Picked up some casting equipment

[Sharp Shooter]

I just got back from a fishing trip up in Northern MN. I had a great trip and caught some good fish. Anyways, I could not pass up stopping at a few cabelas on my way there and on my way back.

I ended up coming out with a Lee production IV electric pot, Lyman casting thermometer, and a Lee double cavity .530 roundball mold. Now I should be set other than a 58cal mold. :grin:

For anyone who has a Lee production IV electric pot, what do you think of it? Last time I casted I tried my friends Lee pro 4. I really liked it and thought the bottom pour was nice. All Cabelas had was the production pot IV. You can't really use a Ladle in this pot but I plan on using the bottom pour anyways. It seems like I can more room in my friends pot. Im almost wondering if I should have got the other pot. I dont know. Is one better than the other?

Hopefully I can get some good looking roundballs now. I like the electric pots much better than my backpacking stove. The thermometer should help to.

Also, I found someone who can get me all the lead pipe I want. Most lead pipe is pure or close to it right?

 

[BrownBear]

The bottom pour can be a little glitchy on the Lee, but that's true on all brands. The little rod that moves up and down to allow lead to flow doesn't always seat all the way down once you get a little grit in there, so drippage can be chronic. Worst case you get a stream. I use a hardwood dowel for a billet, and when the drip gets too bad or the rod doesn't close, I just use the dowel to gently tap down on the top of the rod. Stops the drip right away. Small fine-tuning tip, but it helps.

Another fact of most bottom pour pots is eventual clogging of the pour spout--- sometimes more sometimes less. You need to poke something up into the spout from the bottom now and then to clean it. I've tried lots of stuff, but settled on stainless steel aircraft safety wire for the job. The wire shaft from an old fishing spinner would probably work even better because it's stiffer. Just clip the twisted loop off the bottom of the shaft, remove the spinner parts, but keep the top ring on the shaft. Bend the shaft in an "L" and keep it handy on your bench. If the spout starts getting clogged. grab the loop with a pair of needlenose pliers and use it to clear the spout.

A couple of fiddly points for pot management and not criticism of the pot. You're likely to have to do something similar with other brands, too.

Just thought of one more quick point. I find it best to leave a half inch or so of lead in the bottom of the pot when I finish a casting session. It supports the pour mechanism in case of knocks during storage and the extra contact with the pot seems to speed melting next time you heat up the pot.

 

[mazo kid]

I had a 10# Lee pot for over 34 years and it always worked for me. I sold it when I got a 20# Lee pot. There is a little screwdriver slot on the end of the spout rod and a few twists every once in a while keeps the dripping down. Also, a little extra weight on the rod seems to help a lot; keeps the rod from floating in molten lead. For a clogged spout, I have a small Allen wrench that fits into the hole and hold it with a pair of pliers. If you want to ladle pour, just remove the handle and spout and plug the tapped hole with the appropriate sized bolt. About the only time I use a ladle now is when we are at an event and I want to cast some balls over the fire coals.

 

[hanshi]

The Lee bottom pour pots are a real bargain. I have two and have been using them over 35 years. They are fast and (to me) less trouble than ladling. I keep a screwdriver and bent paper clip handy to adjust the rod and clear the spout. On one of mine I drilled out the spout a little larger. The other is fine as is. I've never used a thermometer. I just turn them wide open and go to work. Everyone who knows me knows I'm slower than cheap motor oil in Point Barrow. With the Lee I can really cast ball.

 

[R.M.]

Yep, the Lee "Drip-Omatics" are the best bang for the buck. They have some problems, but they can be overcome.
Keep the nozzle clear and your temp up, and you'll get good balls. I've found that the nozzle will clog slowly, and you'll hardly notice it, till you start getting incomplete fills, and wonder what's up. Larger cavities need to fill quickly. Just poke a wire up it to clear it, and you're back in business. I haven't tried opening mine up yet, but I'll bet it'll help.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I use the Lee IV pot. After the second or third time I'd warmed up my Lee to find lead pouring out I had a lightbulb moment.

Now I leave about five pounds of lead in it to cool for storage. Benefits are:

The grit never gets to the nozzle as most grit/dross floats in lead.

The pot is always closed up when warming up - no leaks.

When it's hot & melted you're ready to go. Takes about the same time to remelt as it does to add lead to an empty pot.

The linkage always works smoothly and does not drip during use.



