New 20# Lee Pot

[rickt]

Got a Lyman thermometer and decided to check my pot. I have to cast on a real low number didn't surprise me and never checked hi only went as far as 6.

LOW 610 DEGREES
6 900 DEGREES

Manual says Low 450 - Hi 900 Do I need a new thermostat, will Lee send one? It is a new pot.

[44fanatic]

I just got my pot and a Lyman thermometer. Mines hitting about 700 set at 5.

Play around with it and find the temp/setting that works best w/ your pot.

[Bill*]

Got a Lyman thermometer and decided to check my pot. I have to cast on a real low number didn't surprise me and never checked hi only went as far as 6.

LOW 610 DEGREES
6 900 DEGREES

Manual says Low 450 - Hi 900 Do I need a new thermostat, will Lee send one? It is a new pot.

Seems to me it covers the range you will be casting in so I'm not sure they'll send you a new one. Was the pot full, half full, or what? Anyway, if you keep the dial down it'll use less electricity (kidding) :)

[rickt]

The pot was full.

[Frozone]

What was the ambient temp? The thermostat is isolated from the actual heat source. If I cast in 30* weather I got a Big difference in settings over a 90* day. I changed to a PID control and all that went away. Well, sorta, I can't cast on a day < 30* (I don't know why I would any way) The PID shuts down at 32*.

[rickt]

I had it on the floor in my shop. Temp was about 65 degrees.

[warf73]

My Lee 20lb pot will keep getting hotter. To over come this once my alloy is to my casting temp I turn the pot all the way down. It maintains the proper temp till its time to add alloy again. I then turn it all the up and add the alloy, once at temp turn back down.

[rickt]

Here is the reply I got from Lee.

Rick,

You can return the melter to the factory for repairs, our address is:

Lee Precision, Inc.
4275 Highway "U"
Hartford, WI 53027

Or you can fool the thermostat into turning off sooner by packing aluminum foil between the pot housing and the thermostat housing. The thermostat cuts power to the heating element when the thermostat housing reaches a set temperature. By packing aluminum foil between the pot housing and thermostat housing you will be increasing the surface area over which heat is transferred to the thermostat housing, which will cause the thermostat to turn off sooner.

It sure isn't Dillon! Anyone that has a Dillon press will know what I mean.
Stuff aluminum foil between the pot housing and thermostat ?
Sounds like a MICKEY MOUSE repair to me. I guess I'll just pull the thermostat out and look for a new one.

[Colorado4wheel]

Got a Lyman thermometer and decided to check my pot. I have to cast on a real low number didn't surprise me and never checked hi only went as far as 6.

LOW 610 DEGREES
6 900 DEGREES

Manual says Low 450 - Hi 900 Do I need a new thermostat, will Lee send one? It is a new pot.

I don't know if they would even consider that broken. If it holds temps at different settings then is it even broken?

They sent me a new thermostat but mine didn't cycle properly. So it was clearly broken. Your complaint is that you cant turn your pot on to 450F. Whats the point of that anyway? Lead isn't even melted at that point. Never mind the spout would remain frozen.

You could send it in. I bet it will come back with a piece of aluminum foil packed inside it. You bought a Lee not a Dillon/RCBS/Lyman.

[rickt]

My complaint was it wasn't as advertised! I did a little tweak on the thermostat. Now instead of a minor movement of the dial boosting the temp. 100* or so it is more like 40 or 50 * and is repeatable. No tin foil jerry rig! Number 2 is 580* and 9 is 900*.

[JesseCJC]

I usually melt my first inch or so of alloy that I leave behind from the last cast at around 6 or low 7 and then once I get everything nice and melted I go ahead and add more alloy and once that is done I turn it down to 4-5 to cast

[jsizemore]

Wait until you've got a partial pot and the temp is different. And then you've "broken it in" and your old temp settings are now different.

If you do a search you'll find a whole boatload of info about this subject.

[Colorado4wheel]

My complaint was it wasn't as advertised! I did a little tweak on the thermostat. Now instead of a minor movement of the dial boosting the temp. 100* or so it is more like 40 or 50 * and is repeatable. No tin foil jerry rig! Number 2 is 580* and 9 is 900*.

So what did you do?

[rickt]

There are three legs on the thermostat the middle one has a little bend in it . Just used needle nose pliers and squeezed a little on the bend on both sides. It's either a simple and easy fix or I got lucky the first time!

[doghawg]

I have an RCBS thermometer and just leave it in the pot while casting with the Lee 10 lb. When set on #7 it will head up over 900 degrees but there is a "happy place" around 5 1/2 that works quite well. I've been fine tuning with rejects and sprues to head off any temp excursions and this system is working. I figure the $46 pot has already paid for itself.
I also have an RCBS pot and the temp dial is actually very reliable...But for the price difference it SHOULD be!

[Cowboy T]

My pot will hit 800 deg. at a setting of 6 and slowly climb to close to 900 deg. I'm fine with that. Here's why. I'd rather be able to heat the lead a bit too hot than not hot enough. Since I use Lee moulds, and they like higher temperatures anyway, I want to get that pot to between 750 and 800 deg., depending on the specific mould I'm using that day.

Once I get it there, I just turn the dial down to about 3 and a half. Temp stays put.

I like my Pro 4-20 pot. It does the job, and does it well. I'm sure not getting rid of mine.

[7of7]

At 5 mine is at a bit over 700. I reduce the temp to about 675 because I like it there, and everything works fine.... Except my 230gr 45 mold... Have to jump it up to a bit over 700, and cast a whole bunch really fast to the point that I have to wait for the lead to harden, and then I empty the mold, fill the mold, set it down, pick up the sprue, put it back into the pot. examine the bullets just cast, then empty the mold... I get good filled out molds, with no little squiggleys... (that is with the 45 mold... my 358 mold, I just fill the mold, empty the mold, pick up the sprue, put it in the pot, and fill the mold... It is much faster...
but then again, I am doing this to relax, not to try and see how many I can do in a period of time....
Last week, I ended up with 4000 358's... just relaxing and unwinding after work...