My Lee Lead Pot

[BJung]

I noticed on my Lee Pot that if I fill it to the rim, It flows too fast on the bottom and the top barely remains liquid and cannot melt the lead. Only 3/4 full does it function better.

I noticed that on my lee pot, it drips a lot. I just let the drips fall into my Lee ingot mold and drop in back into the pot. Taping and turning the rod doesn't seem to help.

Any quirks and suggestions you have about your Lee bottom flow lead pot?

[cervelorod]

I haven’t fired mine up yet, but in watching several of the PID YT vids, the heating coil is around the bottom of the melting pot, and I can imagine that the behavior you are seeing would happen. Needs a second coil mid pot, or 4 coils from the bottom. Probably something that needs to just be dealt with at the price point.

[imashooter2]

I had a very similar problem. The thermostat had gone bad. Check yours by bypassing the thermostat (easy to do, just have to move one wire on a spade connector) and see if the pot gets hotter. If it does, replacement thermostats are cheap, or you can bend the contacts on the one you have. I bent mine to provide .020 gap at the lowest setting.

http://imashooter2.com/therm-marked.jpg

[Bazoo]

I had a very similar problem. The thermostat had gone bad. Check yours by bypassing the thermostat (easy to do, just have to move one wire on a spade connector) and see if the pot gets hotter. If it does, replacement thermostats are cheap, or you can bend the contacts on the one you have. I bent mine to provide .020 gap at the lowest setting.

http://imashooter2.com/therm-marked.jpg

Thank you for sharing that information.

[Stig]

I have no trouble keeping a full pot good and warm. I have installed a PID, and have set the regulator on the pot to full blast. Checking your thermostat seems to be a good idea.

[imashooter2]

Oh, and for the drip… I have a bent paper clip lashed to a piece of dowel. Place an ingot mold under the valve, open it, run the wire in and wiggle, remove, let the lead run for 2 or 3 seconds, done. Adding a bit of weight to the handle helps too.

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/flowtool.jpg

[Froogal]

The drips are caused by crud getting into the spout. Even with what I consider to be CLEAN lead, there is still some impurities. I have not found a solution that is 100% effective, but periodically scraping the bottom of the pot and also the sides, and then skimming off the crud that floats to the top does make a difference. I use a retired table knife with the tip ground off so it is square.

Most of the lead I use is from Roto-metals. Most of it is good and clean, but not always.

[Slugster]

I also have a Lee pot aka "drippy Richard". What I did to improve the pot was to disassemble and clean, then placed valve grinding compound into the seat, then spun the rod in the seat by hand. Worked a charm. Be sure to hold the rod in it's approximate position that it is in when assembled while turning the rod.

[BJung]

Check yours by bypassing the thermostat (easy to do, just have to move one wire on a spade connector) and see if the pot gets hotter. If it does, replacement thermostats are cheap, or you can bend the contacts on the one you have. I bent mine to provide .020 gap at the lowest setting.

http://imashooter2.com/therm-marked.jpg

Thanks for the tip

[BJung]

The drips are caused by crud getting into the spout. Even with what I consider to be CLEAN lead, there is still some impurities. I have not found a solution that is 100% effective, but periodically scraping the bottom of the pot and also the sides, and then skimming off the crud that floats to the top does make a difference. I use a retired table knife with the tip ground off so it is square.

Most of the lead I use is from Roto-metals. Most of it is good and clean, but not always.

Good tip. Thanks

[Wheelguns 1961]

I cast mostly in the spring and fall. It is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. If I won’t be casting for awhile, I drain the pot. This way it can be fully clean before casting again. When I want to cast again, I use a maroon scotchbrite pad to clean before heating. I feel that even with clean lead, rust and other matter will remain and clog the nozzle. Another thing that I do is screw down the nozzle when done casting, while the lead is still hot. This seems to help keep some of the crap out of the nozzle. My pot still occasionally drips, but much less than before.

[popper]

I use a dental pick to clean the spout but paper clip works fine. Never lapped the pin/spout. The spout is interesting, looks to be a 2 piece unit with a volume between the valve and spout. Only flowing hot alloy there will clean it. I removed the adjuster screw and put a cheap tap handle on the stem. Adds weight and I can turn it easily with gloved hand while the pour is cooling. Worked for 5 yrs or so with just minor drips. I've filled mine to the top couple times, melt is good so I suspect your thermostat needs adjusting. I run the pot @ 720F, no problem. Yours must be much lower if top is not even slushy. Heating element normally just stops working vs low heat. A full pot needs more HEAT to stay liquid than a partial pot, i.e. on longer - it's either on or off.

[kevin c]

A few more thoughts.

The pressure of the lead at the spout is proportional to the height of the lead column above it, including the solid lead floating on top of the melt. I definitely have to adjust the valve depending on the level of lead; that, or keep the level close to the same by adding lead (which I do with molten alloy from a feeder pot).

Are you casting outside right now? Air temp definitely affects the melt as well as the casting process. It might help to cover the pot or even wrap it with some rock wool. At least try to be screened from any breeze. I use PIDs to control pot temp; a lot easier than continually twiddling a dial.

My Lee drips too. AAMOF, so does my ProMelt. I do what you do and just catch the drips in an ingot mold. I’m personally more put out if the spout freezes up or otherwise gets blocked (I too use a bent paper clip).

[redhawk0]

I have two drip-o-matics. My first is the 10lb model...the one I am using now is the 20lb model. I rebuilt my 10lb-er once. I obtained all the needed parts from LEE's web site and purchased some rock-wool online. I put an extra layer of insulation inside the pot between the outer wall and the new pot but above the coil. After replacing the pot/valve rod I didn't have any more dripping. LEE changed the design from my original pot. The spout/valve rod were at different angles from my original.

Anyway...I now have a stock 20lb model. I get an occasional drip from it but usually a slight adjustment to the valve rod screw eliminates it...or a dental pick from underneath will clear the debris in the valve seat.

Anything with molten metal and a spout is at times hard to control. Keeping your alloy as clean as possible will cut down on the drippage.

[EDIT] - I almost forgot...the other thing that helped me on the 10lb-er was to drill the spout hole ever-so-slightly larger. I have a # drill set. I found which number fit the original spout hole...then went up one number. This tiny diameter change allowed a faster flow of lead and it seemed to help with flushing out debris instead of trapping it in the seat area of the spout......I HAVE NOT HAD TO DO THIS WITH THE 20lb POT.

redhawk

[Soundguy]

as others said..clean the spout..use clean lead..stir to bring dross up.