The New U sed Lee ProIV pot

[kmw1954]

First off I want to thank everyone that responded and contributed to my Lee 4# pot thread as it helped me arrive here!

I purchased a used Lee Production IV pot thru a BIN on ebay and it arrived in the condition it was described as, Used very little, It is and an older model with the more squared control box but it is still in like new condition. Saved about $25.00 over buying a new one so I figure I can't go wrong here.

Well I got a chance to fire it up today and give it a test run along with testing a new used Lee 452-200 SWC mold that arrived today.

First thing I can say is that it heated up and melted lead much faster than my old hot plate which is a huge plus. It gets much hotter. Also this new Lee mold seemed to come to temp faster also for some reason. The very first few attempts were a complete mess. I had lead everywhere! Part of that was because I was having trouble aligning the pour with the holes in the mold sprue plate and second was because I just had no clue as to how fast the mold would fill up.

Next thing I noticed was temps. At first it was taking forever for the sprue puddle to freeze over so that was my first clue that I was too hot. Turned down the heat and then got to the point that the sprue was freezing over solid too quickly and I couldn't easily open the sprue. Finally got to a happy place and everything started looking good. No more wrinkles and the heavy frosting disappeared.

The next item of interest is adapting from the ladle to the bottom pour. This may take a little getting use to. When I finally shut down I was still pouring lead all over the place or I wasn't getting complete fills in one of the cavities. This is much different than ladling. I think I am also going to have to experiment with different heights for the pot so it is more comfortable and natural.

Over-all I am happy with both the pot and the new mold, it was a wonderful new learning experience and now I just need to experiment a bit and get more practice!

[Mike W1]

+1 on fixing your pot up with a riser so you can see where you're pouring! I've been at this awhile and built my riser years back. Had a small bolt brazed onto the rod so I didn't have to fiddle with a screwdriver and have added weight to it since which seems to help with the drips. Puck lights added last year or two for better visibility when pouring. Have added the stacked pots way back so I only add "hot" lead when I refill below and my PID's tell me I only drop a couple degrees when refilling. Don't even use my little homemade shelves on the pot anymore as I preheat the moulds on a hotplate and might as well heat the ingots there also as they'll be 100° hotter than the shelves could do. Works pretty good so far but I'm sure someone will dream up something else that I'll have to copy! I like toys!!! And little projects to make things simpler. I doubt my setup would keep up with 6-banger moulds but do get pretty good output out of my DC's AND I seldom have to reject any bullets. And I've weighed every thing from 1st to last on occasion as well as having a good idea of what temperature is what. It's been fun adding on over the years. Couple pix of the setup if they'll appear for me.

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[kmw1954]

Thanks Mike.

Where I have the pot positioned right now it my actually be too high as I need to hold my arms up at an uncomfortable position. I do have a large baking pan under the Pot to catch all the drips, splashes and spills. Not to mention the overflows!

I did already weigh up about 20 of the ones I set aside as frosted or marginal but usable and the weights are all over, from 200.5gr to 202.5 gr and I suspect this is because of incomplete fill out around the bases. And I contribute that mostly just to my inexperience with the bottom pour.

[Mike W1]

One of the things that has always worked best for me is about a 1/4" space between the spout and top of the mould. And hitting the center of the sprue hole. If I don't do that chances are good the bullet will be a visual reject. I first noticed that years ago when I still cast rifle bullets and it still holds true with my handgun bullets. Lots of ways to pour but that works for me at least.

[Bazoo]

Here is a picture of my casting setup when I was using the 10 pound pot.

https://i.imgur.com/bn9t2aK.jpg

I sent that pot elsewhere and now have a magnum melter and no riser. Missing is a folded over cloth to drop bullets on. I cut the sprues into the round pan.

With ladle or bottom pour I get best results with about 3/4" free fall.

That is the lee 4lb pot on the window sill by the way.

[NoZombies]

Frosted bullets aren't usually the ones I reject, and unless you're a pretty advanced bullseye shooter, a +/- 1 grain variation in the bullets won't show up on target.

[kmw1954]

Bazoo, thanks for sharing the picture and I know you have been following my other threads, thanks for that also! Having this 10# pot now I am pretty certain I would not have been happy with a 4# pot as you and others suggested. Again this bottom pour is going to take some practice. I haven't even tried that little 102gr 2 cavity mold under this bottom pour.

NoZombies these frosties that I pulled out are really bad and not very well formed. As far as the bullet weights that is more for just my information and to use to gage how consistent my pours are. What I have been doing so far is to determine where the largest bell is and then grouping those to +/- .2 grain for a .5 gr spread. Then also sorting to + .4 grain or more to another group and then a 3rd group of - .4 grain or more. Might not make an overall difference but as long as I am weighing it won't hurt to sort. Might keep those occasional fliers to a minimum.

