LEE 10 Pound Pot Valve Problem

[deltaenterprizes]

A buddy bought an old LEE 10 pound pot with a leaking valve for me to repair.
The stem was a hemisphere instead of square on the end.
I reworked the end of the the valve stem but it is still leaking.

I think that the seat needs to be recut.
The seat could be flat or a taper.
Does anyone know if the profile of the seat?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I would lap the inside of the spout (seat) with the Valve rod.

Here is what a new valve rod looks like.
https://leeprecision.com/valve-rod-complete.html

Also, It might be best to just order a new pot liner and valve rod, if you haven't got these parts from Lee in the past, there will likely be no charge for the parts, just ship fees.

[deltaenterprizes]

Thanks!
I will have to remachine the valve stem to hemispherical!
I can make a longer copy of the valve stem so that I can use a drill to do the lapping.

[imashooter2]

You really need to use the valve rod to lap so that the surfaces mate. You could tack a smaller rod on the end of the valve rod temporarily to facilitate use of a smaller drill.

After cleaning and lapping, a bit more weight added to the end of the actuator handle helps with the drip too. But it is unlikely you will ever stop the dripping completely with that design.

[Rapier]

Toss the Lee and get an RCBS Pro Melt, never look back. Been that route.

[Geezer in NH]

Sure add a few hundred bucks. Fix it

10 pound pots parts appear to be gone. Choice is lap the valve you have cost some grinding compound. Most that can happen is it won't work.

If I was to buy a new pot it would be the Lee 20 pounder. My 10-pounder bought in 1978 I changed the pot and got a spare hear and control 4-5 years ago due to skewing the pot up with magnaflux from Brownell's never will i use that garbage again

[T-Bird]

I had the same problem with my Lee pot. I threw it in the garbage and began ladle casting. Got a plumbers pot, fish cooker, side pour ladle, cheap set up much less frustrating, easier to cast good boolits. That was years ago.

[JoeJames]

My 10 pound pot plugged up big time, so I pulled the whole assembly and use it as a melter with a lade. Problem solved.

[Jim22]

Some good points here. In my case I use a dental pick to unclog the valve when it gets plugged. This happens every time you drain the alloy from the pot to use something else. The dross seeemsto cause the trouble. Right now the valve releases lead fine but at an angle so there is a bit of guesswork figuring where to align the sprue plate.

It's a problem in the design as has been mentioned.

Jim

[deltaenterprizes]

Update!
The seat has a large gap in it!
It looks like a C instead of an O!
I will tell my friend about plugging the spout and using it as a ladle pour pot!

[pworley1]

The drip is a built in feature to let you know when they are up to casting temp.

[imashooter2]

26 bucks gets you a new liner and valve rod. Seems like a pretty reasonable price.

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

[Sam Sackett]

Titan reloading has the parts available. $20 for the pot with spout and $6 for the stem.


Sam Sackett

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

26 bucks gets you a new liner and valve rod. Seems like a pretty reasonable price.

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


Titan reloading has the parts available. $20 for the pot with spout and $6 for the stem.


Sam Sackett

The parts will be free from Lee, if you haven't ordered them before, but there will be shipping.
https://support.leeprecision.net/en/knowledgebase/article/warranty-replacement-parts-repair

[deltaenterprizes]

JonB thanks!

[gunarea]

Been using a Lee 10lb long enough to learn some things. Have given away RCBS, SAECO and LYMAN furnaces. There are some hacks and user tips which make this humble tool effective.303845 First and foremost! Clean alloy! Nearly all the complaints about the drip-O-matic go right back to the operator. It is a poor musician that blames the insturment. However, there is a small design flaw that can be addressed. Unlike most furnances, the control rod does not contact the seat in a perpindicular angle. Puting a slight bend, in the correct orientation, is relatively easy and makes a big difference. The picture shows a new and a modified valve stem. 303844 It is also necessary to lap in the valve and seat prior to bending. My experience with this tool is extensive, empirical and successful. There is more guidance upon request. Good skill to you.
Roy

[deltaenterprizes]

The parts will be free from Lee, if you haven't ordered them before, but there will be shipping.
https://support.leeprecision.net/en/knowledgebase/article/warranty-replacement-parts-repair

My free pot liner is on its way! thanks for the info!