Lee Production Pot Drip

[LubeckTech]

Has anyone made a shield for the splatering which happens when my bottom pour Lee pot drips?
It is no big deal but is really annoying. I want to keep the tinsel fairy off my clothes.

[Smoke4320]

when I had mine I just put a lyman ingot mold under the pot.. stopped all the splatter..
just hold over the pot and tap a couple times all the lead falls back into the pot..

[fryboy]

i too use a ingot mold ,set it so the drip hits about halfway down a sloped side facing away from you dump as needed ,just for a tech tip .... it's not as easy as one would think emptying a tuna can used for a drip pot or ingot mold
about that drip ...seating it ( lapping the valve ) and clean alloy can help , i seated one with a hammer and a coupla love taps ( this is best done judiciously ) that pot only drips now if my alloy is dirty

[loaded303]

I keep a screwdriver next to the pot and if it drips I give the top screw a couple 1/4 turn twists back and forth. Just me.

[Mike W1]

They do tend to drip sometimes. I use an ingot mould under it while it's warming up. The drips that happen while actually casting are generally taken care of by twisting the rod as said above. However it's a heck of a lot easier if you weld a bolt on that rod with a handle on it. I'd suggest finding a suitable handle first though. Mine's just an old ground clamp fastened to it though it does have the advantage of adding a bit of weight which also helps. I noticed after I added a PID to the setup that the dripping on warmup usually happened at about 580°. Once the pot was up to temp of course the problem went away. I suspect that the rod floats just enough at that temperature to do the drip thing.

[jsizemore]

I use an ear of corn muffin pan. Slide to one side. When it gets full or starts to splatter, slide so it's exposed and one on the other end can assume the drip containment role. Use some needlenose pliers to move the blob into the pot. Repeat as necessary.

[loaded303]

Great idea mike. Well Noted. Thanks

[Charley]

I use the screwdriver and the Lyman ingot mold for drips. As mentioned, try to place the ingot mold so the drip hits an angle facing away from you.

[MT Chambers]

This has to be the first report of a Lee pot leaking.

[dikman]

This has to be the first report of a Lee pot leaking.

For today, at least....

[knobster]

Lee pot's drip? Well sunuvagun...

I also use the screwdriver turn tip mentioned above.

[r6487]

here's what I did---adding a 10 oz fishing weight helps

[1911KY]

Heck of any idea r6487. I believe I will do something very similar as I have that same pot.

What did you replace your valve rod with?

[1989toddm]

Screwdriver trick here also. Works great! I used lapping compound and an electric drill at slow speed but still struggles. May be because it's nearly a 50 year old pot.

[offshore44]

RCBS ingot mold under the spout and a quick twist of the valve stem when the drips occur. The drip tells me that the pot is about up to temperature. A drippy pot indicates that the alloy is dirty, most of the time. Crud collects around the seat and causes the leaks. An appropriate drill bit pushed up into the nozzle, and a good fluxing and stirring usually fixes the problem. The guide screws getting loose bug me more than the drips do.

[Dusty Bannister]

I punched a one inch hole in the bottom of a short can and turned it upside down under the nozzle. Drips fall through the hole and any spatters are contained in the can. Eventually, the column will build up and then you just slide the can back and forth to move the "lead art" and keep going. Eventually, you will need to slide the can over the edge of the base and drop the "lead art" into the sprue box, and then keep going. When shutting down or warming up, a catch pan is always placed on the spatter catcher. This way you can use the screwdriver as you need or have time, and otherwise maintain a nice casting tempo.

[Mike W1]

Note the smooth aluminum floor with the rounded front on mine. Any drips are easily swept into the little catch box below with a gloved hand and recycled whenever. The knob on the stem makes it easy to give it a small twist on occasion and pretty well eliminates MOST of the drips. The floor is raised to get the mould up where it needs to be on a IV and the smooth surface makes it easily put into place. And that warming shelf does get the mould heated up very nicely, eliminating the hot plate for me at least. I still need the ingot mould for the warmup though. Just in case!

[LubeckTech]

I punched a one inch hole in the bottom of a short can and turned it upside down under the nozzle. Drips fall through the hole and any spatters are contained in the can. Eventually, the column will build up and then you just slide the can back and forth to move the "lead art" and keep going. Eventually, you will need to slide the can over the edge of the base and drop the "lead art" into the sprue box, and then keep going. When shutting down or warming up, a catch pan is always placed on the spatter catcher. This way you can use the screwdriver as you need or have time, and otherwise maintain a nice casting tempo.

This worked really well for me!!
Funny thing is when I put the can in position the dripping almost completely stopped.

[dikman]

Looks like you've invented an "anti-drip" device.