Lee Dripomatic Art work

[rosewood]

A couple of recent creations from the Dripomatic.

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[trapper9260]

I see, I am not the only one that get that. I use a fine wire that fit in the hole at the bottom and have it long enough to go up in the pot by the hole and use pliers to put the wire up in and it will clear what there is plug the hole to stay like that to drip. It is something to see what it makes like you have there.

[John Boy]

A reason to cast with a ladle ... :cbpour:

[Smoke4320]

I would take the left one to an art gallery.. If a 6" string nailed to a board can get $30,000.00 no tell what that would bring

[rosewood]

Mine really doesn't drip bad. That is usually right after I close it and move my mold. It usually only drips about 1 drop between casts, but it builds up in the muffin pan I leave sitting below the spout.

[rosewood]

I would take the left one to an art gallery.. If a 6" string nailed to a board can get $30,000.00 no tell what that would bring

Too late, it went back in the pot and is probably a few .40 caliber or 9mm bullets now.

[popper]

Now we know where those movie makers get ideas for alien creatures.

[Grmps]

part of the problem could be your alloy is not completely clean and some contaminant in the alloy is blocking the rod from sealing the spout. Screw the rod all the way in then back it out to where it needs to be.

https://i.imgur.com/SIxeg53.png

https://i.imgur.com/dk6UixD.png

https://i.imgur.com/seqXV8u.png

[marek313]

I cant bash Lee products because i use so many of them and most of them work just fine including my 4-20 pot. This was covered so many times here but if your pot is leaking its because of dirty alloy. Flux, clean, flux and clean again and again and stir your alloy well to make sure you get all dirt to the surface. Clean it well while you smelt and you wont have any problems. Once in a while you'll get some dirt or even a grain of sand in your spout and that will cause it to drip. Either clear it with fine wire as suggested or just turn your spout screw few times with your screwdriver back and forth and it will get clear it that way too.
I just did over 1K of Lee 356-125 last night and I had to clear my spout that way maybe hand full of times. Its really not that bad.

[RogerDat]

Heck I sometimes have to clean the spout of my little dipper ladle. It happens. Just not very darn often. Less hassle but I don't ever get any of the cool art. Do you think my drops that splatter out might be worth at least a couple of grand if I collected them and glued to a board?

[clintsfolly]

Have a old Lee dripper pot and am thinking of drilling a hole in the base to let the drips fall thru and mounting it over my RCBS pot to slowly add to the bottom pot. And if I need more then that just lift the handle fill away!

[RogerDat]

Have a old Lee dripper pot and am thinking of drilling a hole in the base to let the drips fall thru and mounting it over my RCBS pot to slowly add to the bottom pot. And if I need more then that just lift the handle fill away! You a living example of life hands you a lemon you gonna make auto pre-heat/pre-melt casting reservoir out of it. :-)

Just be sure you don't leave the top one full and the bottom one partly full then go answer the phone. Would be a mess on par with a clogged toilet with a tank that runs on "stuff everywhere". I just mention it because I know that is what I would do given 1/2 a chance.

[PBSmith]

I'm so inspired by this thread that I might consider adding such a Lee device to the melt shop. Could someone please tell me which model is the "Dripomatic?" Does it have other qualities I should know about before investing?
Thanks.

[engineer401]

I had problems with the Lee 10# bottom pour. I replaced it with a RCBS Pro Melt and the dripping stopped. I did not change my methods for fluxing or change in any other way. The Lee pot simply required a lot of effort to control the drips. Of course the Pro Melt cost a lot more. This is one of those cases where you get what you pay for.

[Smoke4320]

I had problems with the Lee 10# bottom pour. I replaced it with a RCBS Pro Melt and the dripping stopped. I did not change my methods for fluxing or change in any other way. The Lee pot simply required a lot of effort to control the drips. Of course the Pro Melt cost a lot more. This is one of those cases where you get what you pay for.

You got that last part right .. at one time I had 4 lee 4-20 bottom pour pots .. They all dripped no matter what I did.. Working on them might stop drips for a session or so but the drips ALWAYS returned
sold them all bought 1 USED RCBS Bottom pour ...changed nothing else .. hardly ever a drip and if it does its only a few seconds and the next pour and it stops

[Grmps]

Question; is the RCBS flow adjuster a lot heavier than Lee's?

[Tripplebeards]

My Lee 4/20 dose the same cool looking Christmas tree lead drop. If I screw my adjuster up and down a few times it fixes the drip. If not I have it screwed to far up so the hole is open to big.

[RogerDat]

Some folks slip a weight onto the handle so that there is a touch more force applied to the rod to help it seal. Think they used washers as I recall. Of course that is also a touch more weight to lift on each pour.

Two Lee valve systems around one has what is essentially a door hinge pin supported at an angle that gets pulled back by the handle. Adding weight to that one is no advantage. The other design is a straight down drop in the valve plunger and the handle on the outside of the pot. This handle can be weighted to apply more pressure for a seal.

[MT Chambers]

Never ever leave a Lee bottom pour unattended.

[D-RIG]

Never ever leave a Lee bottom pour unattended.

Well spoken words right there .

[gwpercle]

A reason to cast with a ladle ... :cbpour:

I'm hitting the LIKE button !
Gary

[Smoke4320]

Like i was going to like like hit like the like button but like like couldnt like find it

[Nick Quick]

Between the dripomatic and ladle I'd take ladle at any time. I had my share of frustrations with Lee and I've learned quite few things while trying to make it work. Never had a problem with the good ole ladle. Tedious process tho but so rewarding and accurate.
I can't share public some of my stories with Lee as I am embarrassed even to remember. As someone pointed above: NEVER let the dripomatic unattended. EVER.

[Skipper]

A reason to cast with a ladle ... :cbpour:

Yep, I got tired of it, fired up the buzz-box and welded mine shut. It's a dip tank now.

[rosewood]

Once again, my pot doesn't leak just sitting there. It only drips right after you stop pouring. There is a little bit of space between the valve and the tip where I am guessing that little bit of lead has to go somewhere when you cut off the valve.

I used valve grinding compound on the tip and spun it with a drill, it seals up pretty well.

Rosewood

[glockfan]

when i stop pouring,i kind of put a little pressure down on the handle. no drips.

[bikerbeans]

Never leave a full lee pot unattended and a new mold setting about an inch offset from the spout.

BB

[trapper9260]

Never leave a full lee pot unattended and a new mold setting about an inch offset from the spout.

BB

That some it up right. just do not let it sit with out unattended. I seen after you put a wire in the hole to clear the hole.It will stop the dripormatic for a time.

[bikerbeans]

225311

bb

[LongRangeAir]

I now have a 3 inch deep baker sheet under my pot.. Never know when nature calls. Had one issue when on brake. Lead everywhere. GRRR Lee 20lb dripomatic of course. ;)

The sheet is under the Pro melt, not that it needs it. ;<)

[OS OK]

https://i.imgur.com/ZRdWnNo.jpg?1

[stephen_q]

I had an amazing looking drip sculpture this past weekend i should have photographed it, dang!