Cleaning a melting pot that was used with wheel weights

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mactroneng

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Warning: new guy here!

I bought a used Lee melting pot a while back for $30 (I think... can't quite remember but it was cheap), linked below:

https://leeprecision.com/production-pot-iv.html

Didn't do anything with it at the time as I was having trouble finding a suitable pot for reducing rough lead to clean ingots, but now that I've found a pot I went back to the electric melter to see the condition. Now that I've looked at it, it looks like the previous owner was reducing wheel weights directly in the melter. I got it heated up and poured whatever mix was in it out the side, which included a bunch of clips and some iron wheel weights. The spout is leaking a bit and the inside of the melter is still dirty.

What would be the best way to clean up this melter so I have clean lead/alloy for actually casting bullets?
 
First off, a lot of that crud is just lead oxides and other crud that is soluble in water.
Fill the pot with boiling water, and let it sit for a few minutes and then pour the slop out in a safe place.
A lot of the other crud is very loosely attached and can be flicked off with a screwdriver.
Again, dump safely.
NEVER, let me repeat, NEVER use a wire brush on an electric drill to get the dry crud out. The lead dust from it can be wicked.
 
I used a crappy little siphon style sand blast gun and a way too small compressor an blew mine clean that way.

It was a strong motivator to use just about any other tool to do initial processing of wheel weights!

Leaks are a fact of life with a bottom pour pot. Adding a little extra weight to the handle can help, I use a pair of locking pliers. And use a drip tray under the spout. Being able to spin the plug in the outlet hole in an effort to mate the two pieces better can help too.

A buddy's wife laid claim to some of the piled up drippings from his Lee pot. They now live on the shelf with various other art items. So ya never really can tell...
 
Thanks guys, sounds a lot easier than I expected it to be.

When I did the first heating just to get everything out I poured into into a pie tin to let it cool and it worked fine, I might grab a pack of smaller pie tins to use as a drip tray for the future.
 
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I've been using a muffin tin for a drip tray for decades. The drip is almost unavoidable and the only thing to do is clean it a bit and spin the plug occasionally. Your pot will get dirty eventually anyway so don't get wrapped up, just clean it like everything else. I just scrape and pour out. It's powder that comes off...
 
Remove the valve rod from the pot(about 3 screws). Rotate the rod in an electric drill(or by hand), sandpaper wire brush or file the tip clean and symmetrical. Put a wire brush on a short cleaning rod and rotate in the valve pocket to clean. A short wire or drill bit may be needed to clean the hole. All dust associated is lead toxic, work outside and/or with a mask. be well
 
camster said:
Put as clean lead as you can into it, and flux the living daylights out of it (few times) and lightly scrape the pot sides and bottom between rounds of fluxing. It's impressive what comes to the top as dross in a "clean" pot.
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:agree:
 
melt your ww first and put into clean bars to get rid of the sludge and mess. your melter will be a lot cleaner if you use clean bars of lead.
 
glycerin said:
Remove the valve rod from the pot(about 3 screws). Rotate the rod in an electric drill(or by hand), sandpaper wire brush or file the tip clean and symmetrical. Put a wire brush on a short cleaning rod and rotate in the valve pocket to clean. A short wire or drill bit may be needed to clean the hole. All dust associated is lead toxic, work outside and/or with a mask. be well
Click to expand...

Depends on how old his "used" pot is. The older pots didn't have a "straight through" hole like they do now. They had a "crook" in the hole for some reason that a wire will not negotiate easily, and when they gum up with crud it is almost impossible to get them "running "again. they basically become "ladle only" pots. I remove the needle valve & associated mounting hardware just to gaet it out of the road for ladling and also, as an added safety measure so a pot nozzle doesn't suddenly decide to start draining again with the needle valve removed, I screw a metal screw into the drain hole...permanently plugs it.
 
leaks are my bane, and I just do everything over a dollar-store cookiesheet, and some tiny loaf pan thing right under spigot.

My leaks (lee pots) are sporadic I just always have a "catch tin" directly under the spigot, and take it for granted it'll start at any time. I've tried all manner of remedy, but it's just easier, and not a bad idea anyway to keep a catcher there.
 
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