LEE Pro 4-20 any good?

[PatMarlin]

I'm thinking of getting another bottom pour lead pot, and wondering how well this unit works?

Has anyone used it with a Group buy mold Lee 6 banger?

.......... :drinks:

[Ken O]

I'm very happy with mine Pat. Its a much better unit than the 10#er, I get no drips at all. For the group buy six bangers, I trimmed a little off the mold guide. I couldnt rotate it enough to get an exact line up, it was real close though, just a little grinding did the job.

[Shepherd2]

I've had one for a couple years and it's not bad for the money. I don't have any problem using Lyman 4 cavity or Lee 6 cavity moulds with it.

[RayinNH]

Pat, it's a good pot for the money. But give it time and it will acquire the Lee drip...Ray

[PatMarlin]

Good deal. I'm used to a drip with my ancient RCBS propane cast iron pot.. :castmine:

[omgb]

Well worth the money.

[Dale53]

I have two RCBS pots and like them just fine. However, the first one was bought a long time ago and the second was bought used at a good price. There is no way I would pay the going rate for new RCBS or Lyman with the Lee at such an attractive price. I know a number of people using the Lee (and definitely go for the "4-20" pot) with complete satisfaction. I no longer remember the source of the article, but several years ago a writer did an article comparing the three pots (Lyman, RCBS, and Lee) with the express intention of showing the Lee up. Test results in, the Lee won hands down. It maintained temperature much better than the other two. At least the guy was honest in his appraisal. It just goes to show that preconception can often be wrong.

FWIW

Dale53

[Buckshot]

.............Best bang for the buck around. I have no problems with the Lee 6 cavity, Lyman 4's or anyone elses for that matter. I'd suggest some more weight on the valve stem (clamp on a set of 99 cent Chinese vise grips). If/when my current one dies, I'm buying another.

.................Buckshot

[454PB]

Jeez Buckshot, I never thought of you as a "99 cent Chinese vise grips" kind of guy!

I've had a Lee pro 4-20 pot for about 10,000 boolits and it's working just fine!

[Swagerman]

I have an old Lee 10 lb. pot, the temps are all over the place from having to add lead ingots to the brew.

Does the 4-20 maintain temperatures better being it has more volume with 20 lb capacity?

Jim

[Shepherd2]

My Lee 4-20 seems to maintain temperature very well. Maybe a bit better than the Lyman Mold-Master that I used for 35 years.

I'll have to pick up a pair of 99 cent vise grips next time I go by the dollar store. I've been using genuine Vise Grips. Everytime I need them they are clamped on the lead pot.

[Bodydoc447]

I have had pretty good luck with my Lee Pro 4-20. The temperature fluctuation problem has gone away since I bought a el cheapo hot plate and put an aluminum plate on the burner to preheat ingots and molds. Preheating ingots on the rim of the pot works great, too. But running a .45 caliber 300 grain 6 cavity drains the pot is a hurry so having a lot on ingots warm helps a lot. I use Lee 6 cavity and Saeco and Lyman 4 cavity molds with no problems at all.

Doc

[Dale53]

Bodydoc447 perfectly illustrates that technique can solve many perceived "problems". When I was casting commercially (just to help feed my habit when I was raising kids) I had (and still have) a Saeco 20 lb melting pot. I would alloy in the Saeco pot, and when the bottom pour pot ran out, I would just empty the Saeco pot into the bottom pour and continue. Using this technique, one weekend, my two sons and I cast, lubed, sized, and boxed 13,000 near perfect H&G #68's (using a four cavity H&G mould). I did all of the casting, as I was faster at it, while the boys alloyed, sized, lubed and boxed. I think my left bicep is still bigger than the right after that session:mrgreen:

One thing that casting commercially taught my boys - most anything was easy after that!:mrgreen: They both have a strong work ethic and it is made easier by knowing that they do not have to cast bullets in 100 degree weather any longer:mrgreen:. gosh, I love my kids!!

Dale53

[steveb]

Whats the .99 cent vise grips for??? I have the Lee 4-20 and just wondering....Steve.

[454PB]

steveb, the vice grips provide extra weight on the valve body to minimize the infamous "Lee Leak". I think it was tongue in cheek, as there are better and easier ways to address the problem.

