Getting along with our Lee 'Drip-o-matics'

[OS OK]

Yesterday was a rare day of casting...I set out to clean a worrisome mould & try to learn where the pot temperature allows frosted or shiny casts.
Instead of casting at a furious pace for quantity, I payed very close attention to the temp. dial and was trying to start casting around 650*F and work down to where I would find the 'magic temp setting' where the shiny cast emerge...Slowing my casting allowed me to think about more nuances of this pot's workings and my casting tempo.

First, I noticed that when I put sprues back in the pot, if I turn the pot up to 6 they would melt in faster but if I didn't change back to the 3-4 region soon enough the pot would overshoot quickly...what did I learn? A couple of things...when the pot is relatively full it would react more slowly to the heat element and when it was below say 1/2 full it reacted more quickly and if I didn't turn the dial from 6 back to 3 1/2 before it came near where I wanted...650*F, I'd end up overshooting.
When I used to cast like a 'house a fire' I'd turn the knob to max. and put the sprues in so I could get back to casting more quickly but I never sustained any constant temps. that would allow a more narrow casting window in the weights of the individual casts. At best I would find myself somewhere between 800*F and 725*F, constantly changing as I over adjusted the temp. knob. That also made the mold react in the same fashion...up then down..."I wonder why I'm not seeing any shiny casts doing this?" Dumb question...huh?

Second, I dropped a couple mould loads and noticed that the sprue cuts were ragged and or pulling material from the base of the cast.
Well, that sidetracked my quest for shiny cast for a while as I concentrated on timing before I cut the sprue. I'm at 650*F in the pot and I was having to wait from 7 - 10 seconds and then I'd see a smooth sprue cut close to the cast base. Yahoo, that only took about a dozen drops or so..."I'm thinking/mulling about how slow I'm casting and is it worth it or not, this could add an hour to a casting session for 600 boolits...hummm? Then I noticed the shiny cast started emerging...

Third, it was the slower pace that allowed my Lee .358 158g. RNF 6 gang mould to get down to it's operating range for shiny casts at a 650*F pot temp. I lowered the temp dial just barely above 3 and very soon the pot went to 575*F...I'm thinking this is a new low for me casting, I wonder if I'll get wrinkles? Nope, still shiny wrinkle free casts, dang I'm starting to be amazed now.

Fourth, I went all the way down to 550*F and I got shiny un-wrinkled boolits...but...and there's always a butt...but, the spigot started freezing and would allow only 1 pour between having to unfreeze it with my torch...dang! But...there's the butt again...I increased the knob setting to almost 3 1/2 and the pot came up to 560*F and a little drip started...hummmmm, I'll ignore this drip and see if that drip will leave the spigot open, it worked. That's why you see the drip art in the picture. The first time I ever let that happen more than a few drips.

Attachment 194740

Fifth, I noticed that I was pouring pretty wide sprues and that's ok but the more Pb wasted on too much sprue means the quicker I'll have to pause and put a load of cuts back in the pot. Hummm? I can change that...it's the timing when I push the mould in further to an empty cavity. I always used to watch it and as soon as I see the sprue hole backing up I'd move the mold. Not very consistent timing.
Now you fellas may think this is silly but as soon as the Pb started into an empty cavity I started saying to myself..."uh-huh'' and move the mold again. That worked out to be "uh-huh (move) uh-huh (move) uh-huh (move) and so on 6 times in a row. Look at how even the sprue excess is after doing this silly "uh-huh!'' I don't know what to make of this but, as they say so much around here..."it works for me!"

Attachment 194741

A couple of other things I'll mention is the heavy square nut behind the spigot handle...it adds weight to the valve and I can run it more wide open for heavy rifle casts. I still have to twist the valve screw and purge whatever is holding it open but...but it helps.

Also notice that I ground the little 'almost adequate' mould shelf so I can place different widths of moulds on it and have them centered on the spigot along with the right distance down so I can see the flow.

