Today's pain with Lee 20lb pot

[wurgerburger]

Mistake 1:
I put the pot on, then left the area and forgot it for about 20 minutes.
It dipped about 9 pounds of lead into a nice inverted mushroom. I had to hammer that sucker hard to get it to fit back in the pot.

Mistake 2:
The pour mechanism got clogged. I tried to use a piece of iron wire to clear it, and the wire broke. Completely jammed the pour hole, I had to empty the pot, let it cool, disassemble the lever mechanism, then put heat back on to clear the hole, then let it cool again and reassemble.

That said, it works now again. Harbor Freight red.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5808/20707074322_8b4fe63e41.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/xxPaLN)

[lobowolf761]

Almost looks like hard rock candy.

[Moonie]

I use a shirt coat hanger bent at a 90 Degree angle on mine when it gets clogged. Works well and won't break, but it is a snug fit.

[Taylor]

I personally don't like that pot.I like my 10 lb'der better. The pour spout is too far back for me to see.

[kens]

I guess my day is coming,,,,,,
I got the 20lb pot with little troubles.
Perhaps my day is in the future.

[Vinne]

Nice color but what do you mean "Harbor Freight red". Is that something from Harbor Freight...got a part number??

[RKJ]

I tried mine yesterday (the 1st time in a long time, and it showed) I had the heat too high to get it to melt quicker and it leaked everywhere (twice, my fault both times as I stepped away right as it was getting ready to drip) cleaned those up but could not get the heat where it needed to be. It just kept dripping. I made a few .357 SWC but had to quit as I was getting more culls than good bullets and I was getting irritated. I've learned that's when I need to stop or there's heck to pay, so I stop while I'm ahead. Oh well, c'est la vie.

[mongoose33]

Nice color but what do you mean "Harbor Freight red". Is that something from Harbor Freight...got a part number??

Harbor Freight offers four colors of PC powder: Black, White, Yellow, and Red.

Here's the red:

http://www.harborfreight.com/16-oz-powder-coat-paint-red-93309.html

I had little success with the yellow tumbling it--haven't tried spraying it. HF red worked well. I bought some of Smoke's powders and they are terrific. Since then, haven't used the HF powders.

[williamwaco]

I use a large paper clip. Partially unfolded. Hold it with pliers. DO NOT let your hand get under the spout. After melting and before casting run the wire up the spout and work it around until you can push up and open the valve and let some metal flow.

After casting, do not empty the pot. Leave at least an inch in the bottom. Be sure it is leaking as little as possible. ( you will never stop the leaking completely) Next time you start it, it will be in a known "leakage mode" and it will take a lot longer to make a mess that big.

[RegisG]

I have to do that every time on my 20. I'm still fumbling with an old 10lb trying to get it working right.



I use a large paper clip. Partially unfolded. Hold it with pliers. DO NOT let your hand get under the spout. After melting and before casting run the wire up the spout and work it around until you can push up and open the valve and let some metal flow.

[williamwaco]

I have to do that every time on my 20. I'm still fumbling with an old 10lb trying to get it working right.

Note: the 10 pound pot has a dogleg pouring spout. Even if it is clean and unobstructed, you cant push a stiff wire through it.

[RKJ]

I use a large paper clip. Partially unfolded. Hold it with pliers. DO NOT let your hand get under the spout. After melting and before casting run the wire up the spout and work it around until you can push up and open the valve and let some metal flow.

After casting, do not empty the pot. Leave at least an inch in the bottom. Be sure it is leaking as little as possible. ( you will never stop the leaking completely) Next time you start it, it will be in a known "leakage mode" and it will take a lot longer to make a mess that big.
I've done that before but yesterday was 'one of those days' I knew I should have stopped after the 1st big mess. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, just irritating. I've just need to be in the mood to cast and yesterday I wasn't, I'll try again later in the week and most likely won't have any problems. I did look at the RCBS furnace but after seeing the prices (I'm sure I'd love it though) I'll have to stick with the LEE, I don't cast enough to justify that $$$.
Wurgerburger, sorry for hijacking your thread. My day doesn't sound as bad yours, it looks like it turned out though :) They look good.

