Lee Pro 4 20 Lb Furnace 110 Volt

[skeet1]

I also have a Lee 4-20 pot and bought it to replace an old SAECO that I bought about 40 years ago. The old SAECO was a ok but I like the Lee much better and it cost me less that the SAECO did 40 years ago.

Ken

[skeet1]

Today I was casting with a new mould and everything was going very well and I was thinking about the number of casters that have complained in the past about the Lee pots dripping. Mine does drip on occasion but has not been a big problem.

After getting my mould up to temp I got out my Bullplate Lube and started using it on my new mould when a thought arose, I wonder what would happen if I applied Bullplate Lube to the upper and lower shoulder bolts of the valve mechanism, so I did. The mechanism works much smoother now and I didn't have any drips.

You guys with problem 4-20 pots might want to give this a try.

Ken

[zuke]

I started with a LEE 10 lb Precision melter but when I went to LEE 6 cavity mold's it couldn't keep up so I went with a LEE Pro 4 20lb and I'm happy!
But when you run a 6 cavity 45-70 mold that throw's a 450 gn. bullet it'll empty that pot faster then you think!
What I do now is fill both pot's and run the 4 20.When it's time to top off I pour the already melted lead from the 10 lb then fill it up again.
Talk about a time saver! And the ingot's are pre heated before they turmolten no no more condensation on the ingot's!

[ia1727]

As promised...

Why ? What's their purpose ?

Steve

[44magLeo]

The washers add weight to the handle. This pushes the rod down against the seat more so you get less drips. I made a lead washer about the same diameter and about 3/8 inch thick for the handle. No drips.

[handyman25]

I purchased a Lee 10 lb pot, not big enough. I would say buy the 20lb.

As for leaking, I lapped the valve rod into the seat and leaking is not a problem.

[Dannmann801]

Lee Pro 4 20 Lb Furnace 110 Volt

I love mine. Had some minor leakage when I first started using it, but very little problem with that these days. I don't let mine run dry, I always keep about 1/2" (or a little less) in it when done with each casting session. This keeps impurities from wedging in the outlet and preventing the valve from seating. Works for me.

I'm new to reloading and casting - have a Lee pot shipping that should be here on Friday.
Was feeling pretty good about my purchase based on recommendations, and better now that I've read thru this thread.

[Cane_man]

now they come with a metal handle, not that wooden one shown above... so you dont need to get the washers to weigh it down

[gunoil]

What are you pouring?

i want a 30lb e pot. Especially when i do 45acp.

[Dannmann801]

What are you pouring?

i want a 30lb e pot. Especially when i do 45acp.

I'm not pouring anything - yet. Got some scrap lead and melted some ingots with a propane burner and cast iron skillet, just to get the feel of handling it.

Don't think I'll be pouring any bullets anytime soon - molds are kinda hard to come by right now.

What I intend to try first is bullets for my .40S&W and 30-30win

[myg30]

Still have same lee pot. Very little if any trouble till.... I don't like to sound old but..., I liked it better when things were simple. When you start to get high tech it creates to many problems. A friend of mine who got me into casting cause it was so inexpensive, told me to get a lee pot, either type bottom or ladle, a mold and some scrap lead. He said it was so easy to drop em into some cold water, tumble lube, load and shoot. He was spot on! 45 acp was so easy. Added more calibers now. Any way most of my trouble started when I purchased a thermometer. All my casting took a turn for the worse. I had so much trouble getting molds to drop good boolits that never gave me trouble and wrinkles etc... I found then that the temp. HAD to vary for each mold I was casting with and the outside temp played a role in the spout freezing up.
Back to the basics. Put the thermometer away, turned the pot on high, cast till I got some frostys as the pot level dropped, lowered the temp some, added clean lead, turn temp up, cast good boolits etc...
Since then I added,3 presses,2 luber sizers, size dies any mold I thought I needed, several lubes, home made, 45-45-10, bee's wax, floor wax, candle wax, car wax, brass polish, leather polish, nail polish..HEY ! for sealing primers !!

