Pot cleaning and flux

[BigDaddie]

Hi All,

I had a lot of crud and buildup on my Lee precision melter.....I hadnt used it for about 2yrs! Other than rust, there was also this yellowish buildup that was kinda like dried clay but hard.

To cut a long story short, I cleaned the pot using the charcoal (as I read on this forum) and then steel wooled the thing with methylated spirits until it was spotless.

I'm not sure where this yellow stuff came from as I have only ever had antimonied lead in there. I thought it may be related to the flux I was using which was paraffin wax (a pea sized piece)....I did'nt think it would also be corrosive enough to leave my pot in the state it was in. Anways, does anyone know what the yellow stuff is? It was also on my ladle.

I have used WD40 to protect the pot until I use it next (hopefully this week!!!). Is that OK???

Cheers,

BD

[cabezaverde]

I think the yellow clay is lead oxide.

[armyrat1970]

BD, I have used WD40 on the inside of my pot before to keep it from rusting when not in use for awhile and have never had a problem. It's a very light oil and any that remains seems to flux off easily.
Did the charcoal work well for you? It did for me but I didn't clean any further as you did with the mineral spirits and steel wool. When my pot needs to be cleaned again I will remember that.

[BigDaddie]

The charcoal worked well. I have a wood oven in the back yard so just grabbed a handful of charcoal out of that, crushed it up and filled the pot. I added a little more as it burnt off. All up, I had it going for about 3 hrs. I reckon it removed 90% of the garbage.

I removed the pot from the melter frame and used the steel wool and metho to get off the rust and any remaining residue. I'm glad the WD40 is OK...I thought it should be pretty innocuous.

[WildmanJack]

WD40 will actually absorb and attract moisture. If you want to keep the pot free of rust, fill it with lead and let it cool. Then use something like CLP, BreakFree, or Kroil on anything else you want to keep from rusting. WD40 is bad stuff for guns and reloading components... I don't even use it oh my house locks anymore...Just my humble opinion....
Jack

[armyrat1970]

WD40 will actually absorb and attract moisture. If you want to keep the pot free of rust, fill it with lead and let it cool. Then use something like CLP, BreakFree, or Kroil on anything else you want to keep from rusting. WD40 is bad stuff for guns and reloading components... I don't even use it oh my house locks anymore...Just my humble opinion....
Jack

I have used WD40 on all of my weapons for many many years and have never had a problem. I never use it through the bore but every now and then I spray a rag with it and wipe down the metal and wood on the weapons I have not fired in awhile just to keep a light coat of oil on them and have never had a problem. WD40 is the only thing I use to keep my bike chain lubed and clean. I have used it for at least 10 yrs on my bike chains and never had a rust problem. Never.
The outside dumpster where I work has a padlock. It was getting stiff from the moisture and hard to work. I sprayed a little WD in it, all through every opening, about 6 months ago and it immediatly started working better and is still working better than it was even being outside in the humidity and rain of Southeast Louisiana. I use WD for the lock on my yard gate that is always out in the elements also. When it starts to get a little stiff, I spray it and it last for months. I use it on my house locks also. If they get a little stiff I coat the key and work it through the lock for awhile. Frees them up all the time. The one bad thing about WD is it is a very light oil.

[mold maker]

WD 40 is one of the better cheap penatrating oils on the market. For stubborn metal joints it's great. It was developed in the aircraft parts industry to salvage flood damaged parts. It removed the moisture and grime to stop damage till they could be properly cleaned and repackaged.
However it was never intended for long term lubing.
If you have had success with it, as a long term lube and rust preventive, You are lucky.
Locks and such should never have oil used in them. Most good locks have BRASS parts that don't rust. Powdered Graphite is the preferred lub for them. Any Oil attracts dust and really gums them up. Once this happens, WD 40 is great to wash the gunk out so the tiny springs and little parts work. From then on, regular rinsing with WD 40 might salvage them for a while.
As far as guns go. Use the WD 40 first , if you must, to remove dirt and such, but use a good long term gun oil to store them safely. Why trust a favorite firearm to a product that isn't intended to do the job.

[BigDaddie]

So I guess its OK to use it on my pot between casting sessions then to prevent rust. At the moment, it looks like I'll cast every 1-2 months.

I have only used it on firearms for cleaning purposes. Not as a protectant or lube. I use break free CLP on the outside metal and bore conditioners (montana) internally.

[armyrat1970]

WD 40 is one of the better cheap penatrating oils on the market. For stubborn metal joints it's great. It was developed in the aircraft parts industry to salvage flood damaged parts. It removed the moisture and grime to stop damage till they could be properly cleaned and repackaged.
However it was never intended for long term lubing.
If you have had success with it, as a long term lube and rust preventive, You are lucky.
Locks and such should never have oil used in them. Most good locks have BRASS parts that don't rust. Powdered Graphite is the preferred lub for them. Any Oil attracts dust and really gums them up. Once this happens, WD 40 is great to wash the gunk out so the tiny springs and little parts work. From then on, regular rinsing with WD 40 might salvage them for a while.
As far as guns go. Use the WD 40 first , if you must, to remove dirt and such, but use a good long term gun oil to store them safely. Why trust a favorite firearm to a product that isn't intended to do the job.

