Printable View
Been casting a lot from my 2 20 pound bottom pour pots and am bout tired if the constant drip and splash from them. I have cast thousands of boolits from them (one for harder boolit metal and one filled with pure soft lead.
Question here is two fold ... 1- is there a trick to dry up the dripping Lee's? ... and ... 2- is the 350 dollar RCBS that much better then the Lee's to warrent the 4 times cost?
1. haven't found a way to make it go totally away. Did add some weight to the handle to push it down a bit harder on the spout
2. I love my Pro-Melt. Added a PID unit and got the aftermarket lid and shelf. converted the handle to pull down to open. I think the additional cost is well worth it
I lapped my valve rod on my new Lee 4-20 and it has no issues
And the PID works too
Lot of tricks get posted and most can manage to really reduce drips or all but eliminate them. I have read where the spout is adjustable on some models and by moving up or down can improve action, that giving a short twist back and forth of the pin form time to time can help clean the seat for a better seal. Putting a 3/4 inch nut slid back on the handle to add weight can help. Always using clean lead is another one that gets mentioned.
Relative price is a matter of perspective. I always ask what am I going to NOT be purchasing or delay purchasing if I spend the money to buy an item. Unless you are really flush there are usually some trade off involved. You only get to spend the money once so your question here is certainly worth asking.
Me I ladle pour, don't generally have drips. Slower I guess but other things are ahead of any thoughts of buying a bottom pour of any sort for me.
Remove the adjusting screw and put a cheap tap wrench on the valve stem. Adds weight, allows flow adjustment and just twist to stop the drip. Don't need to reach for the screw driver. Stem will pull right out for cleaning. I use a small 'skillet' ash tray for drip catch and use the gloved hand in front to stop those pesky splashes.
Thanks for the replys. What is a PID?
I drained my pot good, then removed the control rod, liberal coat of fine valve grinding compound, put control rod back and did a basic valve seating job. No drips now.
A PID is a fancy electronic thermometer that automatically regulates your pot, keeping the temp within about 2°± of what is desired. They are wonderful things. You can also use it to run your lubesizer heater, your hotplate (mold oven) and your toaster oven if you powdercoat. They will run just about anything that you want to keep the temperature at a constant setting. It is better than a thermostat because it "learns" how fast your appliance will heat up and it doesn't overshoot the target temp.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigted
The new Lyman Mag 25 pots reportedly do not drip and also come with a built-in PID. See the reviews on this forum if you are interested in those.
I am either really lucky, I doubt it, but I never get the dripping everyone complains about. I have a 40yr old 10# & a 10yr old 20#. Neither really drips. I never empty them nor melt scrap in them. Only addition was a pid I can switch between pots. They work fine. I only wish they were insulated like the RCBS or Lyman. For 1/5 the cost of either, I can live with it.
Melting only clean ingots helps a lot to reduce stop the dripping of the Lee Pots. Lapping the valve faces together to a good match also helps a lot as does adding some weight to the mechanisim. Add this out side the lead as steel floats on lead and more mass below the surface will increase the "float" of the rod. A light spring load on the handle might help also.I would recommend to start with a good cleaning then lightly lap the valve and seat together to 95%or better seal. Start with coarse to medium valve grinding compound then work down to 600 lapping compound. If this dosnt stop the drips then you might try adding some weight above the lead level or to the handle. Or a light spring to the handle to provide closed pressure constantly on the handle
I really like my ProMelt, but whether its worth it is a personal thing. To me, it is. I often cast with a buddy or two. We set up on my workbench and talk and visit while we cast. The guy with the Lee works on his pot more than the guys with RCBS or Lyman pots. He has a couple of different size of picks for cleaning out the spout. He left it empty after yesterdays casting session and we plan on lapping the spout and I will come up with something to use to add weight to the handle
Want to prevent a Lee pot from dripping? Use clean alloy ONLY. And by clean I mean completely clean. If everyone did this there wouldn't be nearly as many dripping pots.
I have seen otherwise respected Youtube channels throwing all kinds of **** in the lead melter and fishing it out: dirty cowws, jacketed rangescrap, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by dragon813gt
"Oh its a bottom pour, it will be fine...."
Hooookay
I agree, you need clean alloy, with a Lee or any other brand. This was clean alloy. We not only cast together, we smelt together. Usually in batches of around 400# and we flux and skim several times. The Lee guys just leak more and tinker with their pots more.Quote:
Originally Posted by dragon813gt
A few years back my 'gun fund' was up, but I didn't have any particular itch I wanted to scratch. So, after 30 years of casting, I decided to upgrade my casting pot. I bought an RCBS and haven't regretted it one bit. I still have and use my LEE pots (1 ten pound and two 20 Lb). I get the 10 Lb LEE out to drop my sprues in and let them smelt to refill into my RCBS Pro Melt.
Lifes good,
Murphy
I just keep a catch pan below the spout. Drips don't bother me, and I prime the spout before I fill the mould anyway.