[Garyshome]

The 10 just does not hold enough lead to get anything done quick enough for me. So I use the 10 while the 20 is melting more material, speeds up the casting quite a bit.

[Charley]

I picked up a Lee 20 pounder in a trade some time back, just got around to using it a few weeks back. No leakage on mine (yet), bit of a clog, that was easily cleared by the paperclip/pliers method. Just a suggestion....with any pot, if you are going to start it heating and work on something else, work on something right next to the pot, so you can see and stop any problems early on. I can't say I have a lot of sympathy for those who throw in ingots, turn it on, and walk away for 20 minutes. You will be cleaning up a mess at some point if you do it that way.

[Ed_Shot]

I have both a 20# and a 10# pot. and I use a PID. For both I keep a piece of stiff wire handy to use as needed. I do stay close to the 10# pot when it is running. As for the 20# pot, I screw the valve shut (so the handle won't open the valve) while the lead is molten when I turn the pot off at the end of a casting session and only unscrew the valve so it can open when I'm ready to start filling my boolit mold at the beginning of a casting session. I get the occasional drip while I casting which is an indicator I need to use the wire to clear the spout, but I don't worry about a leak during warm-up or cool-down with the valve screwed shut. My 2 cents.

[jsizemore]

Troubles with a Lee 4-20 is like hunting groundhogs. The only way you'll never miss one is if you don't shoot.

[leadman]

Trouble with the Lee 20 pound pot is only holds #15 of pure lead to the rim. Yeah, I weighed it. The RCBS holds #22.

[mac266]

Yeah, I honestly think my Lee pot has been my worst investment yet. It's junk. In fact, I think most Lee products are junk, but I will admit their dies and moulds work well for the price. Other than those two things, I've learned to steer clear.

I bought an old Saeco pot with a bottom pour spout and it serves me just fine. One of these days, however, I'm going to pull the Lee off the shelf, melt all the lead out, remove the bottom pour mechanics, and plug the hole. It should make a fine dipper pot if I can get the hole to seal.

[Stilly]

This is for EVERYONE.

I spoke with Peter about my 20# pot with the bottom pour spout.

I bought it for $50 new last year and finally got to use it and after melting down 400+ lbs of lead to make ingots, it FINALLY started leaking when I was making boolits...


Here is a brief explanation of the valve system on the 20lb bottom pour. There is a radius on the valve rod, that seals against a taper on the valve seat. If there is dirt or dross built up on the valve seat, it may drip. To clean the valve seat, take a flat blade screw driver and rotate valve rod back and forth 15 times while applying slight downward pressure. The physical adjustment of the valve rod, may also cause it to drip. By turning the valve rod farther clockwise, will reduce the likely hood of having a drip. Lubricating the shoulder bolts with anti-seize will ease operation of this sliding assembly.

Fluxing often will bring impurities to the surface and allow you to skim them off.


This WORKS well for me. If I see some dripping start to happen, I will put a screwdriver on that valve pin and twist back and forth a few times.

It will stop it for a while, but things DO get clogged in there, so be prepared to treat that valve screw like a pepper grinder or spice mill AND try to keep dirty lead out of it. Also, it helps to have a Mapi torch handy to heat up the bottom for those frozen drops.

[kbstenberg]

My maintenance schedule. Is about every 5th time of using it. I drain the pot after my use, and clean the inside of the pot with a wire brush on my drill. I then take a small piece of steel wool on the end of a small phylips (sp)screwdriver and force toe SW into the hole and spin the screw driver to clean out the hole.

[bottomline]

When my 20# clogs, I hit the pour tip with a few seconds from a propane torch. Clears it right up and I'm back in business.

[Dragonheart]

I don't have a Lee pot, but to clean the spout on my Pro melt I use one of my welding torch head cleaners. The stainless wires start out very small and gradually get larger in size. The wires have striations to rub away deposits and the wire doesn't break. If you want to maintain good lead flow its necessary maintenance.

