Predator Bass Baits Posted March 13, 2006 Report Share Posted March 13, 2006 Is there a difference in what LC sells and a lead pot that you can purchase other places ?( meant as plastic pot/ lead pot, same thing ?) Who all sells the Lee production plastic pot ? Links help also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwendt1978 Posted March 13, 2006 Report Share Posted March 13, 2006 I haven't seen much of the others, but I know for the money it's hard to beat a Lee Production Pot. Especially with there pour spout and 50.00 price tag. A lot of other melters cost that and have no spout at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted March 14, 2006 Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 There is one on eBay right now.... http://cgi.ebay.com/Fishing-Baits-Plastic-pouring-pots-for-molds_W0QQitemZ7226048074QQcategoryZ31691QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem I have heard some say that the spouts clog with salt or larger flake but many also say they are great. My Sta-warm is an awesome pot!!!!!! You are looking at over $500 for a new one and not much less for a used one (if you can find one). Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delw Posted March 14, 2006 Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 Lure craft and M-F manufacturing sells both lee post for plastic and lead. The plastic pots have a lower temp than the lead pot. DO NOT get the LEAD POT it will burn your plastic at the lowest setting. Delw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predator Bass Baits Posted March 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 Thanks Jim and Del I do not think M-F does carry them, Do you have a link for the staywarm Jim ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 Yep..... http://www.sta-warm.com/applications-plastisol.htm Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predator Bass Baits Posted March 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 I got my lee pot today, had trouble, I was using cal, plastic, takes alot it seems to heat it, I ended up having to turn the dial up to 6 1/2 for it to be pourable, I then got my sample of M-F today as well and ended up burning the M-F. (made a mess.) With the microwave, cal. plastic takes around 2 mins to be ready and M-F at one min. it is ready. anyone else find this ? Also what is the best way to clean the lee pots ? What temps do you run your pots at ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximusgunn Posted March 17, 2006 Report Share Posted March 17, 2006 TR21x I am using the 24 oz. Lee pot and this works. Before I pour I drip either worm oil or LC tournament scent on the inside walls and bottom of the pot then wipe it down with a paper towel leaving a shine but no puddles. Then heat my plastic up in the microwave. 20 to 30 seconds before you put the plastic in the pot turn it on with the pot in the lowest setting, gradually turning the heat up, usually ends up around 5 1/2 to 6 1/2. Make sure you have a thermometer. There is a hole in the top of the pot rim I put my thermometer in there at an angle toward the pour spout keep the temp around 300*. When you are done pouring let the plastic cool then pull the plastic out works every time. If you have any questions email me. maximusgunn@yahoo.com Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted March 17, 2006 Report Share Posted March 17, 2006 Great tip about adding the scent maxim...I tried that on my Sta-warm and it helped the plastic come out better!!! Thanks!!! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predator Bass Baits Posted March 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 I guess I will try that as well, I did try the lee pot again tonight ( second time ) and before I cam on here my mind was made up to never use the lee posts again, bummer I just bought 2 new ones. My room temp is 68, plastic will not stay unifomly heated, to cold, ( no poor) to hot ( burns) It took me 1 hour to pour 3/4 cup of plastic out that thing, heck at that rate I would have to charge $1 per lizzard or frog. , $2 for a beaver. I will stir it every mold, I still get tiny drops of burnt plastic about every other pour, then it gets to cold and drip, drip, drip then it will start to warm up again and then start to burn again, by the time I got to 1/4 cup left of the one cup of plastic I put in it, it was over, that last 1/4 cup was trash, anyone want to buy 2 lee pots... Hopefully we can figure this out. Porbably has to do with to cold of room temps ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 I had heard the complaints about the Lee pots and that is why I went to a Sta-Warm... Sounds like you need to ditch those and go to a Fry Daddy!!! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterweasle Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 I used my lee pot last week and the weeke before in the garage with the door open, and last week it might have gotten to 60 degrees, and I havent had any problems burning or pouring with that temp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predator Bass Baits Posted March 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 I got my crock pot, only used it once and it worked sweet, thought I would try the lee pots so I could easily do two color pours, heck I cannot even do a one color pour with them. I cannot belive that they even sell something like that and some people say they could not live without it. LOL Jim, how do you stir your plastic with that stay warm ? I contacted them about the stay warm pots but they do not come with auto stirrers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallheadz Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 tr21 if you are using salt forget about the small one(lee). If you are not using salt then heat your plastic in the micro first and pour it in the lee pot. Leave the pot on the lowest temp. You will see a spike in the temp when you first start out so keep stirring it making sure to scrap the sides of the pot. To do this I use wood sticks. Yes wood makes bubbles but it will quit when the wood gets cooked or treated. After the spike in temp ( you may actually have to unplug the pot a few times so the thermostat can catch up). Once the pot stabilizes you will notice the plastic start to get thick again and this is when you can start to turn the temp up. Every lee pot I have seen has never had to be turned past 6 1/2 but most of the time you will be running aroud the 5 or 5 1/2 mark. If you try and heat virgin plastic in it you'll burn it every time. Keep your pot full and it will pour alot faster. You can cook in the micro and pour at the same time so when the mico is done cooking you can just top the lee pot off. Some of the lee pots are very touchy so dont crank the temp too fast. Once you burn it you might as well dump it, clean it , and start with a new batch. If you leave any old plastic on the sides of the pot and try a fresh pour the old plastic will start burning and you will be back in the same boat again so keep it clean. These pots are not the best thing on the market but they do work when you get the hang of it. This should get you started in the right direction. You are less likely to burn a full pot rather than a half full pot. As the plastic lowers in the pot you will have to start turning down the temp. All this comes from practice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dumzlures Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 Hi, Last fall, I order a soft plastic Lee pot and I burnt everything. I try to melt lead with it and it work. They sent me a lead pot by mistake Just check if you got the right pot Dominic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predator Bass Baits Posted March 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 Box says lead melter but lee pot has a sticker on the stand that says something like start at lowest temp to not burn plastic. I will give it another try with heating the plastic first, I am not looking foward to it, LOL I just came in from pouring a qt of plastic out of my crock pot and poured 100 worms in a hour. Ran it slow, I could open the valve a little more I am sure. I also built a slide that holds the molds correctly in line so you just push the molds like a train, 100 for 100 on the worms, not a bad one in the bunch, ( I was not pouring worms with the lee pot) Thanks guy's for your suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predator Bass Baits Posted March 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2006 Well I tried, Did not burn it this time but it took 1 1/2 hrs to pour 1 1/2 cups out of it. You can open it up like I did ( took the rod right out of it ) trying to get it to pour faster, you can pour a small chunk and have time to walk out to the mail box and back just in time to pour the tail, and I live 250 ft of the road, It took 2 mins for a 7 1/2" lizzard to pour. I ended up having to crank it up to 9 just so it got up to 340 deg. and held there somewhat, it would drop about 20 deg and then boost back up again. I put 2 cups of plastic in it so it was full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassn1 Posted March 19, 2006 Report Share Posted March 19, 2006 Box says lead melter but lee pot has a sticker on the stand that says something like start at lowest temp to not burn plastic.I had the same problem when I got mine, seems Lee uses the same box for the lead and the plastic melters. I had to E-mail LC to make sure I had the right one. My pot would not heat past 250 on any setting. I took the top off and found that one of the connection's to the heating elements was not making full contact. Now that it's fixed anything past the number 7 setting will burn the plastic. I have to keep the temp at 375-400 (with heat stabilizer) and stir the crap out it in order to pour anything. It works OK for pouring 2 piece molds but I'm still on the learning curve for pouring 1 piece flat sided molds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted March 20, 2006 Report Share Posted March 20, 2006 I am stirring with a drill press now. Just bought the "cheap" $25.00 one and put my drill in. IMHO...The drill press doesn't work any better than my hand and a butter knife. I get good flake dispersion for all the baits. I haven't made more than one batch with salt though and I can run through 6 cups of plastic in less than 20 minutes because of my mold capacity. I think I still need a better paddle for my drill to get better mixing but my plastic stays perfect to pour at 300 or 280 degrees... Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEE GEE BAITS Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 I can tell you from experience that the Lee Production Pots work very well. I have always used them since day one and like anything else it just requires a little practice. I will fill the pot with M-F plastic in the liquid stage and turn the setting to full. Here's the trick. As soon as the plastic starts to turn to a clouded stage then turn the setting down to around #4 and stir occassionally until you have reached the pouring stage. You must use a candy thermometer to monitor the temp. Keep it around 300-310 to start. As you are pouring the plastic it begins to feel thinner and easier to pour even at the lower temp of 300 degrees. The biggest mistake that most people make is that they want to turn the setting up again but that will burn the plastic. Just keep the setting between #4 and #5 and you should be OK. Don't add any flake until the last moment before pouring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEE GEE BAITS Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 I can tell you from experience that the Lee Production Pots work very well. I have always used them since day one and like anything else it just requires a little practice. I will fill the pot with M-F plastic in the liquid stage and turn the setting to full. Here's the trick. As soon as the plastic starts to turn to a clouded stage then turn the setting down to around #4 and stir occassionally until you have reached the pouring stage. You must use a candy thermometer to monitor the temp. Keep it around 300-310 to start. As you are pouring the plastic it begins to feel thinner and easier to pour even at the lower temp of 300 degrees. The biggest mistake that most people make is that they want to turn the setting up again but that will burn the plastic. Just keep the setting between #4 and #5 and you should be OK. Don't add any flake until the last moment before pouring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predator Bass Baits Posted March 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 I figured out how not to burn the plastic, but I want to pour some baits in a timely mannor, you will not do that with a lee pot that's for sure. Crock pot version blowes the lee pot out of the water. Do you need a couple more lee pots then ? I emailed LC and told them of my dissatisfaction with lee pots but they never responded back. Sure am glad there is other companies out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Tr21x....Give LC a chance to respond...I think everybody is aware that there seem to be "good" Lee pots and not so good ones. There are probably more posts than you want to read on that subject here on TU. I had a hard time adjusting to using my Sta-warm pot in making baits as well but I remember it taking A LOT longer to mastering baits poured out of a cup. I only use my Sta-warm for 2 out of the 15 baits I pour as I still have a hard time getting the plastic into smaller areas. I guess my thing is that practice will get you there but these pots will not make hand pouring baits into an almost automatic process. Not trying to offend but practice is the only way make the process more timely for any of us. I am sure that Brad from Pourboy's (and MANY others) could tell us some great stories about Lee Pots and getting used to them. I have seen, up close, some of the great work he does from those and other pots. Kim or Shawn from LC might be able to help you out if you give them a call. They have always been super helpful and quick with suggestions. Good luck!!! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterweasle Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 cant pour baits in a timely manner with the leep pot, wow I cant keep up with mine, though I dont have that many molds, but I cant pour fast enough and have time to cool the molds down enough to handle, I end up wearing light cotton gloves due to the heat of the molds since I'm pouring so fast, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predator Bass Baits Posted March 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Thanks Jim, Just from using them I cannot see how it would get much better, sure if it streamed good all the time it could be, but after using my crock pot I do see that the lee pot could never be that good, If the lee pot had a bigger hole and you could adjust the thickness of how it comes out then it would be good I think, it is just to time consuming to use them. Anybody ever drill the tip out bigger ? By the way. how do you mix with the stay warm pot ? and how do you pour the rest of your baits if you only use it for 2 things ? I considered getting one but am not going to jump right in like I did with the lee pots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
