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Mark, I agree with Kasilofchrisn. There is no need to run your Lee pot above the number 8. Think on the side of safety and since you are new to this take baby steps and learn. If you can't get good pours then figure out why. I pour in 40 degree weather here in winter weekly and my pot pours fine at 7. If I have issues I look at venting, make sure I have hot hooks and a hot mold. Fluxing lead also helps to get out impurities even in clean lead. Lead composition plays a big roll as well. Really soft lead pours better however for me it is too soft for jigs so I mix it with harder lead. Find the combination that you can work with. If you are just pouring for yourself, then pure soft may be fine for you. Get yourself a cheap infra red thermometer from harbor freight. It will give you a rough idea on how hot your lead is, you can also use it to see how hot your toaster oven is as well.

I've got 162 fishing related lead molds in my collection at the moment from one off customs to the standard do it molds. I've never once had to run my pot at a setting of 10 to make any of them work. I'm just trying to let Mark know that he shouldn't have to run his pot that hot and risk giving off toxic fumes in his workshop. And that by using his head and some information from the members here he should be able to figure out any lead casting problems and not have to risk his health and safety and that of those around him in his workshop. I've only been casting lead for 15 to 20 years but I have figured out every lead casting problem that's been thrown at me and maxing out the heat setting was never the solution. I'm not trying to start anything but just because you've been doing it for 30 years doesn't mean you've been doing it right for 30 years! I will readily admit there's people here who know more about this than I do. But it is also obvious that there are those here whose skill set isn't as developed as mine. Between myself and a lot of the other helpful members here anyone can learn to Cast lead properly and safely and get jigs that are fully formed with lead molds that work as they should. And properly working lead mold should not require temperatures over a thousand degrees to get a complete cast. You cast your lead your way and I'll do mine my own way. But I highly recommend you try figuring out how to cast at lower temperatures so you're not adding additional risks to your own health and safety every time you make some fishing jigs. A lot of these fumes that can kill us are the ones we can't see. Good luck to you and good fishing!

I really appreciate all the information on this thread! I've been having the same problem Mark mentioned, and it's been really frustrating, so this is really helpful!

Progress report. The Lee pot was not new when I got it. Since I was not getting a consistent flow when I poured, I decided to start over completely. Yesterday I emptied the pot completely. There was a ton of crude at the bottom. Today I removed the spout pin, and scraped all the junk out. And I got all the crap out of the spout. All that junk is now in the recycle bin. I wound up with more than a pound of pure lead. I think its pure, but I will flux it with paraffin before I use it and add a flaming paper towel, per your advice. Evidently the previous user never fluxed his lead, and just dropped more old sinkers into the pot when his lead was low. Once I've got clean lead to work with, I'll try again, loading my mold with hooks and Teflon pins, heating it over the pot for five minutes, and then pouring at 850+ to see how the reworked system does. It won't be for a few days. Big rains coming tomorrow and Thurs, so I can't flux outside like I need to. Friday should be the day for fluxing and more pouring. Fingers crossed, and thanks to everyone for all the good advice.

I always pour at full hot..... If there was an 11, That's where I'd keep the heat.

Thanks guys. I'll experiment with all the suggestions, until I get full pours. Of course, it's waaaay too cold for me to do it this morning. Maybe this afternoon, when it's supposed to warm up a little. It sucks being 75, but it beats the alternative!

Im thinking both! They're 8" long so should make a nice pike/musky bait. I was just planning on casting decoys but now that I'm started and I've been looking at the posts here I think I'll have to start making some baits too.

Thanks for the compliments guys! I'll be sure to add a picture of the completed project. It's loosely based off of a perch, but it'll look great painted up like just about anything, I think. I'll be honest, there is a learning curve. I botched the first two attempts. First one I didn't have a large enough pour spout and the alumilite set up while I was still pouring. Second one the tail tail didn't completely fill in. I realized a small vent hole was needed back by the tail and that took care of the problem. making the silicone mold itself is a bit of a process, but if you take your time it's not terribly difficult.

I don't know if anyone is even following this based on the response but I have successfully casted a few bodies! Lol