My friend casts, shoots and has so much fun on less then $50 invested !! [less powder,primers of course]. Me, I cant stop spending ! Im not having as much fun as he is either !

Mike

[1bluehorse]

I had a Lee 4-20 pot for about 4-5 years...did all the valve lapping, pot cleaning, hanging junk on the handle, still leaked. No, I didn't "smelt" in the pot, but I did "flux" in it with sawdust..hated the thing...they're che..ahh, inexpensive for a reason, that's the way they're made. Bought a Pro Melt and really enjoy casting again..is the RCBS more expensive ? you bet, a lot more expensive..is it that much better of a pot, yes it is, and not just "marginally better"..it's a lot better...,just my opinion...YMMV..

[Bzcraig]

Like Recluse my experience with Lee stuff has been good. I have had very minimal problems with my lee pro 4-20, all of which were easily remedied. There is an indexed thermostat but it references no useful criteria such as temp. Also like Recluse I always have a thermometer in my pot and don't get much change except when the pot gets low on lead. I have no problem recommending Lee. Read the directions which address setting the flow control while pouring. The volume of the pour changes as the pot volume lowers and is also affected by pot temp. I can't help but believe that some of the problems we encounter are self induced cause we want to plug it in and pour perfect boolits right from the get go. My philosphy is if most people say something will work cause they have done it and I believe they did, but my results are different, then chances are I did or did not do something I should or should not have done. Experience is the best teacher but this site is a close second!

[Cherokee]

If you have the money, go with the RCBS or the new Lyman digital. Otherwise, the Lee Pro 4-20 pot. I have three and they did the job for me for many years. Drip, yes, read above suggestions. Most important is good clean alloy in the pot. If the aloy is really free of junk, it will not clog the Lee and make it drip. I have upgraded to the Pro Melt but still have my Lee pots.

[DangerousDave]

We now have two Lee ten pounders. Both are going just fine. I bought the original one in 1977 and am still using it!
The newer one was a gift to my son so we can cast together. Yeah, they leak a little sometimes, but I keep a stubby screw driver on the bench to twist the valve rod a bit. That stops it most times. Another thing I learned early on was to never empty the pot all the way. In fact I like to leave the pot full when I stop. Anyway, over the years I've tried most of the reloading makers products and don't have a lot of good to say about lee stuff. These lead pots are the one shinning exception.

[copdills]

I have both. I keep the smaller one for pure lead and the larger one for w/w. I've had both for years, and I just turn the pot on wide open and have a ball. It's a hobby, not a contest...and my results are good.

I have the pro 20 lb pot and never had a problem with it , I had mine for about 3 years now

[KenT7021]

I have the Lee 10 pounder,a Lee 4-20 and a Lyman Mag25.I just replaced the pot on the 10 pounder.I've had it for probably 40 years.I would buy the 20 pound pot over the 10 but they are both good lead melters.They will drip on occasion but that is easily dealt with.The Lyman will drip as well if some debris gets around the pour spout.I prefer the Lyman because of the PID and the capacity.If all I had was one of the Lee pots I would not consider myself to be at a disadvantage.The only concern I have is a heating failure with a Lyman or RCBS pot with 20 pounds of alloy in it.

[RED BEAR]

I've been casting for a little over 10 years and still consider myself a rookie. Did it all with a 20 pound Lee pot. It isn't a bottle pour I use a ladle. Just finished casting over 600 pounds of lead in different calibers for summer shooting. I really like the Lee and yes it will hear up as the lead level goes down. With a good thermometer ( rcbs ) it is not hard to keep the temp with in 15 degrees or so. And to be honest really don't need it any closer. When I first started tried to keep everything exact to the degree. Waste of time. Anyway as I said I really like my Lee pot. Some of us out here just can't afford an rcbs even though I have no doubt it is a great product of you can afford it you can't go wrong with big green.