cleaning pans and pots

[mac1911]

I aquired some very seasoned cast iron pots and muffin pans. Heavy carbon/greas build up.

1. how do you clean or prep these for casting/smelting use?

[jaguarxk120]

Clean them off with a wire wheel in a hand drill. Then heat up on the camp stove/BBQ to burn off the grease.

[Rock]

Cast iron with food/grease residue? Why not drop your wheel weights into the pot and crank up the heat. The residue cant handle the lead melting temperature.

[anachronism]

Put them in an electric oven & run it on the slef cleaning cycle for about an hour. That'll learn 'em.

[mooman76]

I would leave them as is. For the muffin pans, it will probably make the ingots come out easy ad if it burns off, then you have your clean. It should help keep them from rusting too for awhile at least.

[mac1911]

just was not sure of the grease haveing problems with the lead? New to smelting/casting

[mooman76]

Any grease that comes loose or burns off will act as flux and you can scrape it off the top of the melted lead with the other gunk.

[casterofboolits]

Cast iron muffin pans are great for making ingots to go in the RCBS pots. I had to smooth mine out with a grinding wheel and a dremel for the muffins to release easily. Just remember to pre heat the pans to remove moisture before pouring lead into them.

Mine throw 2.5 lb. ingots with a mix of 50/50 range lead and WWs.

[mac1911]

these have been my best non stick pans thus far. thank guys

[SciFiJim]

I picked up a well used muffin pan at a yard sale. I didn't clean it before using to make ingots. The first four or five batches smelled like meatloaf cooking. Never had a problem with sticking.

[docone31]

I like them rusty.
I take PAM, and spray the cavities. Not only does it double as a flux, it also keeps the ingots from sticking. After a few, the mold gets lead friendy and they drop out.
With the cast iron items I have, I just use them. If there is any carbon in it, it burns out, or makes a glaze.
One pot, is my favourite, it is a cast iron pot that is old. I seperate wheel weights from clips in it. I let it cool and dump the cake.
Makes a good melt pot.

[NoDakJak]

Ruffles have ridges and so does my cast aluminum muffin pan. No sticking problem with this pan. It casts ingots that weigh about 1 1/3 pounds of ww alloy. I cast 104 ingots with it today and ninety odd yesterday. Also cast about 140 ingots with two Lyman molds. Thank god for turkey cookers. Neil

[NoDakJak]

Last fall I bought a cast iron mold at a yard sale that casts Gingrbread men. It sticks pretty bad so am going to have to fire up the Moto Tool and polish the edges. The fact that it sticks so bad is probably the reason that I was able to get it so cheap. Should make distinctive ingots. Neil