LEE Pro 4 20 bottom feed lead pot ...pros n cons

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

The 1/2% tin seems a good idea to keep shinny ..I guess the question becomes how much (if any to speak of) does it change the hardness ??

>>>SNIP

1/2 % is also known as 200 to 1.
There is no added measurable hardness (as least measurable with hobby cast boolit tools).

Actually years ago i bought a huge amount of lead strips intended for waterfowl decoys that are pure lead (still in the packages) ..if and when that runs out ..no dumpster diving for me when I can buy from Rotometals and cast boolits for less than $0.01 per

Bear

It was mentioned that duck weights could be a harder alloy? Homemade duck weights surely could be made from just about any alloy, but if it helps you any, I have some commercially packaged duck weight strips and they are pure soft lead.

[Duckiller]

Many years ago I bought a Lee 10 lb bottom pour. First project was casting 45 cal round balls for daughter to roll cartridges, Used black pepper of powder. This was a 4th grade project. Daughter is now in her mid 30s. Either Lee bottom pour pots should work fine for your casting.

[Dieselhorses]

A little extra weight on the valve assembly will help with the dripping & something attached to the valve to allow you to reach up and give it a quick twist helps also.
If it persists or increases too much flow...take it apart and use some valve seating compound to seat the valve properly and then after that...keep your melt clean and don't drop sprues back as you cast or they will pull oxidized lead and tin down into the melt and that will eventually go through the valve (cause problems there) and go into your casts and cause problems there too.

I guess you learn something new everyday. So you saying "don't" continuously keep dropping sprue's into melt as you cast? (That might be one of my issues LOL). At the end of casting session and pot is about empty is it ok to throw all sprue's back in pot? Thx

[RydForLyf]

I guess you learn something new everyday. So you saying "don't" continuously keep dropping sprue's into melt as you cast? (That might be one of my issues LOL). At the end of casting session and pot is about empty is it ok to throw all sprue's back in pot? Thx

Some do and some don’t. I belong to the “do” camp. I also add a new ingot every 6th or 7th pour to keep the pot full and keep up the rhythm.

[gwpercle]

I use a open top Lee Magnum Melter 20 lb. capacity , with a Lyman spouted dipper ,
no drip , lotsa lead .... gave the pesky 10 lb. bottom pour to a fellow member who lost equiptment in a house fire ... He has since dumped it for a open top pot and dipper too .

The 20 lb . Magnum Melter has the 10 lb bottom pour pot beat Seven Ways to Sunday , I don't care what the experts say ... I cast better boolits with a dipper ...
Gary
PS - You can catch the Magnum Melter on sale ... it's a real bargain .
The 20 lb. capacity eliminates the need to keep tossing sprues back in and to not have to keep adding ingots , thus cooling down the mix ...
Get the metal hot ...20 lbs lets you cast enough with out the constant cooling down and warming back up ... it stays hot and lets you cast at a good rate of speed ...you get more better boolits ...Trust Me , I learned this the hard way !
Gary

[Mk42gunner]

Out of three different design bottom pour pots I have had, (Lee 10 pound, Lee 4-20, and RCBS Promelt), the only one I have had deluges from is the ten pound one.

The 4-20 is a fine pot. You can ladle from it if you want, and the drip art is eventually self limiting; at least on mine.

The Promelt still drips a bit, but not as much as the Lee. I would not pay the difference in retail price for a Promelt.

I did lap the valve and seat on my 4-20 before plugging it in. If memory serves I used 800 grit lapping compound.

With a bottom pour pot and a Lee 2 cavity RB mold, you can definitely feed two or three C&B revolvers.

I do like using the Lee Magnum Melter with an RCBS lead ladle better, but for pure lead RB there is absolutely nothing wrong with using a bottom pour pot. It may be the easiest casting session ever. Fill, twist the sprue plate, open and shake, close the mold, close the sprue plate and refill.

I do drop the sprue back into the pot. It is already warm, why waste the heat? Plus I usually catch the sprue in my gloved hand when it is cut.

