Pot cleaning advice please.....

[Skychief]

I have a 20# Lee bottom pour.

I've emptied it and it has a lot of brown dross-like material covering the sides and bottom.

I've used a scraper and steel wool to remove some of it, but, it's stubborn and far from clean.

Looking for advice on how to clean it further without damaging the pot itself.

I should also ask, if it even constitutes a problem in the first place.

Thanks for your thoughts, Skychief

 

[hanshi]

Send it back to Lee. They rebuild old pots to new condition for less than the cost of a new one.

 

[jamesthomas]

I would heat it up and get a stiff brush and see if that takes it off. I have a Lee Magnum Melter dip pot. I don't empty mine but keep it around 1/2 full, that way when I turn it on the heat is transferred to the lead instead of the pot.

 

[mooman76]

It shouldn't even matter. If it is stuck hard enough it won't come loose easy, it won't hurt anything. Even if you clean it off, it would quickly return. I basically never empty my pot either. I fill as I go and refill when finished. I only empty to change lead compositions.

 

[wattlebuster]

Sky I have one thats been that way for 20 yrs or so an so far it aint hurt a thing :idunno:

 

[coloradoclyde]

The lee pots I have owned are steel on the inside so I treat them like a steel bullet mold....I leave it full of lead when not in use so it doesn't rust.

When in use I scrape the sides and bottom while full of molten lead to remove anything stuck to the sides and bottom.

 

[tozzybum]

im using a ladle ,to melt and some lead leaves a brown dirty ,dry powder in after melting .it just spoons off the pool of molten lead.try a melt see if the "rust"just floats spoon it away as you would other impurities atb

 

[Skychief]

Exactly what I am doing Mooman.

Thanks all for the help. :hatsoff:

 

[BrownBear]

I have the best luck "cleaning" when I do it with the pot hot and some lead in it. The scraping and all just seems to come out better when the lead is in there to help lift away all the gunk you're knocking loose.

I say "cleaning" because there's always some stuff left.

Best news is to knock it all loose at the start of a casting session so no more comes up as you cast. Flux and skim it off the top, then go to casting.

 

[Rifleman1776]

It shouldn't even matter. If it is stuck hard enough it won't come loose easy, it won't hurt anything. Even if you clean it off, it would quickly return. I basically never empty my pot either. I fill as I go and refill when finished. I only empty to change lead compositions.

Same here except I use only pure lead in mine. Other 'stuff' goes in an old flea market pot on the Coleman burner.

 

[hanshi]

Same here and it does work.

 

[mooman76]

Actually it's a rare thing for me to swap lead anymore. I have a smaller pot with soft lead and the big one is for WW lead for center fire cartridges.

 

[nhmoose]

Bead blast,it will be clean

 

[MSW]

Bead blast,it will be clean

ah, would that I could afford a bead blaster!

 

[Eterry]

Actually what you need to do is remove the steel pot from the heating element, get a similar sized block of titanium, or unobtanium, mount it in your CNC or CAD/CAM Lathe, enter the correct dimensions and presto, you have an easy solution to the oxidation on your existing pot... :yakyak:

Or...you could do like a lot of others and not pay it no mind, skim the dross from the top and keep casting. I like Brown bear and stir while it's full...like a pot of fine Texas chili.

My .02

 

[ZUG]

If I really have the need to clean the Lee pot I take the empty pot and chuck a wire wheel (small dia and also a cup type) in my electric hand drill and wire brush it. I use a steel wok to do my scrap lead first and second melts (outdoors of course) before the lead ingots get to the Lee pot :wink: .

 

[BrownBear]

...and chuck a wire wheel (small dia and also a cup type) in my electric hand drill and wire brush it....

Careful about getting a bunch of scratches in there. In my experience they just speed up the rusting process and crud collection.