Advice needed….cleaning an old Lee melting pot.

[Dante]

My casting pot is a Lee model and I believe it is not the quality of others but, it needs a good cleaning. I followed directions given by Dragonheart in a sticky and everything seemed to be going well except….I cannot get the pour hole to open up. I let the solution sit in it for an hour but no success. What to do? Will just leaving the solution in it eventually clear it? I wondered if turning the unit on would melt it out? Ideas?

[Froogal]

There is lead in the pour spout. Only way is to plug it in and let it heat up.

[45workhorse]

Or hit with a propane torch!

[Rich/WIS]

If you don't have a torch a grill light will work, use mine when the spout freezes. Once clear a small nail held in a set of vice grips can be used to work out any remaining junk.

[Winger Ed.]

Don't be kicking mud on Lee for that.
All pots do that. It's just the nature of the beast.

My old Pro-Melt pot clogs here and there during normal operation.
I also hit it with a regular propane torch while poking up into it with a wire.

I doubt any solution will unclog a pot nozzle.
You'll have to heat it up, lift the needle, and poke around in the hole.
Just don't get violent and drill it.
You'll probably ruin the seating/sealing surface.... that's how I trashed out my Lee pot.

[Polymath]

Every time you finish and drain the pot, you should run a piece of mechanics wire through the nozzle while hot. Also put a BRASS wire brush on an extension bit in a drill and spin it around the inside of the pot to clean it out when cold.

[metricmonkeywrench]

A dremel with the cable attachment and the small end on wire brush also helps along after the torch and nail routine. I keep a small butane soldering torch nearby for freeze ups.

[Bmi48219]

If mine slows down or starts dribbling / dripping I have a large safety pin I hold with needle nose pliers and poke up into the bottom of nozzle while the pot is hot. Works every time.

[1eyedjack]

A piece of 14ga electrical wire stripped back 3/4" bent 90° with enough left to hang onto works well with a hot pot that's dribbling or clogged up. The torch for lead freezing at the spout is handy when casting outside in the winter not as much problem lately. Drilling out the clogged spout will require an order for a new spout from .Learn from my I mean the mistakes of others but it does make a really thorough cleaning easier!

[Sasquatch-1]

Have you check the temperature of the lead? If it is not heating up enough, you may have a bad heating coil and not hot enough to heat up the nozzle.

[Dante]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I tried the propane torch route and had no success. I tried poking at it. Finally I did what I was advised here NOT to do….I used a 1/64” drill bit to get it open and then let the liquid drip through multiple times. I finally was getting a good solid stream. I assembled it all back together and hope for the best with my next casting session.

[oley55]

I have and maintain a modest supply of replacement parts for my Lee pots and some other stuff. The parts are free but the shipping n handling is pretty steep. So I spend a while and try to order all that I think I need (or will need) for each order.

https://support.leeprecision.net/en/knowledgebase/article/replacement-parts

cut n pasted from Lee's replacement part site (I bolded the info about sales tax states):

There are four options to obtain replacement parts:
Directly through us, the first replacement part is free, you are just responsible for the shipping+handling charge to your residence. You can place your order for the part(s) through our website. The free replacement part (limit 1 per part) will appear once you add the item into the shopping cart. Due to new remote seller sales tax laws, we are no longer able to process orders to Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio & Utah. Please use one of the other options provided below.

[CastingFool]

They don't ship replacement parts to Michigan, either.