I also leave the last ball in the mold (sprue in place). This keeps the mold from rusting . . . no air as the lead fills the cavity.

 

[mazo kid]

Now I leave about five pounds of lead in it to cool for storage.

Yeah, I sometimes do that too....if I can plan ahead enough. I also cast for black powder cartridges and use a lead/tin alloy so if I have pure lead in the pot I need to drain it. I do have an RCBS pot also and should just use that one for my alloys. Hmmmm, seems to be a no-brainer! Now I should have kept my 10 pound pot too. Oh well....

 

[cowpoke1955]

I have the Lee Production Pot IV and several Lee mold. Been using them for over 20 years. They are great. Now, tell us more about that free lead :rotf:

 

[flinthead]

If you are having a problem with getting the mold to fill out completly when using pure lead add a bit of tin. 50/50 solder is 50% tin and you only need a trace of it to help the casting.

I snip off about a 1 1/2" strip of solder and add that to the pot, with about 10 pounds of pure lead.

 

[fyrfyter43]

My experiences with the Lee "Drip-O-Matic" weren't as good as everybody else's. No matter what I tried (including every tip given here, and then some), I couldn't get the bottom pour spout to keep from clogging up with grit rather quickly and/or dripping. It seemed as if when the spout wasn't clogged, it was dripping. My suspicion is that I either had a hot spot in the spout or a burr that caused the problems.

I ended up getting rid of the bottom pour rod and welding the spout shut. Now I can ladel cast with absolutely NO problems. My only complaint now is that the pot is a little too deep for ladel casting (I would rather it be wider and shallower), and I would much rather have a 20 lb. pot. When I really get going I have a tough time keeping the 10 lb-er full of molten lead. I have to stop several times in a casting session to add lead and allow it to come up to temperature. And that's just running a 2-cavity .530 RB mold. It's much better when I cast for my smoothbore pistol with a 1-cavity .485 RB mold. However, this is mostly my fault as I try not to stop for any reason when I get going. I'd rather run the pot low and then stop for 1/2 hour or so to let another 7-8 lbs of lead melt down than stop for 5 minutes to drop in a couple of 1 lb. ingots and let them melt.

My next pot will probably be a Lee Magnum Melter. The reason being that I do think Lee makes a good pot for the money, but I just didn't have good luck with bottom-pour casting. Then again, most folks seem to do well with a bottom-pour pot once they get the bugs worked out, so don't take my troubles as the type of experience you'll have.

By the way, I made a small shelf out of sheet metal that's screwed down to the top edge of the pot to heat up my mold and ladel and keep them hot. That's probably the BEST modification I made to my Lee Production Pot IV.

 

[DougMPhoto]

By the way, I made a small shelf out of sheet metal that's screwed down to the top edge of the pot to heat up my mold and ladel and keep them hot. That's probably the BEST modification I made to my Lee Production Pot IV.

The shelf sounds interesting...got a photo by any chance?

 

[R.M.]

A small 110V hot-plate comes in handy for pre-heating the mold and ingots. While I'm casting, I keep about 10# of the next ingots to go into my 20# pot. It helps the new batch get up to temp sooner. You can get them pretty cheap at WallyWorld or a yard sale. Just don't get them hot enough to melt on the burner, or so I've heard. :redface:

 

[fyrfyter43]

By the way, I made a small shelf out of sheet metal that's screwed down to the top edge of the pot to heat up my mold and ladel and keep them hot. That's probably the BEST modification I made to my Lee Production Pot IV.

The shelf sounds interesting...got a photo by any chance?

Actually, I don't. But I've been meaning to take one to help others out. So if I can make it upstairs tomorrow, I'll make a point of taking one to post here.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Burrs can be easily removed. And spouts can be drilled open to the next drill bit size, and polished smooth to get rid of "drips". I don't know of anyone who really makes a wide enough lead melting pot to accommodate a dipper that lets you get down to those last couple of pounds of lead.

That fact, and the fact that dippers are made to be used Right handed, made me abandon dippers for casting. I am left handed.

As for the occasional drip, we simply put a piece of 1/8" sheet metal under the pot to catch the drips, so we didn't burn the top of the bench. The lead cooled quickly, and was easily thrown back into the pot when we were adding more lead, and putting the sprues back in the pot.