[Maven]

Ah yes, the patented Lee drip (and at no extra charge!). You can cure it by lapping the valve seat either by hand or with the rod chucked into an electric drill operating at low speed, first in one direction, then the other. It's probably better to do this with a new or at least a clean pot since there's less crud to contend with. If you do this right, you may not need to add a weight of any kind to the operating handle. Try it, it works!

As for maintaining temps., mine doesn't vary much until I add new ingots (1 lb. ea.), but it recovers quickly if I turn the dial up to "10" for a few minutes.

[steveb]

Ah yes, the patented Lee drip (and at no extra charge!). .

Maven, thats a high quality drip at that! Where else can you get a quality drip like that at no extra cost to us the consumers??? After all, they are The Inovative Leader[smilie=1: :-D

Seriously, I like my Lee 4-20 dripOmatic. I will try lapping it though, thanks for the info.....Steve.

[KTN]

Lee pots work,and drip.I have both 10 and 20 lb pots,10 lb pot for pure lead and 20 lb pot for harder alloys.For their price,they give good service.Some day,I will have Magma pot.:-D


Kaj

[Dale53]

I have owned one Lyman pot, and two RCBS bottom pours and all three of them drip from time to time. I just lightly rap the top of the valve with my mould striker and continue... I sit an ingot mould under the spout and it catches any run over and/or drips. When it gets full I just drop it back in the pot.

Dale53

[rbstern]

My Lee 10lb'r drips pretty regularly, depending on the crud level.

I've learned to enjoy looking at the interesting mini-lead sculptures that form underneath. It's abstract art for casting.

I use a panel nail held with needle nose pliers to clean the spout from underneath, and that solves the problem, usually for the rest of the casting session.

[nighthunter]

I'll say it again. I'm tired of hearing about the drip from Lee pots. Read the instructions about using a screw driver to stop the drip. I have the Lee 4-20 and love it. But then I have probably only used it to cast about 250,000 bullets. There is an occasional drip but I used to have more mess when ladle pouring. Keep your melt clean and you will have a lot less problems. I use my 4-20 with 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 cavity molds and would buy another if this one quit.
Nighthunter

[RayinNH]

Instructions ? :shock:...Ray

[Bret4207]

13,000 sized and lubed boolits.....I've been doing this for 25 years and I don't think I'm near that number yet. Dale- You and your boys have my respect.

[Ranch Dog]

Have you guys tried using the Permatex #133 mentioned in the "Troubleshooting" tips in the Lee instructions...

http://home.awesomenet.net/~ranch-dog/Casting/Images/Troubleshooting 4-20.jpg

I've used in on both my pots since new and I don't have a drip problem. I do spill or overflow and found a "skillet" ash tray that works very well for catching that...

http://home.awesomenet.net/~ranch-dog/Casting/TLC432285RF/TLC432-2/004.jpg

[Woodtroll]

Gentlemen- If you'll allow me to butt in? I just stumbled across this board, although I recognize many of you from the Shooters.com board. Never posted there much either, mostly lurked, but I thought I'd mention a modification I did to my Lee pot that has been handy.

I took a large washer, about 1-1/4" diameter, that was thick enough to just fit into the screwdriver slot on the rod. I ground about a 3/8" flat on the edge of the washer, then I drilled a 1/8" or so hole very near the edge of this flat. Stuck the flat into the slot, and used a center punch to "stake" the rim of the screwdriver slot in the rod into the hole in the washer. Now the washer is balanced in the slot on top of the rod standing up like a wagon wheel, with the flat in the bottom of the screwdriver slot, held in place by the staking into the hole in the washer.

Now, when I get a drip, I just reach up with my gloved hand and give the rod a twirl- no need to hunt for a screwdriver. I hope this is all clear enough to help someone else.

Thanks for letting me take part! Regan

[Dale53]

woodtroll;
Now THAT is a good tip! Chime in, anytime! We're just stumbling around trying to help each other as we each run into problems of one sort or another. There's some fine people on this forum with LOTS of experience.

