Lee 10# pot just died

[jabo52521]

Well my 10# pot just died. Pot was working just fine while I was casting some 9mm and 45acp. Finished up. Came back an hour later and it no worky worky G.I. Just ordered a 20# pot from Midway. Should be here in 4-5 days. Time to test my troubleshooting skills.

[DW475]

That's interesting, let us know what you find out with that 10# pot. I gave my 10# to a buddy that's just getting into casting since it's been sitting idle on shelf since i upgraded to the 20#. My 10# Lee was over 20 years old and still working when i upgraded.

[cephas53]

Just rebuilt a 20 # mag melter. Not much to them. I popped the top off where the temp. control sits and found a break in continuity in the heating element. Parts available straight from Lee. Titan had some at a better price but not the one I needed.

[dubber123]

When my 10#er stopped melting on the second pot full (brand new), I swung it around my head by the cord like a Bolo, and flung it against the basement wall. It worked perfectly after that. I'm not kidding either :) I gave it to a friend who is still using it for all I know. LEE may frown on this repair proceedure though.

[Boolit_Head]

After 20 years mine started giving me a tingle, the heating coil was going bad and lost some of it's insulation. You can pick them up and it's a easy fix.

[Sasquatch-1]

Of course checking to make sure the wires haven't broke is the cheapest fix. I rebuilt my 35 year old 10 lb. pot for about $25.00 plus delivery. This included a new liner heat coil and valve plug.

http://leeprecision.com/parts/bullet-casting/electric-melters/production-pot-iv-parts/

[jabo52521]

Sasquatch, thanks for the info. Got a 5# pot on the shelf. Gonna k-ball it for parts. If not work, order parts from Lee. That pot was about 20 years old. Thanks guys for all the responses.

[runfiverun]

just look at the contact strip under the dial.
when I first got my 20lber it wouldn't heat up past 630-f.
I figured I out a little while later and went too far then had to come back down.
a thermometer was pretty handy right about then.
it died again a few years later and it was just a broken contact on one of the wires.
a little three handed soldering job, and it's still going strong 30 sumthin years later.

[jabo52521]

Heat coil carbonized. Had broken in two. The heating wire in the middle was still intact. Will order new element today. The price of shipping is outrageous.

[Sasquatch-1]

Will order new element today. The price of shipping is outrageous.


That's interesting. I thought Lee had fairly reasonable shipping. I think I paid something like three or four dollars. This was a while backe, so they may have gone up.

[jabo52521]

Sasquatch, this is from Midway. Will try LEE and Natchez today.

[Beagle333]

Try:
https://fsreloading.com/parts.php?product=90009

[iraiam]

The element in my Lee furnace has gone out twice. I purchased a replacement element on Ebay once, can't remember where the other one came from.

[jabo52521]

It's here. I knew the 20# pot held twice the weight of my 10 but it looks almost scary with that much molten lead that close.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

you're gonna love that 20 LBer.
I've always disliked the valve handle setup on the Lee 10 LBer.

[Beagle333]

You just repaired your 10# pot didn't you, not an upgrade to the 20?

[jabo52521]

You just repaired your 10# pot didn't you, not an upgrade to the 20?
Not yet. Waiting on the parts. But I will.
Jon, already love it. Easy to remove the clips and no guessing on mixing percentages. And 20# of pressure really flows.

[Sasquatch-1]

You may want to look back through the old threads. I couple of members take the small Lee and make a mount that extends the pot over the 20lb. and feed cold lead into the 10lb. When the 20lb. pot starts to get low they feed it with the 10lb. pot and re load the 10 lb. with cold lead. That way they have a never ending supply of molten lead.