Question about the right way to clean out a ladle after a pour

I keep seeing guys at our shop just bang the slag off the lip and call it good. Did that myself for years. Last month, I started using a wire cup brush on a grinder to get the last crust off the inside walls. The next pour from that ladle was noticeably cleaner, with way less inclusions in the casting. It only adds about two minutes to the cleanup. Anyone else notice a big difference from a truly clean ladle versus a quick knock?

3 comments

3 Comments

ninar6816d ago

Oh man, that quick knock is a total scam. You're leaving a layer of old junk that just melts right into your next heat. I saw the same thing you did, way more crap floating in the pour. Taking that extra minute with a brush to get the inside walls clean makes a real difference. It's one of those little things that seems pointless until you actually do it. Then you feel dumb for not doing it sooner.

the_faith16d ago

Totally reminds me of my old roommate who would just rinse his coffee mug instead of washing it. After a week that thing had a weird brown film that wouldn't come off no matter what. He swore it added flavor, but it just tasted like stale sadness.

milalewis16d ago

Ugh, that brown film story from @the_faith is so real! My brother does the exact same thing with his favorite travel mug. He calls it "seasoning" like it's a cast iron pan, but it's just gross. You can literally see the oily old coffee residue floating on top of his fresh brew. It smells weird too, like sour milk almost. I finally stole it and scrubbed it with baking soda when he wasn't looking, and he got mad at me for "ruining" it! Some people just will not learn.