7. Regular Maintenance and Operating Tips
Familiarise yourself and your students with the sensitivity of
the pouring arm control.
Do not over use the metals. Do not re-melt the same metal more
than 5 times. This is due to impurities being added to the metal
from external sources which can hinder the pour or start to block
the nozzle, which may lead to leaks. Spare metal from the
“approach hole” of moulds or spills can be re-used by returning it to
the melting pot. However, this re-use can introduce impurities
which can reduce the number of times a charge of metal can be re-
melted. Impurities can come from sources such as mould materials
and grease on hands.
Periodically use the scraping spoon supplied to remove the “scum”
on the top of the molten metal in the pot.
Periodically, it is good practice to empty the pot completely allowing
the removal of any unwanted impurities. The pot should be
completely emptied when the same charge of metal has been re-
melted 5 times. To reduce wastage of metal, it is recommended
that moulds should be made during the final melt so that only a
small amount of metal remains to be discarded.
When the pot is empty but still warm, pass a piece of small gauge
wire into the pouring spout to aid cleaning. Remove the wire before
starting to use the unit again.
Occasionally the unit may drip molten metal from the pouring spout.
This is due to small flecks of solid material settling on the mating
surfaces of the pouring spout. Using a small screwdriver to turn the
screw slot on the top of the lifting lever cures the problem. This
can only be done when the metal is molten. Turn the
screwdriver several times in each direction until the dripping stops.
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