Total Frustration With Lee Melting Pot

[HookUp]

After years of reliable use, one day my Lee's pot finally gave me fits.  I tried everything & nothing worked.  Finally read to drill out the hole on a board - MISTAKE!

 

Bought a new Lee's pouring pot for sale and then read  on some board that I can buy a new insert pot for Lees pourer for $8 from Lees.  Did that, now I have two workable pour-able Lee's pots and one other that I'll explain below.  On the old pourer with the new pot, I had to polish the plunger to get the pot to stop dripping.  Still have one mold that gives me fits with incomplete pours (Hilts SLIDER), but a ladle does the job.

 

I use wheel weights for one reason - they were free  - but a nasty dirty job melting down wheel weights.  Another guy left his lee's pot outside and it rusted.  He gave it to me.  The heating element still worked, so I took the pouring mechanism off, and hit the inside with a brass wheel & cleaned it up.  Then heated a batch of lead and the pour spout was rusted solid.  I use the pot now only to 'clean' wheel weights. For safety, incase the pour spout decides to open back up, I always clean lead in an old cookie tray.   Remove all the non-lead wheel weights  (scratch with a nail, easy to find only the lead ones) then heat them up and pour into a muffin tin (note:  very dangerous) carefully with welding gloves.  I really should use a ladle, but it's easier to pour right from the pot if I take my time and go slowly.  Then use the lead muffins in oneof the good lead pot, flux, clean off anything that floats to the surface & pour.

 

If I did this as a buiz, I'd get the RCBS pot, but since this is only a hobby, Lee's works well enough for me.  Also, probably would buy clean lead if I poured allot.

[LimpNoodle]

Wheel weights will void what little warranty the Lee pots come with.  Also make sure you're getting ALL the zinc wheel weights out of there.  A bit of zinc melted in will cause all kinds of problems.

 

I get good clean lead scrap for $0.75 a pound.  I smelt it in a dutch oven over a crab/turkey cooker.  If I pick up 100 lbs of lead scrap I usually end up with 97-98 lbs of usable lead.  

[shooter10]

Hello

I own A fishing manufacturing shop an all this bull crap that I am reading is hog wash. All you need is clean soft lead  A hot mold an  A good pot set the pot on number 5 an you are good to go

HAPPY MELTING

EARL

[jigmeister]

I went through everything people are talking about with my Lee Bottom pour pot (emptying cleaning, drilling ,  new lead , poking wire thru the nozzle ) but the clogging problem would never stay gone long  . Finally after close to 40 years of faithful service and I couldn't even count how many jig heads she made I replaced her with another shiny new bottom pour Lee pot and  viola no more clogging problems even with the same lead . I figure I more than got my moneys worth out of my original Lee pot .

[ravenlures]

One thing I learned is I buy my jigs poured and I don't worry about hook inventory or wasted time pouring along with burned fingers. So I buy in bulk and let them with the spin casters do the work, it may cost a little more but when you figure in the work, the lead contamination which you don't see plus hook inventory I found that I am better off letting someone else have the mess and its not that much more costly.

Wayne 

[mark poulson]

6 hours ago, ravenlures said:

One thing I learned is I buy my jigs poured and I don't worry about hook inventory or wasted time pouring along with burned fingers. So I buy in bulk and let them with the spin casters do the work, it may cost a little more but when you figure in the work, the lead contamination which you don't see plus hook inventory I found that I am better off letting someone else have the mess and its not that much more costly.

Wayne 

Me, too.

 

[Kasilofchrisn]

One aspect of the Lee pots is they do sometimes drip.

Some drip constantly but mine only occasionally does this.

I highly recommend a pot, burner, and ladle for making ingots.

That way your not putting dirty scrap in your good bottom pour pot.

I feel many have serious drip issues  because they continually put dirty scrap in their pot.

Putting only clean fluxed ingots in your pot helps keep it much cleaner and you'll have less problems.

That and I keep all those nasty fumes outside when making ingots from old scrap.

Only cleaned fluxed ingots go into my shop and my bottom pour pot.

On another note casting my own is just part of the fun for me.

I actually enjoy it.

I also cast my own bullets, sling shot pellets, sinkers, etc.

Personally I want the ability to be able to do this myself.

And when I give my jigs as gifts I can say I made that. Not just the paint but cast, cleaned, painted, etc.

To each their own though.

[mark poulson]

On 2/3/2020 at 8:11 AM, Kasilofchrisn said:

One aspect of the Lee pots is they do sometimes drip.

Some drip constantly but mine only occasionally does this.

I highly recommend a pot, burner, and ladle for making ingots.

That way your not putting dirty scrap in your good bottom pour pot.

I feel many have serious drip issues  because they continually put dirty scrap in their pot.

Putting only clean fluxed ingots in your pot helps keep it much cleaner and you'll have less problems.

That and I keep all those nasty fumes outside when making ingots from old scrap.

Only cleaned fluxed ingots go into my shop and my bottom pour pot.

On another note casting my own is just part of the fun for me.

I actually enjoy it.

I also cast my own bullets, sling shot pellets, sinkers, etc.

Personally I want the ability to be able to do this myself.

And when I give my jigs as gifts I can say I made that. Not just the paint but cast, cleaned, painted, etc.

To each their own though.

I felt the same way, back in the 60's, when I'd roll my own.  Hahaha