[NoZombies]

Bazoo, thanks for sharing the picture and I know you have been following my other threads, thanks for that also! Having this 10# pot now I am pretty certain I would not have been happy with a 4# pot as you and others suggested. Again this bottom pour is going to take some practice. I haven't even tried that little 102gr 2 cavity mold under this bottom pour.

NoZombies these frosties that I pulled out are really bad and not very well formed. As far as the bullet weights that is more for just my information and to use to gage how consistent my pours are. What I have been doing so far is to determine where the largest bell is and then grouping those to +/- .2 grain for a .5 gr spread. Then also sorting to + .4 grain or more to another group and then a 3rd group of - .4 grain or more. Might not make an overall difference but as long as I am weighing it won't hurt to sort. Might keep those occasional fliers to a minimum.

If you enjoy it, I won't tell you not to do it :D

[kmw1954]

I've only been casting for a short time and the first few batches proved to be interesting when I check weighed them. After a few sessions the weights became very stable which to me showed that I was doing something right. Now I see it again with this new mold and new pot with a different way of pouring. After I gain more experience and everything stabilizes I will probably quite weighing unless something like an alloy change happens.

[Bazoo]

You're welcome kmw. One of the things that can affect bullet weight slightly is technique. Once you get your technique consistent, you get more consistent bullets.

[poppy42]

I don’t know if this will help you or not but I kind of found my drip catcher for underneath the spout of my 4/20 lead pot by accident. One of the cups dislodged from my older muffin pan that I use for casting my ingots . It just so happens to be the perfect size to fit underneath the mold guide below the spout on my bottom for pot . It’s big enough to hold a considerable amount ( I guess that’s kind of obvious as it used to be an ingot mold ). When it fills up I simply slide it back into the pot and remelted. Anyway like I said I don’t know if this will help you any but I figured I’d share anyway .
Enjoy that new casting pot

[Bazoo]

I used to set my round cake pan under the spout as the pot heated. I used to just bump the drips out of the way with the mould and occasionally put them in the sprue pile.

[kmw1954]

Thanks poppy42 that is kind of funny but it worked for you. Today it all just sort of ran all over everywhere, my doing of course, Not much of a drip. After it would cool I'd lift it with a pick, would lift off pretty easy, and dump it back into the pot. Also the old cookie sheet kept everything contained. Something to look forward to I suppose, another learning experience!

[gwpercle]

Here is a picture of my casting setup when I was using the 10 pound pot.

https://i.imgur.com/bn9t2aK.jpg

I sent that pot elsewhere and now have a magnum melter and no riser. Missing is a folded over cloth to drop bullets on. I cut the sprues into the round pan.

With ladle or bottom pour I get best results with about 3/4" free fall.

That is the lee 4lb pot on the window sill by the way.

Bazoo , that wouldn't be the pot I sent to you after I wasn't able to master the bottom pour method , bought a Magnum Melter and went back to ladle casting is it ?

I see you "sent it away" also and now have a Magnum Melter ... like me .
Was something wrong with the bottom pour pot or was it just you and I preferring the ladle and pressure casting . It was the only bottom pour I ever tried but I could never get consistently good boolits with it... and I tried and tried casting with it . Was there something wrong with the pot ?

That 20 lb. Magnum Melter is sweet isn't it ... I love having all that alloy on hand to work with .
Gary

[country gent]

One thing that may help with pouring consistency. cut a small block to set in place under the spout. This sets the mould at the same height from the spout every time. Pencil marks can be placed in reference to the back edge to show where the hole lines up with the spout also, after a few sessions this becomes second nature or natural. But the marks help starting out.THe lines would look like an upside down F for a 2 cavity mould. A piece of pine board cut to thickness and match the base. Use a square and mark in the lines dark and heavy. A small bevel on the edges helps a lot also. THis allows you to set the mould and slide it under the spout in the proper location every time.
Make sure the spout is clear and clean. Find a number drill the correct size and use this to clean the spout occasionally. This helps to maintain the flow.

Getting your set up at the right height for you and how you work makes casting much more comfortable and easier, this can take some experimenting. Height, placement and such can make a big difference.

My set up is like this The pot sets in front of me centered. left of the pot is the metal bowl for sprues this is Just a small metal shallow dog bowl. Next is the roller pan with the towil stack for bullets left of the sprue bowl. The ladle says in the pot and the sprue hammer sits just to the right of the pot.

In use: I fill the mould and hang ladle inside the pot to stay hot. pick up sprue mallet, wait for sprue to cool. Cut sprue over sprue bowl. open over paint roller tray and drop bullets close mould set mallet in its place and refill blocks.