 

[FPDoc]

I've put my Lee pot in an old "deep dish" pizza pan that keeps all the little drips, spoons, pliers, paper clips, vise grips, stray cut-off sprues, mold whacker and candle stubs under control. Once everything is cool it all gets set back on the shelf till next session.

 

[fyrfyter43]

Burrs can be easily removed. And spouts can be drilled open to the next drill bit size, and polished smooth to get rid of "drips". I don't know of anyone who really makes a wide enough lead melting pot to accommodate a dipper that lets you get down to those last couple of pounds of lead.

That fact, and the fact that dippers are made to be used Right handed, made me abandon dippers for casting. I am left handed.

As for the occasional drip, we simply put a piece of 1/8" sheet metal under the pot to catch the drips, so we didn't burn the top of the bench. The lead cooled quickly, and was easily thrown back into the pot when we were adding more lead, and putting the sprues back in the pot.

Yep, all those modifications can be (and were) tried. In my case, after alot of aggravation and several DAYS spent trying to solve the problems with my Drip-O-Matic, I decided to try ladel casting. I never looked back.

As far as a left-handed dipper, that's no longer an excuse. Lyman's dipper can be used either left- or right-handed. It has 2 threaded bosses, one on either side, where the handle can be attached and a bolt to thread into the boss not used. I learned a long time ago that I would never get anywhere in life if I treated my chronic left-handedness as a handicap.

Of course, no pot (or dipper, for that matter) will let you get the last few ounces of lead out of the pot. Lee's Magnum Melter is 4" wide...much bigger that the bottom pour pot I have now. My goal is not to be able to get out every last ounce of lead. I just want to be able to cast for as long a session as reasonably possible without stopping. If I could cast 15-17 lbs. without interruption, that would be a huge improvement over what I'm doing now. Of course, so would modifying my routine to include taking the time to drop the sprues back into the pot after each pour. I don't do that now because I drop them onto a towel, and when I pick them up with pliers I often grab a fiber from the towel. Since I really don't want that fiber in my lead, I wait till the sprues cool and use them to re-fill the pot. That way I can pick them up with my fingers and avoid getting fibers from the towel in my lead.

 

[fyrfyter43]

By the way, I made a small shelf out of sheet metal that's screwed down to the top edge of the pot to heat up my mold and ladel and keep them hot. That's probably the BEST modification I made to my Lee Production Pot IV.

The shelf sounds interesting...got a photo by any chance?

Actually, I don't. But I've been meaning to take one to help others out. So if I can make it upstairs tomorrow, I'll make a point of taking one to post here.

Here are a couple pics of the shelf I made for my pot. It gives me a place to rest my mould and dipper without risk of knocking them over. I used to balance everything on the edge of the pot, but it was very hard to keep everything balanced there. This shelf just gives it a little more stability.

Paul, in the pic you can see the plug in the opposite hole for the dipper handle. It's on the right side of the dipper bowl.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Someone told me that Lyman was now doing that to their dippers, but yours is the first I have seen. Thank you.

I don't know what is wrong with your bottom pour- or was, since you have apparently welded it up!--- but I have a hard time believing that the problem could not have been solved. I am far more productive using a bottom pour pot, than using the dipper, particular when using multi-cavity molds.

To each his own. This is America, after all.

paul

 

[fyrfyter43]

I don't know what is wrong with your bottom pour- or was, since you have apparently welded it up!--- but I have a hard time believing that the problem could not have been solved. I am far more productive using a bottom pour pot, than using the dipper, particular when using multi-cavity molds.

To each his own. This is America, after all.

paul

Maybe it could have been fixed. I don't know. I was getting yellow oxidation into the spout every 2-3 pours that caused pits in the surface of the balls, and would slow the pour down quite quickly. The only way I was able to get even half of the ball to come out OK was to clean out the spout with a paperclip after every pour and flux about every 10 minutes to skim out the oxidation.

Once I tried ladel casting, it just seemed to work better for me. That's why I welded the spout shut. Once I get going I can run 100+ ball per hour, with maybe the first half-dozen going back into the pot because they're wrinkled. The rest all weigh in at +/- 1 grain of target weight. And no more pitting or trapped oxidation like I had using the bottom pour spout.

Like you said, to each his own. This is just what works best for me (and I certainly seem to be in the minority).

 

[Sharp Shooter]

Whatever works best for you is the best thing to do. I think you might have had a bad apple or something with that pot but atleast you found something that works good for you.