[quicksilver]

I have both a 20# and a 10# pot. and I use a PID. For both I keep a piece of stiff wire handy to use as needed. I do stay close to the 10# pot when it is running. As for the 20# pot, I screw the valve shut (so the handle won't open the valve) while the lead is molten when I turn the pot off at the end of a casting session and only unscrew the valve so it can open when I'm ready to start filling my boolit mold at the beginning of a casting session. I get the occasional drip while I casting which is an indicator I need to use the wire to clear the spout, but I don't worry about a leak during warm-up or cool-down with the valve screwed shut. My 2 cents.

Great idea about closing the valve, then opening when you are ready.

[rsrocket1]

I agree with bottomline. I keep a propane torch in my casting bucket of stuff (for easy backyard set up and storage in the garage). I also have found that one of those "wind resistant" barbecue lighters works well. It focuses the heat in a nice sharp flame and will quickly unclog a frozen spout. Running the pot hotter (750 degrees instead of 650) also keeps the lead flowing smoothly and allows for a quick "blip" of the handle to clear out anything that could cause the dreaded drips.

[Strtspdlx]

well after reading this thread that I realize is old. I remembered the mound of lead my pot had dripped from the last casting session. so I immediately went to the shop (carport) and plugged in my pot, let the lead melt and tilted it on its side to allow the lead to collect in a corner so I could unplug and let it solidify to fiddle with the pour spout. got it all apart and to my amazement every little bit of dirt that could be collected inside, was and without any reservation I took a propane torch to the spout and cleared the hole with an allen key. cleaned up the rod and reassembled while letting the pot warm up. and to my amazement no more drips. so I suppose well see if it lasts over the weekend if I can get to casting.

[noisewaterphd]

One of my 420's was really leaky when I first got it.

All I have done is lap the rod and inside of the spout, and it has not leaked a single drop in years since.

I know others that have done the same thing, with the same results.

I have heard that it might still leak if you get the pot too hot, but with PID's I don't have that problem.

If you have not performed the lapping "upgrade" yet, you really should take the time.

[454PB]

I clean mine every 200 pounds or so........fill the empty cold pot with water and plug it in until it just begins to boil. Do this on the floor, because it's going to overflow. Wet cleaning prevents all the dust that a wire brush creates.

Rather than lapping the valve, after cleaning, I remove the rod for the valve, put it in my cordless drill, put it in place and spin it a while.

[noisewaterphd]

I remove the rod for the valve, put it in my cordless drill, put it in place and spin it a while.

Add a touch of lapping compound and you have just described, far more eloquently, the exact process I was referring to.

[RogerDat]

Some good ideas for maintaining and managing a bottom pour pot so it works properly and doesn't drip. Should be most useful if I ever stop using my "no drip" ladle. ;-)

I had given some thought to a bottom pour, then I read one of these threads and think maybe the money would be better spent on a dipper pot. Or bottom pour ladle. That would be nice.

[Dragonheart]

My RCBS Pro Melt Furnace is the best I have ever used, not a single problem in the years I have owned it and it has cast tens of thousands of bullets. To clean the nozzle I use a welder's tip cleaner, which has various size stainless wires in a set. The wire will bend but not break.

[44magLeo]

On my Lee 4/20. where the knob goes on the bolt I removed the knob, made a lead washer about 3/8 inch thick, 1 inch in diameter , center hole just big enough to go on the bolt. Slip it on the bolt, hold in place with the knob. Still have to clean the pour hole every now and then. The lead washer adds enough weight to help prevent drips.
Leo

[GONRA]

GONRA's olde (late 1950's?) Potter bottom pour melter is doing Just Fine.
BUT - you guys seem to cast zillions of bullets.
My TOTAL probably is only 5,000 - 10,000 using this pot.
Peanuts for you boolit fanatics!

[bpastorick]

did you just mix the powder coat in the molten lead?

[Boolseye]

Revitalizing the thread–emptied my 4-20 for the first time in it's almost 7 year life.
Gonna try the water clean then lap method.