Robert

[John Guedry]

I have a 10lb Lee bottom pour that was given to me by a friend about 25 yrs ago. It has survived being dropped and involved in a flood. Looks like the devil but works fine. When it "wears out" I'll buy a 20#.

[OS OK]

I guess you learn something new everyday. So you saying "don't" continuously keep dropping sprue's into melt as you cast? (That might be one of my issues LOL). At the end of casting session and pot is about empty is it ok to throw all sprue's back in pot? Thx

Whenever you decide to refill the pot with sprue cuts and new ingots, take the time to stir well, dip off the crud & oxidized metal that will not stir back in and cap the melt with a generous amount of wax. That'll minimize the oxidation as you run another pot full.

There's any number of ways to run a pot, I just want to have the cleanest casts possible (and the cleanest looking PC'd cast too) so being somewhat OCD, I go out of my way and take a little longer to get the job done. I am the one who has to be pleased with my work...nobody else.

What pleases me to no end is when a friend is over and we are farting around in the shop...they grab a handful of something I'm loading and say...
"Wow, where are you buying these?"
I reply..."I don't, I make them."



I guess what I'm trying to say is that 'great looking & great shooting projectiles' start at the cast bench with a 'clean melt'.

[dimaprok]

If Cast at about 800 degrees and have a very clean mold or you will have wrinkles on the castings.

There is absolutely no reason to run lead at 800 degrees, it will shorten the life of your pot and your molds. I cast my zinc bullets at 800, pure lead melts at 621 and its lower than lead alloys. 680 - 720 is plenty hot. I usually start hotter and when everything is running smooth I lower temperature to keep the lead solidifying faster.

If you're getting wrinkles just preheat your mold like Lee tells you in instruction manual by dipping mold edge in the pot or preheat it on the stove. If you're still getting wrinkles smoking cavities works 100%

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

[Mk42gunner]

Good point about the temp.

I think it was Gearnasher who used to recommend casting at roughly 50 degrees F over the liquidous temp of your alloy. I tried it and it does work.

Robert

[kevin c]

I started with a Lee 4-20 and still use it, though now it's mounted over a ProMelt as a feeder pot. As a primary bottom pour mine was fine, and the dripping was just a little annoying. A PID gets around the drawbacks of the simple temperature control. I switched to the Promelt before getting the PIDs (both pots in the dual setup have them) based on the better temp control and reputation, and for the fact that the flat top made it much easier to preheat molds and ingots. It also made it much easier to mount the Lee on top.

ETA:

I cast at whatever temp that works for my cadence and environmental conditions, IOW, whatever maintains the molds themselves at optimal casting temp. For me, that's 720° to 740° using 95-3-2 alloy in 8 cavity aluminum 147 gr 9mm molds, done out of doors in moderate wind free weather.

[Brokenbear]

You lead slingers have really got me pumped up with all of your tips, short cuts, ideas and encouragement !!!

My 4 20 is hung up in transit (I caught where I ordered the 4/20 from with 3F Triple Seven powder which i bought and UPS is backed up hauling out hazmat due to federal shipping weight limits [below a certain total pounds is a flamable ..above that amount ..it gets classed somewhat like an explosive] ..) and UPS can/will only carry so many pounds total in a truck.

Any way ..I'm looking forward to implementing all these Ideas everyone is sharing ...

I chose the bottom feed over the dipper system because of rebuilt shoulders and arthritis in my hands make bottom pour more appealing plus I am not intending to process anything but pure lead ..no smelting ..alloying etc.

But that does bring another question to mind ..mold guide ..the one "built in" seems a bit shy on mold control ..I have looked on youtube as some of the "in the field" modifications mold guide wise but I would like to see some of your "field mods" if you would care to picture them for us !!

For a mold guide ...right now I am thinking a simple four sided 1/4" or 3/8" 4 sided steel box ..open end up/down and fit an aluminum top plate to it slotted for drips and aluminum angle stock to top plate to make adjustable guides n stops (Should be simple as every mold is Lee and the same size)

Thanks
Bear

[kevin c]

I didn't like the included 4-20 guide either: it scored the sides of my aluminum molds ("just cosmetic", sure, but like a scratch on the side of your new truck, not something to be pleased about).

