How Can You Fix A LEE Production Pot IV "Dribble" ?

[DoctorBill]

I had used a tiny LEE Lead Melting Pot for years casting with a Ladle.

I finally put down $55 for a LEE Production Pot IV with a bottom
pour spout.

Well, it just dribbled slowly and would not put out sufficiently to fill
a larger mold (500 gr Minnie Ball Bullet).

I wrote LEE and asked about how to make it pour faster - no response.

So I drilled the hole larger, but now it dribbles - no seal. I lapped the
valve rod with polish, but to no avail.

Does anyone know how I can get that valve seal to SEAL the Lead from
constantly dribbling out ? Does that spout unscrew or is it part of the tub ?

If not, I'll have to seal the hole and just use the pot as a melter and
go back to ladeling out the hot lead into my molds. $55 wasted.

DoctorBill

[shadowcaster]

I have two of the Lee pro 4-20 pound pots that I run side by side. From day one, all I had to do was take them out of the box, wipe any excess oil off, plug them in and make a slight adjustment on the valve rod to get the flow that I needed. It sounds to me like you just need a simple adjustment. Also, take a screwdriver and give the valve rod a spin a couple of times. If there is any debris in the lead this should clear it if it's in the spout. You can also take a piece of wire with a 90 bend in it to use from the under side of the spout.

Shad

[DoctorBill]

I've done all that - still leaks - constant dropping and splattering.

I figured the 'seal' was off round or had a speck, so I lapped the end of the
rod into the hole to mate them. Still leaks.

Once Lead has been in it, it is difficult to clean out to work on.

Wire into the hole, lapping, turning as directions say - nothing stops the dripping.

DoctorBill

[nhrifle]

The nozzle and rod are replaceable. Titan usually shows them in stock. The lack of flow could have been from a cold nozzle, or could be crud in the melt as mentioned above. Most likely just need to turn the screw a bit more. When mine starts to dribble, I just turn the rod with a screw driver to seal the valve. If flow slows or stops, I hit it with a torch.

[Bzcraig]

You said you drilled the spout so I wouldn't expect it to not drip. Order a new spout and rod. Like nhrifle said, a simple turn of the rod is all I have needed to stop the drips (I do keep my melt clean and fluxed), proper volume adjustment and keeping the nozzle hot or hitting with a propane torch has kept mine running great. I have emptied and cleaned mine out once and found I wasn't stirring my melt well enough to get everything off the sides and bottom with the spoon I was using and made the switch to the paint stir sticks.

[DoctorBill]

I searched with Google and found that quite a few people have been having
this same problem with the Lee Production Pot IV.

Quite a few guys just put up with the dripping.

Looks like the spout and pot are all one integral unit.

DoctorBill

[nhrifle]

Titan Reloading has them both. Here is the link for the nozzle (valve):

http://www.titanreloading.com/service-parts/mold-and-melter-parts?product_id=1192

Browse through the Mold and Melter Parts section and you will also find the rod.

[DoctorBill]

I do not believe that we are talking about the same LEE Production Pot IV.

http://s19.postimg.org/ujn1ar28z/LEE_Pro_n_Pot_IV_Spout_A.jpg http://s19.postimg.org/5rnf3il2b/LEE_Pro_n_Pot_IV_Spout_D.jpg

DoctorBill

[1bluehorse]

O.K. Dr. Bill, where did you get that thing???? Never seen anything like that from Lee...unless there's something in that picture that ain't supposed to be there...and what is that stuff "floating" around in the pot....oh, by the way, Lee pots "drip"....nature of the beast...

[shadowcaster]

O.K. Dr. Bill, where did you get that thing???? Never seen anything like that from Lee...unless there's something in that picture that ain't supposed to be there...and what is that stuff "floating" around in the pot....oh, by the way, Lee pots "drip"....nature of the beast...

Not ALL Lee pots drip... But I too would like to know where you got that from. It doesn't look like anything I've seen before. I did a google search and can't find anything that looks like your pot.

Shad

[Hardcast416taylor]

The pictures DrBill posted of his LEE pot is the pot with the bottom sheet aluminum plate taken off. The inner pot and a new valve rod along with shipping from LEE cost me a whopping $16 as I recall just this Spring. I figured I might as well change the inner pot than fight to just replace the spout and recite all those exotic words and phrases plumbers used on stubborn fittings.Robert

[mroliver77]

What did you use to lap the rod with? Looks to be plenty of metal left for the seal. I lapped mine with 400 grit carborundum and it works well.
J

[grumman581]

If you press down on the top of the rod (add more weight to it), will it seal?

