How often do you drain your pot to cast from a different alloy?

[Abert Rim]

I have a Lee Production Pot I have used for 15 or more years, and keep it full of a mongrel mix of mostly range scrap. With a new .58 muzzleloader coming, I need to cast some REAL bullets for it, and I think I will just drain the pot and refill with pure lead. Kind of a pain, but I think the range scrap, while relatively soft, might be too hard for this rifle.
How often do y'all change out your alloy?

[Bill M]

Is it not a bottom pour pot?

[Greg S]

Carefully without burning yourself!

[Dusty Bannister]

I have been fortunate through the years to get an extra pot for the various alloys. If you do decide to drain a bottom pour pot, do not drain it empty as that will result in dross being drawn into the shut off valve area and leaking will be a problem. Be very careful to mark the ingots you drain from the existing batch so you do not mix it with other alloys unintentionally. Fresh pure lead will dilute the little bit of remaining alloy enough to work well with the REAL bullets. Good luck.

[Mr Peabody]

I frequently drain my pots when I'm done with them.

[Bigslug]

I typically cast until the temperature probe starts giving fluctuating readings, which usually only means about 2-3 pounds left in the pot. At that point drain and leave the pot empty to start fresh with whatever mix is needed.

[Abert Rim]

Thanks fellas. Yes, bottom pour. I use an old muffin tin for the ingot mold.

[bosterr]

I typically cast until the temperature probe starts giving fluctuating readings, which usually only means about 2-3 pounds left in the pot. At that point drain and leave the pot empty to start fresh with whatever mix is needed.

This is exactly what I do. I use different alloy for different boolits so leaving lead in the pot would be inconvenient.

[Dom]

As for the Lee REAL bullet. I have been casting this bullet for years for my Lyman GP 54 cal., 1/60 twist. I have both the 300 & 380gr. Cast of pure lead it is a wild shooter. Have a hard time keeping in on the target at 50yds, with 80grs of Hodgon Triple 7 FF. I mix 7 parts scrap wheel weights with 3 parts pure lead for a much harder bullet. This harder bullet gives me excellent accuracy. Many times cutting a single jagged hole at 50yds.

[justindad]

I empty from the bottom until it barely drips out the valve, and then pour the remaining 2-ish pounds out the top of the pot to help flush any oxides out of the valve. Cleaning the valve is the only reason I drain a pot.
*
If you tilt the pot forward to get the last bit of alloy out, then the last bits of oxides & debris will enter the valve and cause dripping later on.

[fredj338]

I never drain my bottom pour pots. It keeps crud out of the spout. If you must change alloys, leave 2# or so in the bottom. Not likely affecting your alloy in a 20# pot. 2# of lyman#2 & 18# of pure, still pretty soft. If that still bothers you, cast 100 pistol bullets & add more pure. Just no real reason to empty the pot imo.

[pworley1]

I drained mine sometime in the early 70's.

[Delkal]

I empty from the bottom until it barely drips out the valve, and then pour the remaining 2-ish pounds out the top of the pot to help flush any oxides out of the valve. Cleaning the valve is the only reason I drain a pot.
*
If you tilt the pot forward to get the last bit of alloy out, then the last bits of oxides & debris will enter the valve and cause dripping later on.

This is what I do too. When pouring I manually hold the valve shut so when I pour the lead out there is never a chance to get crud in the open valve. Just be careful.

[RogerDat]

Only empty pot if I'm changing alloy and that is easy with my dipper pot for the ladle, just use welding gloves pick it up carefully (very carefully) and dump out the lead after using a ladle to get it mostly empty. Bottom pour I drain most of the way and do the same dump the rest.

[Chill Wills]

I have more than one lead pot so I can dedicate each pot for the alloy needed but I do empty them now and then and simply pour them out over the top (side) into ingot molds. Just like pouring out a bowl of soup. I always cast with welders gloves with gantlets and so to, I have them on when doing this.
It should go without saying, ... Pick it up by the parts that are not blistering red hot.

[405grain]

This thread has got me thinking. 20 pound Lee bottom pours are famous for dripping. Even if you only melt clean alloy in them it just a matter of time before some crud finds its way into the spout. The standard "fix" for this is to take a piece of wire (usually a big paperclip), mount it to a stick, then use this as a tool to try and clear out any clogs by poking it up into the spout while you've got the handle lifted and lead pouring out of the pot. Sometimes this works, but not always.

Here's what I just thought: Empty the pot (pour out the alloy "soup bowl" style like Chill Wills said) remove the rod that acts as the spout plug. Now turn the empty pot upside down, and while still hot clean out the spout by poking through it with the wire. The difference here is that anything that you clear out of the spout this way is going to fall out of the pot. If you were to try clearing out the spout while its full of molten alloy, whats going to prevent the crud that you just pushed out of the spout from just flowing right back into the spout as soon as you remove the wire?

Will this work? I have no idea. But I'll give this a try the next time I'm going to cast some boolits and find out. (which reminds me: I'm getting low on 7mm bullets, so I might be trying this sooner rather than later)

[justindad]

<snip>

Here's what I just thought: Empty the pot (pour out the alloy "soup bowl" style like Chill Wills said) remove the rod that acts as the spout plug. Now turn the empty pot upside down, and while still hot clean out the spout by poking through it with the wire. The difference here is that anything that you clear out of the spout this way is going to fall out of the pot. If you were to try clearing out the spout while its full of molten alloy, whats going to prevent the crud that you just pushed out of the spout from just flowing right back into the spout as soon as you remove the wire?

Will this work? I have no idea. But I'll give this a try the next time I'm going to cast some boolits and find out. (which reminds me: I'm getting low on 7mm bullets, so I might be trying this sooner rather than later)

The oxides in the spout cool off too quickly for this hot-cleaning to be successful. I tried with my 10 lb Lee Drip-O-Matic. Pouring alloy out soup bowl style works best for me. I dropped my nozzle to a large size, which helps. I once put some beeswax in the and chiseled at it with a shrimp kabob stick. My RCBS pot drips too.

[dondiego]

This thread has got me thinking. 20 pound Lee bottom pours are famous for dripping. Even if you only melt clean alloy in them it just a matter of time before some crud finds its way into the spout. The standard "fix" for this is to take a piece of wire (usually a big paperclip), mount it to a stick, then use this as a tool to try and clear out any clogs by poking it up into the spout while you've got the handle lifted and lead pouring out of the pot. Sometimes this works, but not always.

Here's what I just thought: Empty the pot (pour out the alloy "soup bowl" style like Chill Wills said) remove the rod that acts as the spout plug. Now turn the empty pot upside down, and while still hot clean out the spout by poking through it with the wire. The difference here is that anything that you clear out of the spout this way is going to fall out of the pot. If you were to try clearing out the spout while its full of molten alloy, whats going to prevent the crud that you just pushed out of the spout from just flowing right back into the spout as soon as you remove the wire?

Will this work? I have no idea. But I'll give this a try the next time I'm going to cast some boolits and find out. (which reminds me: I'm getting low on 7mm bullets, so I might be trying this sooner rather than later)

I have done this and also polished the rod seat after the removal. It works.

[Mk42gunner]

Seldom to never. I am blessed with having more than one melting pot though.

My Lee production pot has pure(ish) lead in it for my C&B revolvers.

The 4-20 and Promelt have WW, and the Magnum melter that I dip from currently has also has WW.

Eventually I will run out of WW and have to find another alloy that serves most of my purposes, but until that day comes, I am not planning on totally emptying any of the bottom pour pots.

Robert

[white eagle]

I am a dipper so I empty my pot after I am done casting
pour them into ingot molds so I reuse the same alloy
Have ladle will travel