I'm not good at making stuff (I can barely screw together two pieces of lumber), so I got a slotted mold guide from NOE along with an adapter for the Lee. It works well, though there's one issue to be aware about with a slotted guide: if alloy spills over the end of the mold and a drop freezes hanging off the end, moving the mold in that direction can jam the mold against the drip and slot.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I like Lee's simple mold guide. As Kevin mentioned, it'll scratch aluminum and brass molds, but if you grind a better curve in it, then polish it, and I will actually lube it with sprue plate lube...it'll work slick and minimizes scratching, and is easy to adjust during a casting session if needed.
that's my 2¢

[OS OK]

I like Lee's simple mold guide. As Kevin mentioned, it'll scratch aluminum and brass molds, but if you grind a better curve in it, then polish it, and I will actually lube it with sprue plate lube...it'll work slick and minimizes scratching, and is easy to adjust during a casting session if needed.
that's my 2¢

I did pretty much what you suggest the first week of owning that pot but I knew that there had to be a better solution. I used it that way for a long time until I ran across a little piece of aluminum bar stock in my junk metal one day and then I saw the answer to the 'simple mould shelf'.



The adjustment clamp screw made from a small 'C clamp'...smaller than the one in the picture.
The slight 'dog leg bend' in the bar gets it forward of the spout, when it drips it ricochets off the back side of the bar instead of piling up on top in your way.



The edge is adjusted with a 'drill stop collar', they come in set's, I think from Harbor freight, cheap too (they don't work very well as a drill stop) but they work for this...



You can use the stop collar on either side of the mould, here the other side of this mould has HP pin shafts sticking out of the side of the mould...
if you have HP pin hardware hanging out the bottom of your mould, this is not a solution. If I used one of those moulds I'd leave the Lee rest on that post along with this rest, then you can use either one. Adjust the one your not using up or down out of the way.

[mdi]

With good maintenance/care, and clean alloy your Lee bottom pour pot should last a very long time. I have a Pro-20, the only pot I have had, ever, I got it in the late '90s and have disassembled and cleaned it several times and while I've cast many, many assorted bullets it still works quite well (for about 20 years I never reloaded or shot a jacketed bullet, lead only in 9 handguns and 4 rifles). I use an analog thermometer and don't have wandering temps. I use only clean alloy, stir and "flux" often and the only modification I made was a heavy handle.

[Brokenbear]

OS OK ...now that bar system mold guide is the cat's meow ..pure genius ..I'm in ..I will build one(I hope) as soon as I figure out how/who I can get threads cut for the set screw and a press for that 15 or so degree bend ...Is that 1" bar stock? ... and why the paint? ..would of thought lead and bare aluminum would of been a better combination unless the coating is acting as a "hardener" and a form of a lubricant to keep metal on metal gaulding in check??

Thanks
Bear

[OS OK]

OS OK ...now that bar system mold guide is the cat's meow ..pure genius ..I'm in ..I will build one(I hope) as soon as I figure out how/who I can get threads cut for the set screw and a press for that 15 or so degree bend ...Is that 1" bar stock? ... and why the paint? ..would of thought lead and bare aluminum would of been a better combination unless the coating is acting as a "hardener" and a form of a lubricant to keep metal on metal gaulding in check??

Thanks
Bear

Thank you Brokenbear...those are very kind words.

The round stock is only 1/2" aluminum and the black is powder coat (your right, it acts like a bearing and nothing gauls the aluminum), that was what was on the round stock when it started out in life as a cross-bar for the handlebars of a dirt bike.



The little adjustment screw used to be a 'C-clamp' and it's thread size is 10-32, those taps are available in any hardware store.

I got the bend in the round stock by putting it in a vise, warming it some with a propane torch and smacking it with a dead blow hammer until I got the bend I needed.

[Brokenbear]

Thanks OS OK ...I'm on it!
Bear

[reedap1]

I second purchasing the NOE mould guide adapter for the Lee, makes life easier on the hands