Well, that's it for the opening post...what little 'tricks' have you 'Drip-o-matic' operators learned that we can pass along to the forum?

[OS OK]

Thanks to whoever fixed this!

[JohnH]

Mostly I ignore the drips. I put a small pet food bowl ($2 bucks at wall Walmart) under the spout and cast away. I cur my sprues into a bucket and put the drip art into the same bucket for re smelting and making ingots later. I replinish my pot with ingots. I use the cornbread stick irons for making ingots, the ones that look like an ear of corn, they make ingots of about a half pound. As I'm casting, I lay one across the top of the pot as as the melts fall about 3/8" I add it. This preheats the ingot and overall helps maintain a more constant temperature as the pot stays fuller and I"m not adding cold metal back to it. Doesn't do a dang thing to control the drips. Some years ago I had a 10 pound Lee pot that was the worst for dripping. I once drained it and refilled with a batch of 20-1 lead tin I made up for a 38-55 I was shooting and the dripping stopped. Refilled with COWW and the dribbles returned. Go figure.

[MT Gianni]

Sometime in the early 90's on the recommendation of someone on the board I bought a small long nose Chinese vice grip plier. I clamp it to the rod and the extra weight takes care of most of the drips.

[runfiverun]

I do the extra weight thing too.

to keep the pot at a more consistent temp I added a thick steel lid to the pot.
the heat band is near the bottom, the heavy steel adds mass.
it also gives me a place to keep lead warm just before I put it in the pot.

the other thing I do is return the sprue immediately back to the pot, it's still hot.

yeah, I know it's flashed over and might be returning some oxides.
you can probably hear the lack of concern in my typing.

[Garyshome]

I put a Lee ingot mold under the spout.

[OS OK]

These are some pretty good little tips...you don't often hear about these little things done to get along with this pot.

I think that before this thread disappears my pot may go through another 'morphing'. Uhhh...I mean re-model.

[The Dar]

My spout on the Lee 4-20 won't pour until the temp of my lead is around 680 degrees. I'm using the Lyman digital thermometer. I could be wrong, but it sounds like your thermometer isn't accurate if you can pour as low as 550 degrees. Have you calibrated it?

[OS OK]

Yeppers...boiling water. It's the only way I have. Wish I had some way to calibrate at say...500*F.

I wonder if it would ruin them to put them in the oven at 400*F or so?

[Bzcraig]

Though I use a PID to keep my pot to temp, I'm finding that by using a hotplate to preheat my molds, I too have been lowering my pot temp and getting much nicer looking boolits. They are more consistent in all ways.

[Grmps]

It kind of depends on what alloy you are using as to what temperature the spout "plugs" at. I use a bamboo spoon with the end cut off, find a wire that fits in the spout then drill a hole in the cut end of the handle insert wire, bend at 90 and you have a spout cleaner.
If / when my pot drips, I clean the tip then screw the flow rod all the way in then back it off again, this usually stops the drip. A light tap with the leather mallet use on the mold stops the drip for a while also.

[minmax]

O.S.O.K., it should do OK in the oven. Maybe not self clean. Not sure what temp that is?

[Whitespider]

I don't own a Drip-o-Matic... I don't own any sort of bottom-pour pot... I use a ladle.
I also don't own a casting thermometer, I just set the burner on the old electric stove to the "High" setting and leave it there.
But I also like bright, shiny boolits... not frosty lookin' boolits.

What I've learned is that's more about mold temperature than it is about alloy temperature. I have a small fan mounted on the wall above the bench, blowing down right where I drop the boolits... I use that fan and rhythm to control mold temperature. I have to adjust depending on the mold and ambient temperature; I pour, swing the mold under the fan with the sprue plate up for x-time, cut the sprue and flip the mold upside down under the fan, open and drop boolit, hold mold open under fan for x-time before closing and making a new pour.

