Extra lead?

[burleytog]

Used my Lee Production Pot for the first time tonight (more on that in another thread).  Melted about 1.5 pounds and poured 35 1/8 oz. jigs.

So of course I've got a bit of lead left in the pot.  What do you do in that situation?  Leave it in the pot?  Drain it?

I left it in this time.  I guess I'll find out if it gums up the works when I pour again in a week or so.

[Jig Man]

I don't ever take the lead out of my pot.  In fact I add lead to get it back to about 2/3 full before I turn it off.  

[snapperd1]

I do the same as jig man never leave the pot empty.

TD

[Siebert Outdoors]

I don't ever take the lead out of my pot. In fact I add lead to get it back to about 2/3 full before I turn it off.

same here,  I believe if you drain it all the crap that floated to the top will end up in the drain nozel and clog it.  

[ol_grayfeather]

I leave about 2 inches in the bottom of my pot when I shut it off.  It only takes about 10 minutes (on a setting of 7 or 8) to re-melt it when I want to pour again.

[llPa1nll]

Good info and insight....

[burleytog]

I had wondered about dealing with all of the trash in the pot.

Now I wish I would have added another pound last night before shutting it down.

[rosewalt]

I leave lead in also however when I restart the pot once melted prior to adding new lead I put in about a pea size amount of wax to act as flux then I scrap off the waste prior to adding new lead. I also found that when the fill hole gets blocked I open a paper clip up hold it with a pair of priers  heat it up with my burner and clean the opening with the hot paper clip. Seems to work well.  Note what ever u stick in the lead to scrap off the scum make sure IT IS NOT WET OR COLD  BOOOOOM

[burleytog]

I had to clean the pour hole before every batch last night.

[Jig Man]

When the pot gets like that it is time to empty it out and give it a good cleaning.  I empty mine and then use an air compressor to blow (from the outside) out the hole.  Then I scrape down the entire inside with a brush and re blow the hole.  Add new lead and start all over.

The more lead I keep in the pot the less often I have to clean it.  I use an old spinnerbait wire to keep the hole flowing freely.

[Fedxpress]

I keep mine over 2/3 full that way it don't rust. I just put a screw driver in the end of the plug and grind it back and forth. This seems to keep it from dripping I have never cleaned mine. Had It over a year must have poured around 1000 to 1500 jigs.

Fedxpress

[Jig Man]

You will clean it one of these days.  Mine is so old that the liner has burned out and I had to replace it.  I have poured 10s of 1000s of jigs with mine as I used to market them to boat docks.  Some of that junk in the lead will make its way to the bottom and plug the whole thing one of these day.

[JT Bagwell]

I also have the Lee Production Pot and I empty it almost every time.

I have the little ingot molds so when I am done I just pour the remaining

lead into 1/2 or 1 lb ingots. After that I clean all of the crap out of the pot.

JT Bagwell