[DoctorBill]

I do not know if many of you have been out at the Range too long, but I Google Image'ed
LEE+Production+Pot+IV and IMMEDIATELY got this ! ** You DO KNOW about using plus signs !
http://www.google.com/imgres?newwindow=1&hl=en&tbs=isz:l&tbm=isch&tbnid=GZygdsmnrbjc9M:&imgrefurl=http://sampatron.ru/melters/lee-production-pot-iv-220v.html&docid=XKH4TXty-c8nUM&imgurl=http://sampatron.ru/image/cache/data/d-4318-900x900.jpg&w=900&h=900&ei=2KftUbKDPYK1qQHz-oDgCg&zoom=1&iact=rc&page=1&tbnh=183&tbnw=167&start=0&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0&tx=90&ty=58&ved=1t:3588,r:7,s:0,i:103&biw=1200&bih=543

LEE Web Site Item ---> http://leeprecision.com/production-pot-iv.html

http://s19.postimg.org/xitxxvbqb/LEE_Prod_n_Pot_IV.jpg

The top looks like this - Took the valve handle and rod out and the base plate off, also.

http://s19.postimg.org/m7ra9i4v7/LEE_Pro_n_Pot_IV_Spout_E.jpg

and the thermostat looks as follows....

http://s19.postimg.org/kh8980nc3/LEE_Pro_n_Pot_IV_Spout_F.jpg

The spout is perhaps screwed into the Melting Pot.....perhaps....
reluctant to wail into it and try to unscrew it !

They DO sell the "POT" with the spout on it, so maybe it does not unscrew !
http://leeprecision.com/pot-pro-assembly.html

I normally Keep all boxes my stuff comes in, but I did toss the cardboard
box to prove to you skeptics that it IS A LEE PRODUCTION POT IV !

DoctorBill

BTW - I used 220 Carborundum Grit to lap this valve stem to the valve,
then 800 grit. I have not tried 'pushing down' on the stem....don't
want to tip over 10 lbs of molten lead on my legs !

This thing seems a bit rickety to me for to hold all that HOT, MOLTEN LEAD...

** If you put plus signs between each word in a search engine (NO spaces),
then the search returns ONLY those Items with all those words in it - eliminating garbage.

A space followed by a minus sign before a word eliminates any item with that
word in it....also stops Garbage returns. Just FYI for those who didn't know.

Example: Lead+pot -marijuana

[shadowcaster]

I do not know if many of you have been out at the Range too long

No such thing as out at the range too long! lol... :)

I have never had the bottom of my pot off.. (didn't look familiar) never had the need to. You have the 10 pounder and they do have more issues with leaking. Honestly if I were you I would look into the Lee Pro 4-20, You'll be much happier. Sell off the 10 pounder, or plug it and keep it as a second pot.

Shad

[357maximum]

I fixed my lee pro4-20 permanently...I sent it to a feller in Alaska that wanted to keep his toes warm with the drippy drip drips. :mrgreen:

[DoctorBill]

Shadowcaster - is it too late to use it for making Coffee ?

Actually.....after casting with the valve (while it was leaking), I have had
enough experience with it to realize that casting with the old LADLE is
much more controllable for me. That "spout" was not as handy as I thought
it would be.

Taint woit it ta fix da bugger.....

Think I will tap the hole in the bottom of the spout and insert some
screw to close it off and use it with my Ladle. If I change my mind or learn
more on how to 'fix' it, I can unscrew the screw and be back where I am.

This one for pure lead and my smaller, older "Precision Melter" for Wheel Weight
Metal. An expensive lesson, but not too bad.

BTW - a good mixing 'paddle' is an old used hacksaw blade. Doesn't conduct
the heat up the blade and scraps the sides of the pot well. Strong but flexible,
and light and flat. The rustier, the better - lead doesn't stick to it.

DoctorBill

PS - I think most of yous guys had the PP IV mixed up with the pro4-20.
You see !....that's what happens when you inhale lead fumes for hours on
end.....it zaps the brain cells. GET THE LEAD OUT !

[Taylor]

I whack mine with a mallet when it leaks,sooner or later,it's gonna learn!

[magmoose]

I had a 20# pot that dripped badly. I added a small vice grip wrench to the top of the rod to add weight... slowed the drip, but not completely. A mistake I was making was adding sprue cutting along as they were cut. What I was mistakenly doing was cooling the mix and adding foreign matter. I stopped adding the sprue cuts until I added more lead mix and then fluxed the pee-turkey out of it. It almost stopped dripping all together... So I had a birthday and got an RCBS.

moose

[DoctorBill]

I did what I said - tapped the hole a bit and turned in a screw with some 'pipe
dope' in the threads (leaked if no pipe dope present).

I have the El Cheapo Ritzo LEE round spoon ladle which I've used for 30 years.

Maybe I'll break open my wallet and buy one of those RCBS or Lyman bottom-pour
ladles (round kind). Been too cheap to buy one !

http://s19.postimg.org/o62jl8mqr/Lyman_Lead_Dipper.jpg

Are those worth the $25 ?

DoctorBill

[shadowcaster]

I did what I said - tapped the hole a bit and turned in a screw with some 'pipe
dope' in the threads (leaked if no pipe dope present).