Now, I don't use any sort of timer or counting for my "x-times"... it's all "gut feeling" and rhythm (and I have classic rock playing on the radio). If the sprues start tearing from the base I slightly increase the time the sprue plate is directly under the fan, if the boolits start showing a bit of frost I slightly increase the open mold time under the fan. If the sprue starts cutting "hard" (meaning more than a very light tap required) I decrease the the time the sprue plate is directly under the fan, and if I see fill-out problems I decrease the open mold time under the fan.

Normally I can find that "just right" rhythm for bright, shiny, filled-out, sharp-cornered boolits in short order... but there are those days when I probably shouldn't have gotten out'a bed. I've also tried casting with two molds, but the I don't like switching the mold in and out of my hand... because no two molds seem to like the exact same technique (at least, not in my world), it's distracting and impossible to get the "just right" rhythm going (for me anyway).
*

[OS OK]

Ahhh, such perfection! But...and there's the Butt again...I think your classic rock has your internal rhythm confused..."Want to borrow my Buddy Holly CD?" . . .

[Texas by God]

I keep a large bent paper clip for unclogging the spout and a screwdriver to turn the valve to "settle in". After melting andfluxing on high I turn the furnace down to 3/4 and cast & return at least ten bullets till the mould is hot. I also knock off the sprues back into the pot. I'll stop when the pot is 1/4 full then take a break while the new ingots or WW are melting.
I like my Lee bottom pour furnace.

[robg]

I keep a large bent paper clip for unclogging the spout and a screwdriver to turn the valve to "settle in". After melting andfluxing on high I turn the furnace down to 3/4 and cast & return at least ten bullets till the mould is hot. I also knock off the sprues back into the pot. I'll stop when the pot is 1/4 full then take a break while the new ingots or WW are melting.
I like my Lee bottom pour furnace.

Sprues are hot don't want to waste the heat it make sense to me .use a small mold of angle iron to catch any dips and put them in pot with the spruces .as above basically.

[JimA]

I put a Lee ingot mold under the spout.

I do the same. I have only had a drip a few times in the last several years and it went away when I raised and lowered the handle. I must be lucky.
I use a PID temperature controller now and am surprised how much easier it is to empty most of the pot without rejects. I also find the spout freezes at about 680 on my pot so I cast at 720 and get nice shiny bullets.
I always leave at least a quarter inch of lead in the pot when I finish, usually more. Maybe that's why my pot doesn't drip.

[Texas by God]

Mine is 25+years old and I've turned it upside down & banged the molten slag out ONCE. That's the extent of maintenence it has received.

[armoredman]

Hmm, this is why it would have been nice to have someone around to show me what I was supposed to do with casting instead of learning it all through books and the 'net - my boolits go from shiny to frosty by the time I'm done. I never really worries about it. I never move the temp dial - think it's a hair above 7. No thermometer. I found that screwing the adjustable screw in my Lee 10 lb pot all the way down and knocking the whole shebang over to my right keeps the drips under control. Once in a while the nozzle starts to slow down and I'll take a very thin finishing nail gripped in my Leatherman pliers, stick it up the spout and lightly tap it with the mold buster stick until the handle visibly moves upward, to clear what might be stuck. Works wonders for speeding things up.
Willing to bet if any of you watched me casting, you'd probably yell, "No, no, you're doing it all wrong! Thanks for the tip on sprues - I just figured some tore and some didn't. I'll try the fan trick, as I do have one blowing in the casting room.
Texas - we're supposed to do something different? I haven't even done that and I've been using this pot for over ten years.
I also have a 1 pound ingot mold under the spout, no idea where it came from, no maker name, but it's handy to pour out the leftover into a half/quarter ingot when I'm done.

[MaryB]

I took the adjuster screw for the spout off, added an extension with a 4 ounce cast lead ball on top as a knob. Since I wear gloves it doesn't get to hot to touch and has never showed signs of melting. If it melts I will find an iron ball about the same weight and weld it on...