Lee pot problem

[George]

I fashioned a ladle from a spoon and ran a few .600 in a Rapine block mold and a few .530 in a brass bag mold, it went pretty well. Reasonable consistency for a first try, and after some modification of my spoon I think I'll be OK for the few balls I'll need to run.

Spence

 

[coloradoclyde]

No, it's intact, and I can see the valve seat, which looks OK.

Spence

Then I say fire up the drill.....What do you have to lose?

 

[azmntman]

drill bit? :slap:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Truth be told ....20 years ago I had the same problem with a lee pot....I bought a new one versus having it repaired...(things were cheap back then)...
My first pot lasted about 20 years.....I still call that a good investment....

6 months ago I thought I has the same problem....I decided to fix this one.....

 

[coloradoclyde]

drill bit? :slap:

Why do you say that?

 

[Grenadier1758]

drill bit? :slap:

Why do you say that?

What do you have to lose?

The drill bit can be lost (broken off).

 

[Rifleman1776]

...what kind of ladle is best?

Stating "best" of anything is difficult. Opinions vary. I have and like the Lyman. Antique shops often have older styles that will work fine.

 

[coloradoclyde]

drill bit? :slap:

Why do you say that?

What do you have to lose?

The drill bit can be lost (broken off).

Small drill bits are very cheap....I consider them to be expendable and consumables....
The pot already doesn't work.....so it's not like you can break it.

A 50 cent drill bit or $50.00 pot....your call.

 

[Maven]

I've also had problems with the Lee bottom pour feature in both of my furnaces: dripping and poor flow to be specific. I tried all the remedies already mentioned, but ultimately plugged the spouts and used a ladle for casting. The Ideal/Lyman egg shaped one works well, but look around for one which may suit you better.

Btw, sometimes Lee furnaces need their thermostats adjusted so they put out enough heat to melt lead. It's a simple enough job*, but it requires unscrewing the top plate, i.e., the one with the temp. control knob.


*Clean the points of the bimetallic thermostat first, then gently bend the lower one down a bit.

 

[Billnpatti]

I used to have a Lee bottom pour pot and it often became plugged with dross. I finally got rid of it and now use a dip pot. It's a Lee and it works just fine. However, when my pot became clogged, I could usually unclog it with a bent wire. On those couple of times when the wire didn't work, I just heated it up to melt the lead and dipped it all out and put it in my ingots mold. With the pot empty, I would remove the stem and handle and then I would use a drill bit in my hand held electric drill and carefully and slowly drill out the crud that was plugging my pot. You have to work slowly with the drill running as slowly as it will go and carefully pulling out the drill bit to clear it several times. Lead is very "grabby" and can grab your drill bit and either jam it in the pour spout or break it. If you work slowly and pull out the bit several times to clear off the crud, you can open up the spout and have it working like new again. Or you can just put a self tapping screw into the spout to plug it, remove the stem and handle and then just use the pot as a dipping pot with a ladle. I had a friend who took that route when he got tired of his pot plugging. If you decide to do this, be sure to put the screw into the spout so it doesn't suddenly become unplugged and dump molten lead all over the place. That is not a pretty scene. One day, my pot had developed a plug as it cooled after my last use. What I didn't know was that the spout was stuck slightly open. When I went to use it again, I put new lead into it and turned it on. It would take several minutes to heat up so I walked away to do some other things while the pot heated up. I came back to find that the better part of the 10 pounds of lead I had put into the pot was now all over my bench and down on the floor. Fortunately, no serious damage.....but there could have been.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Lead casting and bottom pour pots are not for everyone.....There is a learning curve, and not everyone can navigate that curve....

That's just the way life is....

 

[Rifleman1776]

Lee pots don't leak. :shocked2: :wink:

:rotf: :rotf:

 

[Rifleman1776]

Try again. :idunno:

No pic, dunno why not. :idunno: Sorry.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I've been having trouble posting pics lately too.....I think it's forum related.

 

[azmntman]

only thing that could break that matters (drill wont break and pots toast anyway)

 

[PA16th]

Could try a drift punch and tap the obstruction through. :2

 

[stubshaft]

I have used Lee pots from the 60's. The bottom pours drip-o-matics are frustrating. I have in the past emptied them out and drilled out the spout with a 1/8" drill. That cleared some of that caked on build up. About 25 years ago I decided to forego the frustration and ordered a solid pot assembly from Lee. It is easy to replace and IIRC cost $15.00. Since that time I have enjoyed the ease of ladle pouring. I use a RCBS ladle with the handle shortened and the spout drilled out to 3/16". I don't miss the little lead sculptures that used to buildup on the baseplate...

 

[Stumpkiller]

I've been having trouble posting pics lately too.....I think it's forum related.

Nope. There was a bunch of gobltygook behind the ".jpg" in the images posted. I just trimmed it off.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Thanks, Stump. That gobly stuff is what came from a PhotoBucket upload. I use PB for this forum but really don't like it.

 

[hanshi]

Thanks, Stump. That gobly stuff is what came from a PhotoBucket upload. I use PB for this forum but really don't like it.

I don't either! It's gone so far downhill just the last few years it's hard to imagine it going any further.