Tpr Bret;
Thanks for the kind words. One thing you can be sure of, it won't happen again. At my age, I am about good for two hours casting time in one session. No more marathons for me:mrgreen:

Dale53

[steveb]

Yea Woodtroll, I need all the tips I can get!:-D :wink:

[MTWeatherman]

I have the 4-20 and like it. It developed the "Lee drip" after running about 80 pounds of lead through it, but I don't consider it to be a major problem. I just keep an ingot mould under the spout and follow Lee's instructions on reseating the rod when dripping becomes more than slight. Occasionally cleaning the pot and seat helps forestall the problem and, per previous posts, if the dripping becomes significant, lapping the seat solves it for a good amount of time again. An occasional drip doesn't bother me.

I use a lead thermometer. The 4-20 keeps a reasonably constant temperature when the pot is over about 1/4 full. As it drops below that, the temperature rises and fluctuates more (at least on mine). I keep the pot at least 1/4 full for that reason.

IMO the 4-20 is a better choice than the standard Pro 20 which provides only about 2" of clearance. The 4-20 allows enough clearance for easy maneuvering of all moulds...and a drip catcher below them if needed.

It's an excellent buy for the money.

[no34570]

Hi all
I've been thinking of getting a Lee 4-20 pot,but have been put off by the famous Lee drip.
I have a gas fired burner on a pot that holdover 25lbs of lead it melts it all in 12-15 minutes and then I ladle pour,but have been desiring something a bit safer and easier.
Might have a look at one on Lee's website
Cheers
no34570

[carpetman]

no34570----For years I used a cast iron pot,ladle and Coleman stove. I got a Lee bottom pour and instantly liked it much better. I've had no real problems with it dripping. Not a fan of a bunch of Lee stuff,but their pot seems worth their price.

[no34570]

no34570----For years I used a cast iron pot,ladle and Coleman stove. I got a Lee bottom pour and instantly liked it much better. I've had no real problems with it dripping. Not a fan of a bunch of Lee stuff,but their pot seems worth their price.
carpetman
I just had a look at the Lee pots and they are well made,I think I'm going to take the plunge a fork out some cash for one.
Just have to find a dealer close to me now
Thanks
Cheers
no34570:castmine:

[Lloyd Smale]

lee is a servicable pot but in my opinion not in the same league as a lyman or rcbs. I guess you get what you pay for. If my lyman needs replaceing it will be with a magma which is a step up again.

[Buckshot]

.............Well the Infamous Lee drip is not unique to their pot only. Nor is it a quality issue. The fact is that the valve is in a well and the well has a tendancy to gather crap and crud which interferes with the valve rod sealing. To help it I did as I suggested and clamped on a pair of cheap vise type grips. See below:

http://www.fototime.com/EB8491CA90B0461/standard.jpg

See the Lee ingot mould down there too :-)? I don't care how clean your ingots are, X amount of crud WILL end up in that well and have an affect on the valves ability to seal. Sort of like Woodtroll's suggestion (welcome to the board!) it's easy to reach up and give the pliers a tap to move the rod and it usually stops.

I can stand a drip every so often. No big. I cannot abide a dripdripdripdripdrip, as soon you can't get the mould under there. So every 5-6 posts full, when empty and cooled I pull the rod and run an old bronze bore brush in a drill up and down in it.

I also, per the Lee instructions have a bent paperclip lying close by I can pickup with my "HotStuff" pliers and jab up in there. I sure don't recall reading about that Permatex stuff though! It's either new or I blew it off?

One other thing I did was to open up the spout diameter. In a casting session when I get in the mood I might cast boolits for 2-3 days, all day long. Sometimes the flow would get a bit feeble and the paperclip didn't do much good. Also when casting big boolits, down toward the bottom of the pot, fillout suffered due to insufficient flow pressure.

Simple mod I thought. And it IS a simple mod and well worth thinking about doing it. But don't do what I did! I have quite a few long aviation extension bits which make drilling it out simple. So I picked one that looked good and drilled her out. Looking down through the hole it just didn't seem like enough.

You know, like some newbie reloader looking at 2.7grs of Bullsesye in a 38 Special case, and saying, "Ah, that ain't enough!" I grabbed a more bigger bit and hit her another lick. Now THAT was more like it. I'm just lucky the valve rod didn't just drop all the way through! I fired that sucker off and loaded it up.

