RCBS lead pot need help

[JSH]

RCBS lead pot
Need some help please. Pot started dripping so I pulled the stem out. Cleaned it and the hole. I did not run a drill bit into the spout. I know this has caused folks issues in the past.
Does the pin on the end of the stem go all the way into the spout? Or, does the tapered larger part do the sealing? Or both?
Got it cleaned up and it runs all the time now. Not just drip.
Had a bunch of **** in it from some dead soft lead.
Thanks
jeff

[powderburnerr]

how did you clean it? did you happen to scratch the seat or stem? sounds like there is still junk in there , you might try flushing it with a lot of lead through the spout into an ingot mould ,

[country gent]

See if you can find a bronze bore brush the right size and try that to clean the hole and a bigger one to clean the taper seat. Im thinking the pin is to keep rod in alighnment and tapered section provides the seal like a valve in a motor. If you have scratched or damged the seat on the rod or in the pot you may have to lap it to get it to seal again. Is the rcbs pots flow adjustable? if so is it adjusted so it is closing? You could bench test the seal with water possibly. If it seals with water it should with lead also.

[OuchHot!]

My recollection is the pin is just a guide and the taper above it does the sealing. My Pro-melt dribbles a little but not as bad as my lee 4-20. I think that the early pro-melts like mine had a smaller hole in the spout and some were drilling it out slightly to stop spot freezing or to increase flow. I never tried that but it suggests the seal is above the pin on a tapered section.

[btroj]

I went to using a Rowell ladle instead of the bottom pour with my RCBS pot. Mine started dripping and cleaning didn't seem to help a whole bunch. I slowed it but didn't stop it. I'm not real suprised, the pot is 23 years old and has had more than a ton of lead run thru it.

I need to try running a small bore brush in the seat for the stem and see if that helps.

[odinohi]

"I need to try running a small bore brush in the seat for the stem and see if that helps."

Try a piece of copper wire while it's hot. RCBS has great customer service and will send you a new pot and stem, for free.

[snapshot]

The best thing to do is to never ever drain you pot completely always leave lead in there as it drains all those impurities get caught up in the spout and they drip the next time you use it so next time just leave lead in the pot it works my pots havn't leaked in years

[leadman]

The small tip on the bottom of the valve stem is what seals the pot. The taper on the top part of the shaft does nothing.
If you drain the pot and pull the valve stem out when hot you can use a straightened on one end paper clip to clean out the spout. Then look inside the pot with a flashlight and you may find scale built up in the spout. I have a long dental pick I use to carefully clean out the tip. A small 22 or 17 caliber wire brush can be use to clean part of the spout. The pot can be turned upside down and the paperclip used to clear out the spout also.
The very end of the valve stem needs to be square with the shaft to seal. The edge is what cuts any debris and allows the valve to close. Do try to not gouge the lower part of the pot where this tip sets or it will leak. If it looks gouged you can use some lapping compound on the tip to get it to seal. Use a cordless drill to turn it or by hand. You do not want to do this too often as it will round the valve tip.