I have the El Cheapo Ritzo LEE round spoon ladle which I've used for 30 years.

Maybe I'll break open my wallet and buy one of those RCBS or Lyman bottom-pour
ladles (round kind). Been too cheap to buy one !

http://s19.postimg.org/o62jl8mqr/Lyman_Lead_Dipper.jpg

Are those worth the $25 ?

DoctorBill

Yes.. the ladles are worth it. You probably already have the book. I made sure my ladle was big enough to completely fill the cavities on any of my molds with one dip.

Shad

[grumman581]

When I am filling the 405 gr cavities on my .45-70 mold, I find that I need to run at a higher temperature to get the mold to fill out without any wrinkles. The orifice on my Lee pot just does not flow the lead fast enough if I run it at my regular temperature. I also drilled out the orifice a bit and that sped it up somewhat. I probably was just drilling out stuff that had accumulated there and not the nozzle itself since I was able to do it with just the drill bit between my fingers. Eventually, I'll probably try one of the bottom pour Rowell ladles -- probably the #1 ladle with holds 1 lb of lead.

http://a248.e.akamai.net/origin-cdn.volusion.com/tfqy4.mpkx6/v/vspfiles/photos/Casting_Ladle_bottom1-2.jpg?1370172295

[DoctorBill]

I've been using this CHEAP LEE Ladle for over 30 years (actually bought a second one !).
They cost a few bucks and are Fail Safe ! I candle it to blacken it.

http://s19.postimg.org/c36v8j7dv/Cheap_LEE_Ladle.jpg

Got restless (recovering from Hernia Surgery) and cast a bunch more of the LEE
500 grain .578 Minnie Ball Slug for my 577 Snider (Paper Pached to 0.593 inch)
using that simple LEE ladle.

http://s19.postimg.org/o6c6w3ig3/578_LEE_Minnie_Ball.jpg

DoctorBill

[fredj338]

I have a really old 10# & newer 20#, neither has dripped once I did two little things. Never smelt in your BP pot, never. NEVER drain the potm never. Do that, you'll have few issues with a dripping pot. Since you "modifed" yours, not sure it is salvageable, but if you can get the rod to mate perfectly with the spout, it should stop the dripping. FWIW, some guys add a little weight to the adjusting screw in the form of small vise grips or such. I find the screw can back out, but pulling it & deforming the threads a bit & putting it back pretty much resolves that.

[357maximum]

I use a Rowwell #1, an RCBS, as well as the lyman round ladle depending on what each individual mould wants and/or how many cavities I need to fill. Each has their place in my stable.

[Cane_man]

db good to see you back on your feet and stirring it up again, hope your Lee prod-pot-fo works out for you!!! :happy dance:

[fcvan]

I bought my first Lee Pro Pot IV 10lb furnace in 1985. It dripped when crud got in the valve/spout. Back when, I was using the pot for smelting and casting as I didn't have other gear. I got better at scraping the sides and keeping it clean so that it doesn't drip.

2 years ago, the heating element quit on me. I ordered a new pot and a replacement heating element. I figured that if I could fix the old one I'd have 2 and I always wanted 2. Then I started casting in Calif and Colorado (I go back and forth as I have 2 houses) and bought some casting gear just for keeping at both places. I doubled up on some molds too. Anyway, I fixed the oldest one with a new heating element.

Someone mentioned the flimsy design having to hold the weight of the lead. I preheat my molds by setting them on top of a lid made from a tin can. When I'm casting I preheat an ingot or 2 which means more weight. I have since modified each Lee furnace with a 4" shelf bracket screwed into the body to support the furnace pot. I think Lee should reinforce their 10 lb furnace better but shelf brackets are cheap so I just fix them myself.

Once in a while, I get a drip. Most of the time I can straighten that out without emptying the pot. Every 6 months or so I empty and clean the pot just for general maintenance. I think the trick I learned that helped the most was how I scrape when fluxing. I used to just scrape the sides with a stainless spoon but ignored the valve rod. I found out over time that debris would cling to the valve rod and migrate down to the spout. Now, whenever I'm fluxing and removing crud I scrape the sides and the valve rod as best as I can. Since I began this routine I rarely have a drip issue.

While casting, I have a safety pin with a bent end for use in probing the spout. I have a stainless 'Sierra' style coffee cup under the spout, and the furnace is sitting on an old cookie sheet. Pretty much any drips and splatters are contained and easily cleaned.

Although I rarely have a dripping spout I still make a habit of stacking up ingots until they make contact with the spout to prevent the pot from leaking out. There is nothing more frustrating than to leave the pot to use the restroom and come back to a 10lb blob. I've only had it happen a few times back in the day but I definitely don't want to deal with that again. I don't mind a good chuckle now and then but I resent the 20 minute setback from being able to resume casting.