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Some of you lead pouring Guru's need to tell me what I am doing wrong. I went to pour some jigs tonight and in almost an hour I did not get one jig. The lead did not go through the gate or it would only go around half of the hook. I have the mold on a hot plate and use candle wax as flux. What is going wrong?
Things to check for: (1) Be sure the opening at the bottom of pot is open....I use Large gem clip and pliars to hold and insert into the opening to clean. (2) Be sure the lead in the pot is hot (3) I use a candle to smoke the molds to ensure the lead will flow. The more soot in the cavities the better the lead will flow. I also smoke where the lead enters the cavities.........works for me........Mabe these will help.....
lightwirehooker
if your pouring a barbed collar you gotta tilt the mold alittle. Also i pour with my lee pot on 8. I place my mold on the top of the pot to get hot for atleast 15 min longer after the lead is all liquid.
I do not use a pot. I melt in an open pot and pour with a ladle I will smoke the mold.
ok ladle pour i have no clue sorry
Sounds like your lead isn't hot enough. That's one of the reasons I went with the Lee pot with a thermostat. I start out by making about 5 pours before I put hooks in to make sure the mold is hot. Pour all the cells. Keep us posted.
I will, my pot cannot be adjusted but that thing is hot and the element is always glowing bright red. I am going to turn up the heat on the hot plate and smoke the mold to see what happens. Last time I poured I did not have a problem and tonight nothing worked and no settings were changed. I wish not I had asked what flux everyone used.
this may be easy to overlook but i will ask it anyway. is the ladle hot and are you pouring outside or indoors? Doesn't take much of a temp. change to make a difference in a good poor or a bad pour. I would look at my ladle temp for starters. sounds to me like that is the problem if it is not even getting in the gate
A small piece of candle wax for the flux. I use mama's leftovers for now. Smell better too.
My ladle is kept on the hot plate when not in use. I am using the candle wax and it has only one major drawback and that is it smokes up my entire garage and stinks to high heavens. I will try mama's leftovers as we have lots of it. Do-It makes a flux and I have wondered how good it is.