lee pots

[civicdx]

I read alot about the lee pots and dont know if i should get one.I was thinking about getting one for my 2 part molds.Does anyone use them for there plastics?How are they? What type do you recommend?

thanks

[BigZ]

Civic, unless you get the larger pot, you have to mess with the pots a bit to get them to work with 2 piece molds. on the smaller pro pots, you have to turn the base around and raise the pot up on something to get the mold under the spout. Salt content is also an issue when you are using the pots as they are likely to clog up when you are using a ton of salt. They can be more of a pain than they are worth. The hardest part for me is keeping the temperature regulated.

Use the TU search function at the top of the page and punch in "lee pot" I am sure you find a ton of info as these have been discussed quite a bit.

The pots are great if you are pouring regular single part molds and you have to do a bunch of a single color.

[basskat]

Unless you plan on making large pours of one color I wouldn't recommend buying one. I have two that I seldom use. If someone wants 100 of a certain color, then I use the pot. It takes a lot of practice not to scorch your plastic in these and they are a pain to clean-up. Others here may have a different opion, but that's mine.

[alsworms]

Agree with Z and Basskat. The pots are very difficult to work with. Large flake will clog the spout too. Be careful of that.

If you plan on pouring large orders of single colors with no salt and small or no flake.......then the pots are for you. Trouble is, that doesn't happen very often when you start pouring.

[Senkosam]

Great comments. As usual, stirring keep the flakes and salt evenly mixed so you don't get too much of either in clumps in the lure. With LC plastic, I have to keep adjusting the temp. from 5-7 to keep it at a steady temp.

You waste less plastic with a microwave and quality control seems easier than using a Lee's. The pour spout opening is small and takes much more time to pour a lot of lures at once.

Anyone have small bubbles form initially with microwave and less as the plastic cools a little?

Sam

[BuMMeRBaits]

I have been having that problem with mine senkosam. Been trying to figure out the problem, actually appears like the small bubbles are from boiling. Been trying to adjust the lengths of time in the mic. but have not had any luck with it.

[Delw]

Oh the bubble question.

Ive been going round and round with this issue for over a year now. Trying to figure out why the bubbles in some and not other.

I pretty much stay in contatct with my customers that buy the plastic as well, some have bubbles some do not.

Ive talked to calhoun about this as well, they are kinda dumbfounded about it also.

SO since I had some m-f plastic here and some lure craft and of course calhoun( I have about a gal out of every barrel I have boughten from them)

this is what I came up with,

the bubbles mainly happen when the moisture outside(or inside is high) Thats when you will notice it the most.

What happends is the microwave cooks things extreamly fast, not to mention when it gets hot it produces steam ie moisture. In the early summer here in AZ I get no bubbles what so every. I dont get any bubbles in the winter either(we have a dry heat ) I do get bubbles in the late summer and early fall, when our moisture is extreamly high.

How to fix it(cause its a pain in the butt to have bubbles)

cook your plastic and let it harden then cook it again.

Add a little alcohal to the plastic ( I dont recomend it I have a customer that does it and told me about it)

Use a lee pot when its extreamly humid outside and inside.

always store your plastic in the house(where its always a constant temp.) like in a closet.

Never store your plastic on concrete. A bucket on concrete will pick up condensation from the ground. If you must store it outside in the garage keep it on 2x4s just above the ground, keep it out of the sunlight(again sun hitting it will cause condensation) Also keep it away from the water heater and dryer ( the heat on and off will cause condensation)

Same thing with windows keep it away from windows.

Hope that helps

Its been driving me up a wall for a while now.

Delw

[Delw]

Forgot to add.

I have a customer here in AZ that buys plastic, he doesnt have any problems with bubbles at all, he stores it in his bedroom closet until he is ready to use it.

Delw

[BigZ]

An easy way to avoid bubbles is to use a piece of plastic wrap under the lid of your one gallon jugs. Moisture condensation is from atmospheric pressure equalization into the container. I had one gallon out of five of calhoun get bubbles in it, it was the one I didn't seal after I dumped the plastic into gallons. The regular lids don't have a tight enough seal. Once you open the fiver make sure you put it all in seperate, DRY, manageable containers right away. Once you unseal that bucket you are asking for moisture to gather in it. Hope this helps.Z

[Senkosam]

Thanks guys. Now that you mention it, I pour plastics in my basement, which was damper than usual in late summer. I've noticed more water vapor lately plus microbubbles. Now I'll store the stuff closer to the furnace where the humidity is less.

Thanks

Sam

[BuMMeRBaits]

Since I live in Charleston, SC where the humidity is almost always bad, this is probably the problem. Going to give the DELW's idea a try and get it heated up and then get hard again and re-cook it again.

I have started doing all of my pouring in my garage, wife finally ran me out of the kitchen. Must be why I started seeing the bubbles. I do keep my plastic up on a table and sealed when not in use. Will probably move the bottle into my office to keep it at a better constant temp.

[BASS8BAITS]

Let me take a stab at the micro bubbles. I have the same problem with the micro bubbles. I use pyrex cups from the microwave.

I usually only heat about 2 to 4 ounces of plastic at a time and I get the micro bubbles. I heat the plastic in 30 second shots in the microwave until it is fully heated. At this point is when I will see the micro bubbles.

I stir the plastic real good then give it a 20 sec shot in the microwave. After the 20 second shot I will let the plastic sit for a minute or two. I will wait until all the mico bubbles move to the edge of the cup. Then I will give the plastic another shot in the microwave for 30 or 40 seconds.

After I remove the cup from the microwave I will "slowly" roll the cup until all the micro bubbles get covered with plastic from the center. The micro bubbles will stick to the pyrex cup and leave bubbleless plastic to pour with.

[BASS8BAITS]

Microwave times will very.

[GB GONE]

I think the moisture issue is dead on. When I first started pouring, I just ordered a quart of plastic and I saw no bubbles. I store my plastic inside but usually pour outside (depends if the wife is gone and how long I have to clean up ).

After ordering a gallon of plastic, I mixed it well and filled up my empty quart bottle. When I pour from the quart bottle, I get no bubbles. From the remainder in the gallon pail, bubbles.

I notice a little condensation on the pail one time and I don't think I had the lid on as firmly as is should be.

Down in South Georgia we have humidity almost all year long so I think keeping the moisture out of the plastic during storage is the key. The microwave heat probably takes care of the little bit of humidity when its exposed to the air.

Jim

[RobShaw]

Ive been using Lee pots for many years. To continue using these pots for verticle type 2 piece senko molds, simply rempve the base plate of the pot. Position the pot towards the edge of your work table and screw the pot into the table from the bottom. Works great.

Another Lee Pot tip is to upsize the bolt on just the left side of the pour lever. When cleaning, only remove this bolt enough to detach the rod. No need in removing both bolts.