View Full Version : lee 10 pounder running cool
JeffinNZ
11-23-2008, 04:40 AM
Team.
My long suffering 10lb Lee is running cool.
I ran it up to full temp yesterday with a pot of pure Pb to do a run of MLer bullets and the best the old girl could muster was 553F!
Used to work just fine. These days it is a sprue catcher for topping off my Lyman 20lb pot.
Any ideas?
madsenshooter
11-23-2008, 06:26 AM
Don't know if you have the 110 or 220 version, but the 110 thermostats are only $5, plus shipping of course, which to your locale may be a bit more. They go bad from time to time, the dial on mine froze up after sitting in an unheated garage for many years. I wonder how hot the little melter would get without the thermostat, ie, wiring it direct? Since you've a thermometer you could keep the temp where you want it with an on/off switch. Here's the link right to the parts section of the 110 version. http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/parts.cgi?1227435290.3014=90009 Some of the guys here know how to work on the thermostats, give them time, they'll chime in.
Maven
11-23-2008, 11:05 AM
Jeff, Before you replace the thermostat (an expensive proposition for you, no?), remove it and clean the contacts, but then try bending one of them downward I think, but only a bit, so that it will run hotter. Search our archives for a better/more accurate description than mine. Btw, I did this a few months ago to my 10lb. pot and it worked like a charm.
imashooter2
11-23-2008, 12:40 PM
The Lee pot can be fixed. Read this:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=7204
ETA: Specifics of the repair on page 2.
madsenshooter
11-27-2008, 09:33 PM
Good thing he didn't try my wire it direct suggestion! I had mine turned all the way up to cook something out of a Lee mold that wasn't working right, burned out the element. I know it's the element cause I just put a new thermostat in it, and I wired it direct to see if it would come on, wall plug checked out ok to. Oh, bother, said Poo.
The fact that SOME current is getting through is instructive. My guess is that it is a dirty-contact situation. The furnace probably isn't all that old (less than 20 years?) so the wiring may not be corroded, but the terminals may have a corrosive buildup, as may the control contacts, making ohmic junctions that limit the current necessary to get the pot up to max temp.
I haven't looked into my Lee, but I'll bet it would be an easy job to pull the cover and disconnect the simple wiring, clean the contacts w/220 sandpaper (not emery - it's conductive), or even SWMBO's nail board. You may be surprised at the condition of the contacts and the terminals, but they are easy to clean.
If that doesn't cure the problem, then I guess it's a new control for you.
cheshire cat
12-01-2008, 01:21 PM
the first time I used my new lee to melt a lot of stuff in one long session I had to keep turning up the stat, eventually I arrived at MAX and it still would not melt, after turning off for several hours and starting again it was fine to the end. I recon it was heat build-up in the non vented 'stat housing Sooo, I drilled 2x1/4" holes on the base and two in the rear approx' 1-1/2" from the top to give the stat an easier life, (I also wired in a neon at the back to see when the power is ON) it now gives 400'C on MIN 500 on "2" if the general opinion is this is too high I guess I could blank a hole or two off
JeffinNZ
12-19-2008, 07:36 PM
Cleand up the contacts and we are cooking again. I like the idea of venting the thermostat though and will do this.
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