Can the Lee 4-20 lead melter be taken apart? I am interested in improving the spout and stop rod.
Can the Lee 4-20 lead melter be taken apart? I am interested in improving the spout and stop rod.
Yes it can be taken apart but I think the spout is part of the steel pot.
On every question of construction let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed.
Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Johnson, June 12, 1823
Yes. I want to build a bolt on assembly myself. I think with a PID and a Magma style valve assembly it would be a great furnace.
They sell replacements. The spout can be removed.
https://leeprecision.com/20-pot-valve-spout.html
US Govt mantra: If it's moving tax it. If it's still moving regulate it. If it stops moving subsidize it
I improved mine by chucking the valve rod in a cordless drill and lapping it to the spout with toothpaste. Never leaks now
If reduced to a heating element and a steel pot to hold Lead, ya they can be great. The spout and lever assembly is dumb. The temp controls are dumber. We are a group of tinkerers though, and as a result mine is a champ. PID, redesigned rod and lever, and mold rest so far. The next and final phase is to couple a second 4-20 to feed my main 4-20 so my lead pod temp stays constant.
I fabricated a lever assembly the same as the RCBS pot uses, much nicer to use. I also replaced the base and pot support, fitted a shelf for supporting molds and added a PID. Much as Drew did.
After the day I just had with mine I would suggest using a large hammer. I thought I had the drip o matic feature fixed with a good cleaning and a weight system. Please let us know how your upgrade goes so others can modify theirs.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |