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View Full Version : Newb question. Lee 20# bottom pour. Handle not moving?



RacingRedGT
03-22-2014, 09:27 PM
So I'm about to do my first test cast. I've got the shipping oils cleaned out of the pot and I'm almost ready to go. Is the handle able to move when it's cold or not turned on? Mine doesn't move and it appears to be in the up position, which is to pour. I do not want to put any ingots in there to melt if the valve is open.

I've googled and can not find an answer.

RacingRedGT
03-22-2014, 09:33 PM
Let's pretend I never asked this question. I'm an idiot. I played around with the adjustment screw. Apparently it's set from factory in the full closed position allowing no play in handle movement.

Zacf16
03-22-2014, 10:30 PM
At least yours came with the valve rod. Mine...not so much - could see all the way to the baseplate looking from the top of the pot.

Zac

Walter Laich
03-23-2014, 02:11 PM
not a fan of their flow control. Mine works but I seem to always be 'messing' with it.
Does work and drips are part of the fun of casting so I use it and smile as I'm casting bullets and then shoot them--that's where the real fun is.

Cloudwraith
03-24-2014, 11:04 AM
I ran into this exact issue when I first looked at my pot about a month ago. My problem was that I figured it must be stuck and applied a little too much pressure. The weld that holds the handle rod straight onto the lift bar broke leaving me with a floppy handle (no comments please).

I realized that the handle rod was threaded (the handle weight threads onto it) I just found a proper sized nut and put that on before the weight and ran it down to the end so that it holds the handle rod tight against the lift bar. I'll get a picture tonight :)

If you've purchased a Lee Pro 4-20 recently you'll probably notice they changed a few things from all of the old designed I've seen in youtube videos. The handle has a pretty solid weight on it so gone are the days of clamping a tool onto it to provide weight to hold the valve closed. Also the valve rod is threaded so you turn it instead of a screw to adjust the pour rate.

Cloudwraith
03-25-2014, 07:40 PM
I'll get a picture tonight :)

Here are the pictures...

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1264960/Pics/pro420handlerod1.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1264960/Pics/pro420handlerod2.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1264960/Pics/pro420valverod.jpg

Handloader109
03-25-2014, 10:19 PM
Let's pretend I never asked this question. I'm an idiot. I played around with the adjustment screw. Apparently it's set from factory in the full closed position allowing no play in handle movement.

you are not an idiot unless I am too! Took me a minute to understand setup.

RacingRedGT
03-25-2014, 10:23 PM
you are not an idiot unless I am too! Took me a minute to understand setup.

Let's just call it a "Special Moment"