rxfish Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 If you don't pour using Lee Pots you may not want to continue reading as this may be quite long. Some time back I reported sending a small Lee Pot liner to a company to have it Teflon coated. I was attempting to achieve 3 things, 1. cut down on the cleanup time, 2. cut down on the amount of contaminate that leaches out of the liner even after cleaning and 3. have the plastic pour quicker. I used a company close to home, but there are tons of places that do this probably closer to you and they can be found by simply using the words teflon coatings on one of the search engines. I got the used liner back (no charge) and after some use, determined that all of my goals were met, but, the liners would work better if they were new. So at a cost of $7.00 each, I ordered from Lurecraft, 4 new liners and had them sent to Continental Coating Corp, 20757 SW 105th Ave. Tualatin, Or 97062. I contacted the coating company (Mitch) and told him they would be coming. After the coating was applied I received a call and I paid for them $10.00 each over the phone. The postage came to about $8.00. First thing I noticed when I got the liners was that the top ring on the pot had been eliminated which right off the bat makes cleanup much better. I tore each pot apart and reassembled each with the new liners. If you've ever used a teflon coated frying pan then you know how everything you place in it slides around and the same is true with plastic. It definitely pours faster. As for discoloration of the plastic, especially in clear colors, I am able to pour at a lower temperature (at or under 300) and have the plastic stay clear longer. Now I know there are probably plastics that do that anyway and so much the better. BUT, the biggest difference is in the cleanup. What a difference. And here's my procedure. I usually pour at nite so after I'm done I pour the remaining plastic back into pyrex cups, remove the thermometer and metering rod and thats it. I don't wipe out the remaining plastic. In the morning I simply roll the plastic down the side of the liner till I reach the bottom and then using my finger pick it off the bottom and everything comes out, and I mean everything. If you were to pour using 4 pots, you could preheat 2 while you set aside the first 2 you used and within a half hour you could be back to using the first 2 again. Only thing to be cautious about is using anything metal in the pot. Granted the stem on the thermometer is metal and shouldn't be pushed around in there much. As for stirring, some people have posted stating that using wood caused bubbles in the plastic and thats probably true, however, after some use the pores in the wood close. I use wood chop sticks which you can get at most Chinese restaurants. They take up no space in the pot and cause no bubbles that I've seen. So there you have it. If you pour using these pots you need to change 1 just to see the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAE73 Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Thanks for the info, one thing that you might be able to use for a stir stick is a teflon rod, you can purchase them from mcmaster carr. They sell it in 1/4 diam for $1.15 a foot. I would think you could use a grinder to round the end off instead of being blunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delw Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 RX Thats cool, Ive been wondering how that was going to work, might make using a lee pot worth it now. those lee pots have a very good purpose for pouring creature baits and other baits that have small openings. did the teflon help disperce(sp) the heat evenly ( ie no hot spots) TAE if you put rod on the grinder it will take off the coating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAE73 Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Del, this rod is made with teflon, not coated. Check Mcmaster part number 8546K11. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delw Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Oh even better, I bet those rods would be killer on tube molds, and for dipping tubes as well. might be an answer I am looking for, thanks for the heads up. Delw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delw Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Sorry, I messed up, those wouldnt work for tube rods. For some reason I was thinking they were hard rods. these teflon rods are the teflon ( plastic rods) we use them for dielectric washers on electronic componets in the aerospace industry. they would work as a stirrer but get the 1/2 size as the 1/4" is pretty flimsy and bends very easy. Delw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedHed Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 rxfish Thnx for the heads up - will have to go the new pot route.. Like the idea of no rust and no scrapping. How about teflon coating the metering rod? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rxfish Posted March 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Ledhed, never thought of coating the metering rod although I'm sure it can be done. Doesn't take much to clean those up and may not be worth the trouble but a good idea none the less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
