I just finished building myself a nice bottom pour smelting pot. For the valve, I decided to use a block, and used a countersink bit to cut a valve seat. I then decided to use brass rod for the valve, which I cut to match, then lapped to the seat. I have it attached to threaded rod, and threaded a block to tighten the valve. I decided that would be more secure than the levers I've seen that rely on weight to seal. It seals water better than I hoped. My only concern is that brass might melt, or cause other problems in lead. Is there anything to be concerned about, or do others just use steel because it's cheap?