Cleaning lead melter

[kris smith]

So I got my Lee 4-20 used from a cal gunner. It was pretty dirty inside when I got it. I expected that I didn?t clean it I just tossed in my lead and got to melting and tried to pull all the dross off the top as I could. But is there any preference in actually cleaning the pot out when done casting so it?s sorta clean for the next go

[Duck Killer]

Fill full of melted lead. Scrap sides will spoon. Everything will float to the top.

[kris smith]

Thanks that works pretty ok for this thing. It?s pretty crusty inside but it pours so it?s perfect.

[BIGOX]

Personal I would empty the pot then use a wire brush to get all that rust out of your pot. Like a cast iron pan it will clean up easier when hot and a little coating of oil will help prevent rust build up. Eventually loose debris or impurities will clog up your spout while casting. On a side note I would recommend only using cleaned fluxed lead in your drop pot. Happy casting

[Duck Killer]

Personal I would empty the pot then use a wire brush to get all that rust out of your pot. Like a cast iron pan it will clean up easier when hot and a little coating of oil will help prevent rust build up. Eventually loose debris or impurities will clog up your spout while casting. On a side note I would recommend only using cleaned fluxed lead in your drop pot. Happy casting

If you do this wear a mask. That stuff you are removing is the nasty ****.

[rsrocket1]

As said earlier, fill full of lead and use a big spoon and/or a *dry* paint stirring stick (the recent ones at many paint departments tend to have a high water content and cause a lot of bubbling) and scrape the sides and bottom. Everything non-lead will float to the surface and you can scoop it up and toss it. In the future, keep using that spoon and stick to occasionally scrape the sides and bottom as you cast and you can keep the inside of the pot clean and prevent crud build up from clogging the pour spout. The added benefit of using wood is that as it burns down, it acts as a flux to remove more impurities from the lead.

I've probably cast a half ton of lead in my 4-20 and have never needed to clean the inside of the pot. I've cast down to a few ounces of lead at the bottom and the walls are clean. I've even smelted wheel weights and range scrap. Just scrape and scoop once in a while as you cast.

[glassparman]

Lee will send you a new pot liner for just about the price of shipping.

Mine would not stop dripping and I ordered a new pot liner, plunger and screws. The total with shipping was about $10.

[Sandspider500]

^^^ yup, I rebuilt a lee pot, got the steel pot, valve, cord, and some screws all free just had to pay shipping. Cost was 14.79.

[kcstott]

I never empty mine. Well almost never. but I ladle pour too so.
it's going to oxidize and crud up again anyway.

[iMigraine]

After you clean it, I would always leave a little molten lead in the bottom of the pot to keep any dross/impurities from clogging the nozzle in the future.

But if you have the pot empty, I would pull out the rod that controls the flow of the nozzle. Clean out the nozzle and the surfaces of the spout and rod. I used valve lapping compound on the contact surfaces of the rod and spout. That really helps control large leaking that happens when your casting. A little leaking, i.e. a few drops at a time is fine. Not a constant drip!

I like to use sawdust for my drossing while casting too.

Good luck.

[BIGOX]

Never thought about how much lead ive put through my pot but its got be a lot. Leaving lead in the pot is a great way of keeping the crud from building up in the first place. I use my 420 pot for casting boolits of different alloys and also in the act of making alloys which normally are sold to other casters, so always leaving lead in my pot is a no go. I want no chance of mixing alloys or pure lead. Sometimes i leave about 20% of pure lead in but not always. I then heat up and pour out. I don't run it through the spout, because i want to keep the spout clear of any debris. Then I start fresh. I process and alloy my lead in larger amounts then average around 150 to 200 lbs minimum per run in a Dutch oven with the remaining lead in the pot that can't be poured out (around 10lbs) it will eventually go in the 420 pot and cast into ingots. Since I cast a lot of larger calibers a good flow is important especially when using Lee moulds or moulds that have a small hole for lead to enter properly. When the pot is empty it gets a light coating of oil and gets covered up to help prevent oxidation. Before its next uses its clean and ready to go for whatever task I may be doing next.