Leaking RCBS Melting Pot

[Engineer1911]

Because of pleasant weather after Irma, I melted down a 5 gallon bucket of range berm mined bullets. While the scrap was melting on the turkey burner (steel wok), I filled my melting pot with the last of the ingots. The RCBS melting pot is 25 years old, has been cleaned regularly, and I cleaned the pour spout and shut off stem multiple times. Spout still leaks. Cleaned stem and hole, used valve grinding compound to lap the stem and hole, still a slow drip.

Well, after an hour of drips casting with a Lee 6 cavity mold I simply got mad about the drip. I wacked the top of the stem with my 6" vice grips (holds my table spoon for fluxing the pot). There was a spurt of lead out of the spout and THE DRIP STOPPED. An hour later it dripped again, another wack and it was drip free for 3 hours. Finally ended up with 38# of shiny 158 grain SWC and a new supply of casting ingots.

Simple things work best. No draining, no cleaning, no polishing, no lapping, just hit the damn stem with a small hammer.

[castalott]

I did that with my RCBS pot and after a little bit I knocked the bottom out of the pot. It drained 20 pounds of lead out in a little bit.... I may have hit it too hard....

[D Crockett]

you do not have to hit them hard just a few light taps will usually do the trick mine leaks ever so often and I think there is some kind or crud built up in the orfice that needs to be knocked out but don't hit like you were hitting a home run in the world series D Crockett

[Beagle333]

Never had to touch mine, never had a drip. But I'll keep that trick in mind, just in case.

[Walter Laich]

have you tried to add weight to the handle? extra weight might keep the stem tight against the spout

[Bama]

Because of pleasant weather after Irma, I melted down a 5 gallon bucket of range berm mined bullets. While the scrap was melting on the turkey burner (steel wok), I filled my melting pot with the last of the ingots. The RCBS melting pot is 25 years old, has been cleaned regularly, and I cleaned the pour spout and shut off stem multiple times. Spout still leaks. Cleaned stem and hole, used valve grinding compound to lap the stem and hole, still a slow drip.

Well, after an hour of drips casting with a Lee 6 cavity mold I simply got mad about the drip. I wacked the top of the stem with my 6" vice grips (holds my table spoon for fluxing the pot). There was a spurt of lead out of the spout and THE DRIP STOPPED. An hour later it dripped again, another wack and it was drip free for 3 hours. Finally ended up with 38# of shiny 158 grain SWC and a new supply of casting ingots.

Simple things work best. No draining, no cleaning, no polishing, no lapping, just hit the damn stem with a small hammer.

Careful, the nozzel on the Promelter is only flared into the pot. Too hard of a rap could dump the whole pot in a very short amount of time, splashing all over.

[Tom W.]

Pot brutality!!!!! Scared it so bad it was afraid NOT to work !

[randyrat]

Dip a sharp wooden stick in slowly and scrape near the spout, this seems to clean that area and the drip stops. I use a paint stir stick or a sharp oak stick. There are impurities that get trapped and the carbon (burnt wood) seems to lift it

[OS OK]

I used to have the drip problem with my Lee Dripomatic...instead of assaulting it, I decided to have a little 'pep talk' with it...
We talked for hours and when we were done...it never dripped again.

[dragon813gt]

This thread must be a joke. RCBS pots don't leak. That's why people pay way to much for them

[JMtoolman]

Someone on the forum a couple of years ago suggested putting a spring on the screw adjustment to apply pressure on the rod to seat the rod that seals on the bottom of the pot. I tried it and man does it work a treat! I don't remember who suggested it but kudos to the cleaver man who thought of it. The toolman.

[Leadmelter]

30+ years and still melting and no drips. Take a paper clip when the pot is hot and run it in and out and in a circular motion. Take your spoon or dross tool and clean around the opening.
Good Luck
Leadmelter

[Lloyd Smale]

ive got two of them ive "overpaid" for. Ive owned lees in the past and the rcbs pots are the best thing I ever overpaid for (other then my star sizer, Dillon presses, rockchucker, ballistic cast molds ect.) Id rather have to be a vegetarian then go back to a lee pot thank you. Use one for a couple weeks and id bet your lee pot collects dust like mine did till I found someone I disliked enough to give it away to.

This thread must be a joke. RCBS pots don't leak. That's why people pay way to much for them

[bosterr]

I don't know if this can be done on an RCBS but on my Lyman 20 Pounder I hack-sawed a screw driver slot into the top end of the valve rod. Now whenever it drips I take a screw driver and rotate it back and forth as I press down a little. There's enough rotational slop of the rod and the lift handle that whatever is causing the drip gets moved out of the way. Drips don't happen very often, but this is a sure cure every time.

[David2011]

Mine is 35+ years old and developed a drip. RCBS sent me a new pot liner at no charge which was easy to install. Drip cured.