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Thread: cleaning lee melter

  1. #1
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    cleaning lee melter

    made a mistake of putting crappy used lead through my lee melter, whats the best way to get the crud out thats stuck to the bottom/side etc

  2. #2
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    what I have done in the past is melt the lead and poor it out into a baking tray. Be careful doing this, then you can scrape the bottom and sides

  3. #3
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    +1 for the above and add a few lumps of beeswax to act as a flux and stir /scrape the sides and you should be able to cream off a lot of the junk

  4. #4
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    It's worth knowing that the inner pot can be purchased cheaply (About £15 IIRC) and is easy to replace. This gives you a virtually new melter.
    Last edited by Quare Fellow; 22-07-2014 at 10:32 PM.

  5. #5
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    thanks guys ive tred that,think it needs wire brush on it or something,as still not clean up, might take the pot out,

  6. #6
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    Aug 2009
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    Exeter
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    Can't see the need to remove all oxide from the pot after pouring out,it's going to form again when the pot heats up.
    When it's all cooled down a few sheets of damp kitchen roll will wipe out back to the metal,so long as it's dry before switching on,any moisture should evaporate off before the next lead melts.
    I use a 1/2" dowel of soft pine to stir down the sides and bottom,lower in slowly as any trapped humidity in wood will spit.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quare Fellow View Post
    It's worth knowing that the inner pot can be purchased cheaply (About £15 IIRC) and is easy to replace. This gives you a virtually new melter.
    where from,as not seen any ?
    did notice a soup can would fit , redneck type melter lol

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by gtpkeeper View Post
    where from,as not seen any ?
    did notice a soup can would fit , redneck type melter lol

    Hannams Reloading

    I ordered by phone and the delivery was fairly quick. The nozzle is, as far as I can tell, an integral part of the pot. While you have the thing apart it's no problem to clean the stopper. If you decide to do this then remove the two bolts that hold the operating lever, heat the pot and use a pair of pliers to remover the stopper. Then, having switched off the pot, pour the lead into a suitable receptacle (I use a cast iron saucepan) for later re-use. I like the idea of the soup can, but the pot is significantly heavier so I wouldn't try it.

    FWIW, I would suggest before you replace the pot, you melt a bit of lead, about half filling the pot, and once it's nicely hot, flux the lead with a piece of candle way, and then use a stainless steel desert spoon to scrape the crud from the sides and then lift it from the top of the lead. Keep the pot about half full when you turn it off. Once they've been used a bit these things look awful, but as long as the melt, and pour reasonably well, they're good to go. Buy some paperclips of assorted size and use a pair of pliers with one suitably bent to clear the nozzle as and when necessary.

  9. #9
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    I ordered by phone and the delivery was fairly quick. The nozzle is, as far as I can tell, an integral part of the pot. While you have the thing apart it's no problem to clean the stopper. If you decide to do this then remove the two bolts that hold the operating lever, heat the pot and use a pair of pliers to remover the stopper. Then, having switched off the pot, pour the lead into a suitable receptacle (I use a cast iron saucepan) for later re-use. I like the idea of the soup can, but the pot is significantly heavier so I wouldn't try it.

    FWIW, I would suggest before you replace the pot, you melt a bit of lead, about half filling the pot, and once it's nicely hot, flux the lead with a piece of candle way, and then use a stainless steel desert spoon to scrape the crud from the sides and then lift it from the top of the lead. Keep the pot about half full when you turn it off. Once they've been used a bit these things look awful, but as long as the melt, and pour reasonably well, they're good to go. Buy some paperclips of assorted size and use a pair of pliers with one suitably bent to clear the nozzle as and when necessary.
    i used a small alein key to keep the nossel clear


    here some pics
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/ballkeeper/14730117271/
    .
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/ballkeeper/14546849737/
    .
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/ballkeeper/14753150423/
    .
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/ballkeeper/14753149843/
    Last edited by gtpkeeper; 24-07-2014 at 01:56 PM.

  10. #10
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    ill stick it in the filecabnet
    Last edited by gtpkeeper; 09-08-2014 at 11:58 AM.

  11. #11
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    doncaster
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    will this stuff be any good? http://www.vhtpaint.com/products/flameproof/
    "Men occasionally stumble on the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened" Winston Churchill
    http://planetairgun.com/index.php

  12. #12
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    just going to use pan and ladel seems alot easyer

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