For my general use the WD works great. I love to handle my weapons even if I don't shoot them on a regular basis. If I haven't fired one in a months time I will take it out of my safe and wipe it down with and old oil rag with the WD. I also use 3-in-1 oil. Which is another good light oil. Good long term gun oil is a little more expensive. I use it in my bores and internal parts because it does last longer and I don't have to go through to much trouble between shooting sessions to keep everything with a coat of oil. After shooting I also apply a light coat of military gun grease to all of the wear parts.
BigDaddie I don't think you will have a problem with the WD. If you find it doesn't last long enough between sessions maybe go with something a little longerlasting like 3-in-1. Wonder how Pam would work?

[Rokkit Syinss]

WD 40 is one of the better cheap penatrating oils on the market. For stubborn metal joints it's great. It was developed in the aircraft parts industry to salvage flood damaged parts. It removed the moisture and grime to stop damage till they could be properly cleaned and repackaged.
However it was never intended for long term lubing.
If you have had success with it, as a long term lube and rust preventive, You are lucky.
Locks and such should never have oil used in them. Most good locks have BRASS parts that don't rust. Powdered Graphite is the preferred lub for them. Any Oil attracts dust and really gums them up. Once this happens, WD 40 is great to wash the gunk out so the tiny springs and little parts work. From then on, regular rinsing with WD 40 might salvage them for a while.
As far as guns go. Use the WD 40 first , if you must, to remove dirt and such, but use a good long term gun oil to store them safely. Why trust a favorite firearm to a product that isn't intended to do the job.

Nope, WD-40 was invented for the Atlas rocket program and is Water Displacing formula #40, that's pretty much all it was ever meant to do, displace water. It contains chlorinated paraffins, which are bad juju with stainless steel under any kind of stress, especially resulphurized stainless.

[Rokkit Syinss]

For my general use the WD works great. I love to handle my weapons even if I don't shoot them on a regular basis. If I haven't fired one in a months time I will take it out of my safe and wipe it down with and old oil rag with the WD. I also use 3-in-1 oil. Which is another good light oil. Good long term gun oil is a little more expensive. I use it in my bores and internal parts because it does last longer and I don't have to go through to much trouble between shooting sessions to keep everything with a coat of oil. After shooting I also apply a light coat of military gun grease to all of the wear parts.
BigDaddie I don't think you will have a problem with the WD. If you find it doesn't last long enough between sessions maybe go with something a little longerlasting like 3-in-1. Wonder how Pam would work?

Most gun greases and oils are just repackaged automotive products. For grease get any racing wheel bearing grease. For oil get Mobile 1 synthetic, if it's too thick you can cut it a little with mineral spirits. The unit cost on a pound of grease or quart of oil is the same or less than you pay for an ounce or two of gun specific products, which are just repackaged versions of the same stuff.

[thehouseproduct]

I have used WD40 on all of my weapons for many many years and have never had a problem. I never use it through the bore but every now and then I spray a rag with it and wipe down the metal and wood on the weapons I have not fired in awhile just to keep a light coat of oil on them and have never had a problem. WD40 is the only thing I use to keep my bike chain lubed and clean. I have used it for at least 10 yrs on my bike chains and never had a rust problem. Never.
The outside dumpster where I work has a padlock. It was getting stiff from the moisture and hard to work. I sprayed a little WD in it, all through every opening, about 6 months ago and it immediatly started working better and is still working better than it was even being outside in the humidity and rain of Southeast Louisiana. I use WD for the lock on my yard gate that is always out in the elements also. When it starts to get a little stiff, I spray it and it last for months. I use it on my house locks also. If they get a little stiff I coat the key and work it through the lock for awhile. Frees them up all the time. The one bad thing about WD is it is a very light oil.
While WD40 performs acceptably in these situations, in every case there are products that would perform better.

[tomme boy]

I was told it was made during WW2 for the points on the engines of airplanes to keep the water and corrosion out of the distributor.

[Rokkit Syinss]

I was told it was made during WW2 for the points on the engines of airplanes to keep the water and corrosion out of the distributor.

Invented in the 1950's, it's even on their website.

[abunaitoo]

??????
"use something like CLP, BreakFree, or Kroil on anything else you want to keep from rusting."
Last time I checked, Krol does not prevent rust.
I think it even states that on the label.

Great for loosening rusted parts, but I think PB Blaster works better.
Plus PB Blaster prevents rust.
Dextron ATF, thinned with miniral sprits, works just as good as either. slower, but just as good.

WD40= Water displacement formula #40.
Great stuff. Use it all the time for a light lube.