Author Topic: Mishap W/ bottom pour pot... (Read 1298 times)

captainkirk · « **on:** February 28, 2003, 12:46:33 PM »

I'm sure most of you old timers will have the foresight not to experience this, but I'm still learning. Just yesterday I was casting up several Lyman 457125's when the worst happened. A bit of "crud" got caught in the spout area of my almost full bottom pour pot and emptied the entire contents in just a minute or so. :cry: My ingot mould was not handy so I emptied my "dross" pan on the floor and put it under the spout. Still scorched my benchtop and several wooden handled tools that got caught under the pan. Having some thoughts about turning my bottom-pour pot into just a pot as it has always leaked no matter what I did. Anybody out there done this?

:roll:

captainkirk

Ka6otm · « **Reply #1 on:** February 28, 2003, 12:51:14 PM »

captainkirk,

With respect to this question, there are probably three kinds of people out there:

1. Those who have done it and will admit it.

2. Those who have done it and will never admit it.

3. Those who are going to do it one day.

Have I ever done it?...........nah, not in the last year or so anyway.

Ka6otm

Graycg · « **Reply #2 on:** February 28, 2003, 01:14:54 PM »

Naw never happens

,
but just in case it ever did, you could keep a brass wood screw handy on your bench top and if it did run out you would be amazed how well a brass wood screw twisted into the spout can solve your problem, not that I've ever done it :wink: , but take my word, it works. :grin: Oh yeah, of course you will be wearing gloves if you do this!!

graycg

Lead pot · « **Reply #3 on:** February 28, 2003, 01:39:14 PM »

Well Cap now your bench has character like ours. :roll:

I will make you feel better,a few days ago I was making up a new batch of ingots I had my big dutch oven on my lead pot furnace with 90 lbs of lead and tin,I was fluxing the soup and got to carried away stearing and dumped it,I had lead on my pants and shirt that pealed off in big sheets like tin foil. :oops: Lp.

Lvl1trauma · « **Reply #4 on:** February 28, 2003, 05:49:59 PM »

What kind of pot do you have? My Lee 20 lb pot is constantly leaking. I just keep an ingot mold under the spout and periodicly empty it back into the mix.

Beau

hubbard · « **Reply #5 on:** March 01, 2003, 12:02:32 AM »

i got carried away talking on the phone one day and left my lee pot unattended while it was heating up..the smell of something burning brought me back to reality. now i have a rather large scorch mark on my bench to remind me of my lee pot that i only use to mellt ww's these days.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #6 on:** March 01, 2003, 02:41:41 AM »

I have had the valve stick open for (fortunately brief) periods of time. But what I've run into more often was a slight leaking - leaving a 2" high stalagmite in alloy under the nozzle.

As a matter of routine I keep a 12" diameter 3" deep skillet nearby for what I skim off the top. It doubles as a repository for leaking lead.

rustyirn · « **Reply #7 on:** March 01, 2003, 06:07:56 AM »

I had the same problem with my Lee pot. I removed the lever mechanism and pluged the spout hole with silver solder. It never leaked again. I prefur to ladle any ways.

sjc1 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 01, 2003, 06:28:14 AM »

I have also had this happen to me with my Lyman or RCBS bottom pours. Each time it was a small amount of lead and I was prepared for this to happen. I always kept a paper clip bent at a 90 degree angle nearby. When the lead started running out I just grabbed the clip and started pushing it in and out of the spout and I was able to clear the spout and close it. It never happens now....I do not use the bottom pours that much. Almost all the casting I do is by ladle now.

captainkirk · « **Reply #9 on:** March 01, 2003, 06:54:44 AM »

Mine is a Lee bottom pour and I am seriously considering plugging it just to give me one less thing to worry about when casting. I normally keep my ladle under the spout and periodically empty it back into the pot. It always drips during this process so I often get a buidup of very small spatters on my benchtop. If ladle casting would reduce or eliminate this mess, I'm all for it. Just out of curiousity, how much lead will the Lee ladle hold? I could probably contact Lee, I just thought some of you gentlemen might know from experience...

captainkirk

Flash · « **Reply #10 on:** March 01, 2003, 10:16:12 AM »

My Lee bottom pour furnace has the "Drip" too. I manage to put up with it but I hate when it spatters on my arms. I keep mine in a cheap baking pan and the small pieces from the drippings don't stick.

Rifled Slug · « **Reply #11 on:** March 04, 2003, 02:37:38 PM »

I have the Lee pro pot with the straight up and down plunger . It has a screw adjustment on the top . If you adjust the screw out to far it will not let the plunger seat in the nozzle to stop the flow . The plunger has a screwdriver slot in it and if it starts to drip because of something in the nozzle you can turn the plunger and move the obstruction enough to stop the drip . :-)

Omaha Poke · « **Reply #12 on:** March 05, 2003, 08:55:48 PM »

All of the comments prior to this one could be repeated by anyone who has ever used a bottom pour pot. This is one of the reasons that truly serious casters are ladle users and have either plugged the bottom hole in their pot or sold it to some other unsuspecting poor soul and bought themselves a good plumbers furnace or electric dip pot. I have had three bottom pour pots and they all do what you describe even if you are right there on top of them every minute. THEY ALL LEAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once you get used to ladle casting, you will never go back to bottom pour, and will wonder why you wanted to do it in the first place. :-D