kweidner
01-05-2012, 07:22 PM
I got tired of my leaky Lee.... Some combined searching and a little bit of my technique.
I decided to do a write up for those that are tired of the drip. 30 minutes is all it took and no more drip art!
equipment needed
Leaky pot (if it says lee this should be easy to acquire :kidding:)
1/2 inch drill
lapping compound (I used wheeler engineering from midway)
Drill bit that will fit in the hole in spout (I used 3/32)
1/4 inch socket or nut driver
paper towels
Q-tips
old flathead screwdriver
sand paper 200 grit
1 Drain the pot
2 remove handle assembly with 1/4 inch socket
3 set plunger/seat aside
4 clean pot well using old screwdriver to scrape the crud. Finish clean with 200 grit sandpaper.
5 use small drill bit to clean out hole. I did this twisting bit with fingers.
6 clean plunger/seat with same method as pot.
The Process
At this point you are ready to help the plunger seat better. When I set mine in the pot down in the recess I could still see light around it on the top. There my friend is the problem. Chuck plunger in the drill, cover end (small tip)with lapping compound (I used 220 grit). lap tip into recess using drill. make sure to use close to the same angle as it sits in the pot normally. A little over or under angle won't make a huge difference. Lap for about 20 seconds using pretty good pressure into the nipple. Stop occasionally to coat with more compound. Repeat lap. Clean all the gunk out with Qtips and the small bit. Make sure to be thorough cleaning nipple or it will give a false positive when you check your work. Check your work after cleaning it by allowing plunger to rest on rim of pot and the lapped end down in recess. Fill pot with water. Weight of plunger if lapped enough will not let water through. If it drips you need more lapping. Pour out water, dry with paper towel and repeat the process. It took mine 3 times. When it no longer leaks with weight of plunger you have a sealed pot. Pour out water and dry with paper towel. Reassemble handle and make sure you get the groove of plunger into handle assembly correctly. Drop in some lead, fire her up, residual water will evaporate before lead melts so no worries there. No more lead drip art.
It only took me about thirty minutes. I should have done it right after I got it. Now when I let go of the handle it actually stops!
Hope it helps
I decided to do a write up for those that are tired of the drip. 30 minutes is all it took and no more drip art!
equipment needed
Leaky pot (if it says lee this should be easy to acquire :kidding:)
1/2 inch drill
lapping compound (I used wheeler engineering from midway)
Drill bit that will fit in the hole in spout (I used 3/32)
1/4 inch socket or nut driver
paper towels
Q-tips
old flathead screwdriver
sand paper 200 grit
1 Drain the pot
2 remove handle assembly with 1/4 inch socket
3 set plunger/seat aside
4 clean pot well using old screwdriver to scrape the crud. Finish clean with 200 grit sandpaper.
5 use small drill bit to clean out hole. I did this twisting bit with fingers.
6 clean plunger/seat with same method as pot.
The Process
At this point you are ready to help the plunger seat better. When I set mine in the pot down in the recess I could still see light around it on the top. There my friend is the problem. Chuck plunger in the drill, cover end (small tip)with lapping compound (I used 220 grit). lap tip into recess using drill. make sure to use close to the same angle as it sits in the pot normally. A little over or under angle won't make a huge difference. Lap for about 20 seconds using pretty good pressure into the nipple. Stop occasionally to coat with more compound. Repeat lap. Clean all the gunk out with Qtips and the small bit. Make sure to be thorough cleaning nipple or it will give a false positive when you check your work. Check your work after cleaning it by allowing plunger to rest on rim of pot and the lapped end down in recess. Fill pot with water. Weight of plunger if lapped enough will not let water through. If it drips you need more lapping. Pour out water, dry with paper towel and repeat the process. It took mine 3 times. When it no longer leaks with weight of plunger you have a sealed pot. Pour out water and dry with paper towel. Reassemble handle and make sure you get the groove of plunger into handle assembly correctly. Drop in some lead, fire her up, residual water will evaporate before lead melts so no worries there. No more lead drip art.
It only took me about thirty minutes. I should have done it right after I got it. Now when I let go of the handle it actually stops!
Hope it helps