I stuck the mould under there and lifted the handle. Holy Hanna on a pogo stick! I had lead all over the place. The mould looked like a big ball of aluminum foil on a popsickle stick. I'll bet a quart of lead squirted out. I figured out how to manage it and with a full pot you don't have to lift the valve handle very high at all to get a good flow out of it! However, I can just about drain it down to the bottom when casting and get good boolits.

..................Buckshot

[shooter575]

Ranchdog,your casting area looks like you are ready for inspection? My shop makes buckshots look like a OR :-P
My 4-20 hold temp fine for the top half of the pot.Then it gets hotter.Figure that elements being at the bottom of pot and less lead as a heat sink causes it? My fix[being lazy] is dont use that hot part of the pot. I cast the top 10 lb and refill,do somthing else for 20 minutes. I cast mostly pure pb,and hot.825-850 or so.That bottom 1/2 will climb to 900 +.
34570 Lee makes them in 220 vac.I think that what you OZ guys use for voltage?
Woodtroll,welcome to the board.Hang on,this is a wild ride here! You from down around Saltville area?I had kin around there before the WONA.May still be some left.

[6pt-sika]

I have Lee 10 and 20 bottom pours . I use the twenty for turning WW's into ingots and use the 10 when I cast .
Only problem I have with either is the spout freezing on the 20 sometimes.:castmine:

[lovedogs]

I've only had my Pro 4-20 for about two years and I like it just fine. When it drips I just give the rod a twist with a screw driver and it quits. I put sprues back in regularly as I cast and it still maintains the temp just fine. Since I mould 500 gr. most of the time it goes down fairly fast but still holds temp real well. I like the pressure that 20 lbs. of lead gives to push the alloy in quickly, also. Can't see spending more money as I don't see anything else working that much better.

[SuperBlazingSabots]

I just got my Lee 4-20 and was wondering why they sent a metal handle instead of the wooden handle now after reading your post I see Lee added more weight by using the metal round knob instead of wood.
Thanks
Ajay
www.PreciousVideoMemories.Com

[RugerSP101]

I sit an ingot mould under the spout and it catches any run over and/or drips. When it gets full I just drop it back in the pot.

Dale53Thats what I did with my Lee P.P. IV.
The drip really isnt much of a hassle doing it that way.

[RugerSP101]

I'll say it again. I'm tired of hearing about the drip from Lee pots. Read the instructions about using a screw driver to stop the drip. I have the Lee 4-20 and love it. But then I have probably only used it to cast about 250,000 bullets. There is an occasional drip but I used to have more mess when ladle pouring. Keep your melt clean and you will have a lot less problems. I use my 4-20 with 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 cavity molds and would buy another if this one quit.
Nighthunter

I did the screwdriver thing....about every 20 minutes :-D
It stops for a bit and then starts dripping again. Not a big deal since its not like the lead is wasted or anything. Just toss it back in

[sleeper1428]

I have a Lee 10lb Production pot that I've used for over 20 years and a 4-20 pot that I got last year and have been using since that time. I agree with the statement that someone made in regard to casting only with the first 10lbs of melt and then reloading the pot in order to keep the temperature fairly constant. Sure, you'll get a few drips, especially at the start of a session, but I've found that once you're underway the drip problem seems to go away.

With the 4-20, you can cast to your heart's desire with minimum downtime while waiting for sprues and added ingots to melt. As an example, in the last four days I've cast just over 3,700 boolits - 1100 45cal 225gr TCBB (Lee 6 cavity mould), 1050 9mm 122gr TCBB (SAECO two cavity mould), 1040 9mm 115gr SWCBB (SAECO two cavity mould) and 520 9mm 122gr RN (SAECO four cavity mould). I like the TC and SWC boolits for my 9mm guns so that's why I cast fewer RN in that caliber. Now it's time to start on the 40/10mm boolits - five different moulds (155gr & 175gr SWCBB two cavity SAECO - 175gr & 200gr TCBB two cavity SAECO - Lyman 38/40 FN) and the 45cal 200gr SWC boolits so I'll have plenty for the summer when I really don't care to be casting. You can't do much better than the Lee 4-20 pot!

sleeper1428

[Shiloh]

Pat, it's a good pot for the money. But give it time and it will acquire the Lee drip...Ray

Yup,

But the price is right and I like mine. The drip can be adjusted out for a spell, but will return, It is a minor inconvenience.

Shiloh