Lee Pro 4-20 Questions

[308Jeff]

Hahaha! I'm paranoid...

[myg30]

Jeff, be safe and enjoy casting. It's a great experience and fun to cast n shoot your own boolits.
Make sure you clean that new mold before casting with it.

Gloves, eye protection and NO FLIP FLOPS N SHORTS !!

Mike

[CraigOK]

Thanks for asking good questions, I learned some things. Keep us posted on what goes right and what issues you encounter

[rsrocket1]

Suggestions:
Get a Lyman 4 cavity ingot mold and place it under the spout to catch drips and leaks. Then you can simply empty them back into the pot while you're casting.

I used to use an old PC side panel under the pot as a last resort catch in case I had a catastrophic spill or an unattended lead stalagmite form under a dripping pot. Now I use a toaster oven pan. The whole thing fits nicely inside the pan with lots of extra room and raised sides to catch lead just in case.

Keep a flat blade screwdriver right next to the pot while casting. If you get a chronic drip (one that doesn't stop with just a blip of the handle), there may be debris trapped between the spout and the rod. Use the screwdriver to twist the rod back and forth to clear the obstruction.

Keep a propane torch nearby. If you cast a temps much lower than 650F, the spout may freeze until you get it nice and hot with a steady stream of lead. Too much time between pours and the spout may freeze again. The torch helps and you won't mind pouring out an ounce of lead now and then because you have that ingot mold to catch all the lead that comes out.

[country gent]

308 Jeff, Don't forget Hat safety glasses long sleeved shirt gloves and heavy shoes or boots and jeans or heavy pants around the pot and while casting. Depending on alloy you are going to use and bullet size and style I would bring pot to around 725*-750* to start out and pre heat mould to 350*-400* on a hot plate or heat on top of pot while its melting and coming up to temp. You can back down temps as needed. Another tip is keep notes on what you did temps, cadence, and other things so you can repeat what worked and not repeat what didn't.

[308Jeff]

308 Jeff, Don't forget Hat safety glasses long sleeved shirt gloves and heavy shoes or boots and jeans or heavy pants around the pot and while casting. Depending on alloy you are going to use and bullet size and style I would bring pot to around 725*-750* to start out and pre heat mould to 350*-400* on a hot plate or heat on top of pot while its melting and coming up to temp. You can back down temps as needed. Another tip is keep notes on what you did temps, cadence, and other things so you can repeat what worked and not repeat what didn't.

Thank you, sir. All solid advice.

[OS OK]

Jeff....are you secretly casting and not sharing your results...huuh? I thought we'd be seeing pictures by now!

[woodbutcher]

Hi OS OK.Ya never know.Them beavers are a sneaky bunch.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[54bore]

Keeping the 4-20 in a shallow type pan is a DARN good idea! These things can start leaking without ryme or reason, at least inside a pan the alloy can't escape and catch fire, or worse

[ballistim]

I received my Lee Pro 4-20 a couple of days ago and anxiously got it out of the box. Gave it a look over, screwed the valve knob on, and actually read the instructions.

I've watched a lot of videos on people using the 4-20, and the operation seems pretty straight forward: Put lead in, turn it on, let lead melt, lift handle to dispense.

First thing that's striking me about the one I have is, there's very little upward and downward movement of the handle. That could be normal, but that thing that's concerning me and keeping me from plugging it in and melting some lead is, the assembly is already in the fully "up" position. IE, I can't lift the handle, but I can push it down; slightly.

Is this normal? Does the pot filling with lead somehow push the handle and spout down?

One thing I've noted is that the screw/post at the top of the bracket is noticeably canted outward. I don't see how the hole in the bracket is going to glide very smoothly with it like that?

Pics are attached, so maybe ya'll can tell me if this pot is good to go, or if there's something noticeably wrong with it.

This picture in particular illustrates the biggest problem I've had with all three of my Lee Pro 4-20's, and it's a lousy design by Lee using a cheap screw with a sheet metal thread that goes into a pinched joint section of the aluminum surrounding cover. I've had all three strip out with use, and hope to find someone more capable than myself to come up with a solution to this.
I've been able to work out the drip situation on these, but this can sure ruin a good casting session as it gets worse as the pot heats up with expansion/different metals.

Man, it'd be great if someone could solve this and strengthen this weak point.

[dirkdiggler]

Mine also

[Handloader109]

One upgrade that I did to my lee is that I found a wingnut and a regular but that fits the thread on the plunger rod. Screw on the nut, screw on the wingnut and jam them against each other. Then Wearing Gloves, you can easily adjust your stream without a stupid screwdriver! I find that I have to close the valve occasionally to stop a drip and as volume lowers, open up to keep stream going at same rate. Much easier with wiñgnut

[OS OK]

One upgrade that I did to my lee is that I found a wingnut and a regular nut that fits the thread on the plunger rod. Screw on the nut, screw on the wingnut and jam them against each other. Then Wearing Gloves, you can easily adjust your stream without a stupid screwdriver! I find that I have to close the valve occasionally to stop a drip and as volume lowers, open up to keep stream going at same rate. Much easier with wiñgnut

OMG! Another one of those days where I whack myself in the forehead and say . . . "Duuuh! Why didn't I think of that!?
I had another forehead whack the other day when I read the 'CHARGE' thread about pre-charging the PC! . . . The older I get the smarter I'm getting."

[Grmps]

One upgrade that I did to my lee is that I found a wingnut and a regular but that fits the thread on the plunger rod. Screw on the nut, screw on the wingnut and jam them against each other. Then Wearing Gloves, you can easily adjust your stream without a stupid screwdriver! I find that I have to close the valve occasionally to stop a drip and as volume lowers, open up to keep stream going at same rate. Much easier with wiñgnut

I did something symilar, I used a 1 1/4 nut, a large wingnut and a machine screw that secure the wing nut to the long nut, went through the long nut and cinched the nut onto the flow adjustment rod.

[OS OK]

I think I'll JB Weld a nut to an old wooden dresser knob so I can adjust it without gloves.

[Handloader109]

Get you a bit ole brass knob! You can turn it fast can't you?

[OS OK]

Faster than you can imagine...might not have the setting I wanted but I'll get there in a nanosecond!

When was the last time one of your casts caught your eye...without thinking you reached in and picked it up to check it out then let her go real quick?...well, that's how fast I'll turn that knob.

[KenH]

When was the last time one of your casts caught your eye...without thinking you reached in and picked it up to check it out then let her go real quick?

Last time? Yesterday...... and got the blister to prove it. Seems I don't "look" as fast as I did in years gone by...... or maybe it's just losing sensitivity in finger tips so don't feel the heat fast enough to prevent burns?

Later

[OS OK]

Someone in the shop is always picking up something hot when I'm welding, grinding or cutting...they turn it loose so fast....making some kind of overt move with their feet and arms, usually with a goofey look of terror on their faces...ha!

I usually tell them..."Well, it don't take you long to look at something!" . . . as the part bounces across the shop floor. . .

[kmrra]

Once you get your furnace operating and get use to it you can get a upgrade kit for it for 79 bux here: http://www.opennrg.com/product/lee-4...t-upgrade-kit/ it make the Lee pot 10 times better and is well worth the money and takes about 1/2 hour to install. it makes the pot as good as some of the more expensive pots for less than half the price.