Lee 4-20 question

[bakrzdzn]

Hello all, I tried a quick search of the a archives and could not find the answer to my specific question. So, here I go...what do I clean a brand new pot with? Where can I find info on how to correct a drip-o-matic situation, if it occures?
Thanks in advance,

[OS OK]

Use valve grinding paste to seat the valve perfectly.
Add some weight to the knob assembly to help it stay shut, I used a 7/8" square nut screwed on behind the operating knob it came with.
Wash it out with hot soapy water, rinse with clean water.
Never put anything but clean pre made ingots in it, don't melt range scrap or wheel weights in it to make ingots, use separate pot.
Flux with paraffin, never sawdust in the pour pot. Anything gritty in the pot will get between the valve and seat and cause it to drip.
Use a thermometer to maintain proper temp. or if you can afford a PID control even better.

after that...always leave about 1 pound of of lead in the bottom when you finish as it will transfer heat quicker to melt ingots on the next casting session.

then get busy and castalot!

[kbstenberg]

On fixing the drips. OS OK is spot on but I think you need more information.
when and if your pot drips. At the end of a casting session. I drain the pot, let everything cool down. but make sure the valve stem is up and free from its seated location. When cool I take the whole valve assembly off of the pot for cleaning.
I will use a wire brush chucked into my cordless drill. To clean all of the inner surfaces of the pot. That will take off any carbon crud that mite get into my bullets.
On the stem and valve. OS OK's valve grinding comp. comes into use. I put a little dab (car language) on the tip of the stem. insert the stem into its hole, and spin it (either by screwdriver or drill power) for a few seconds. and repeat 3 or 4 times. This will only start to make the seating stem and valve uniform to each other. After maybe 5 or 6 cleanings. I had a good mated surface on the stem and valve. And now I very seldom get any drips from my pot.
Another tip. I do not know if it helped keep my pot any cleaner or not. But I sprayed all flat surfaces with black BBQ Grill paint. Its going on about 6 years and the paint is still on my pot. And no rust anywhere. Kevin

[ryan28]

Or you could just boil a bit of water in the pot first. If it doesn't leak water, it can't leak lead. Wipe out the pot after, and get on with melting lead. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[bangerjim]

If it does not drip....don't worry about it! I have 2 of them and they have not ever dripped in the many years I have used them. But I do not put fluxes and saw dust in my pot.....ONLY beeswax to reduce the Sn back in.

And just like my big 35 year old 2ouble burner propane BBQ grill with lava rocks and ceramic-coated grates...I never ever clean my casting pots. In fact, I have not seen the bottom of them in years. I always fill them up B4 shutting down.

Not drips.......no runs.......no errors.

[Yodogsandman]

Put a small cookie sheet under your pot base, just in case. Put an ingot mold under the spout to catch any leaks or drips. Babysit the pot while it heats up or you might return to some cool "lead pot art". Be ready to tap the stem to stop any leaks if they do occur. No leaks would be boring!

[bruce drake]

I fixed my LEE 4-20's perpetual leak with a 1/2" drywall screw up the nozzle... Now its a ladle pour with a RCBS dipper and I haven't looked back. I still use that pot as my preferred pot as everything else works just fine.

[OptimusPanda]

Mine's never given me any real trouble. When it leaks at all I just turn the adjustment screw back and forth a few times and it stops. Although I do keep a 3" diameter or so cast iron spoon rest under the spout just in case.