without lapping the actual plunger to seat it against the spout). What I saw thorough the bore scope was clean and decent. Certainly not polished like a custom barrel but definitely not pitted or contaminated. Almost like the nozzle was from a poured cast and not chambered with a reamer.

Being pretty fanatical about a clean shut off I think the best approach would be to use lapping compound as Beagle suggested to confirm a sincere seat. Then use the house keeping methods he suggested to keep the rest of the nozzle clean.

As I said previously I'm calling Lyman tomorrow and have a conversation how their spout is chambered and how best to clean/polish/lap the plunger to the nozzle.

I may be late in announcing this but this is all because at the moment I'm shooting little 22's. If I were casting for larger calibers an ounce difference + or - would mean nothing to me. Yep, a paper clip would work to clear the debris and away I would go. But you get pretty picky pouring 37 to 44 grain .22's and any time you see any sign of dripping you want to bang your head on the table. The next pour could just as well go directly into the recycle pile. Take care, happy new year and be safe. Bill.

[Shuz]

When I bought my RCBS Pro-Melt furnace,my dripping and plugged up spout problems went away. If it should start to plug up, I'll just clear it with the old bent large size paper clip held by vice grips like I used to do with the Lyman pots.

[Geezer in NH]

I use a single length of 14-2 Romex.
Don't the plastic make it sticky?

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

I have an assortment of dental picks....One is a curved tip.
redhawk

Might want to wash those real well before you pick your teeth. Just saying...

[T_McD]

How often do you really need to clean your pot? Asking out of complete ignorance here.

[dondiego]

How often do you really need to clean your pot? Asking out of complete ignorance here.

If you only put clean ingots in you casting pot, not very often!

[Wm Cook]

My Mag 25 that I started using January 2018 has only had RotoMetal’s #2 Lyman look alike run through it. I’ve only cast about 300 .22 cal with it. I used Magnaflux at the start of each casting session. When cleaning it last week I found a lot of contaminants and it took a lot of scrubbing to get it clean. Casting those little .22’s requires a drip free pot, smooth cadence and the right temperature of mold and alloy. Thus that’s why I was drilling down on how to get the spout absolutely spotless.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Best of the ideas that I gathered. In no particular order:

- Hydrogen Peroxide/Vinegar mix as it will corrode/etch/dissolve steel. (I left a cup of solution in overnight to clean the spout and that was not smart)

- filed/hack sawed a screw driver slot in the top end of the metering rod

- tip cleaner for oxy acet torches. different sizes in a folding holder

- If the welding supply you want to said they never heard of a tip cleaner you need to find a new welding supply outfit (loved that one)

- a piece of emory cloth on the plunger

- And I liked my idea about using a lapping compound which is a spin off of the emery cloth idea.

But before I botch this up I think I'll give Lyman a call on Wednesday and get their advice. I'll let you know what they say.


Thanks to all. Bill.

Maybe you should just try heating it with a little torch. Anything that is in there will be lead or lead alloy of some type. Easily melted by heating the spout. Been doing this for 25 years, has yet to not work.

Gosh, I didn't even make you favorites list?

Randy

[ShooterAZ]

I'm another that uses the "good ol' bent paper clip method, and it has always freed things right up for me.