I need a new lead melting pot

Sir Charles deMouton-Black · April 06, 2012, 07:06:43 PM

After well over 25 years of use, my RCBS 22 pound lead pot finally gave up the ghost!

The valve plug seized up and when I tapped the valve rod to loosen it the plug, and about 5 pounds of molten lead fell out. No injuries as I was properly attired and no damage occurred.

Now to get it replaced and me back in bizness.

Sir Charles deMouton-Black · April 06, 2012, 10:06:21 PM

A new RCBS Pro Melt is over $360.00!!! Wow, have I ever been spoiled all these years. A warrantee replacement is a dream

So, Pards, how is the LEE Production Pot IV

PJ Hardtack · April 07, 2012, 10:18:15 AM

I've got a bottom pour Lee Production pot I don't use ..... interested?

rickk · April 08, 2012, 07:11:38 AM

I have had a total of 4 Lee pots.

They all drip.

"Drip-a-matic" is what people call them.

Also, the heating elements tend to let a fair amount of electricity reach the chassis after a while, meaning you get shocks off of them. That is why I have had 4 of them. You replace them when they get really dangerous to use.

Once you have gotten used to the RCBS, you would absolutely, totally hate the LEE pots.

I gave up on the LEE pots and got the RCBS. No way I would ever go back.

longinosoap · April 08, 2012, 07:26:46 AM

I have a Lee pot and it usually starts to drip about 10 minutes after I start casting. A couple of turns of the screw and it stops for another 10 minutes or so. No big deal and certainly not worth an extra $150 or so in cost.

Sir Charles deMouton-Black · April 08, 2012, 12:06:59 PM

Thanks to PJ, I have a LEE Professional Pot on its way.

BTW; When online shopping, consider MidSouth; Best prices I have found, and on a regular basis.

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/login.asp

Pappy Myles · April 09, 2012, 11:32:43 AM

howdy Sir Charles,

Good Luck on your Lee. I had one about 10 yeats before getting my RCBS. I've had is since about 86 and its still going. I started out with a 10 pound production pot from Lee. It worked ok. I'm part of the dripomatic croud but a small twist on the drip pin and it would stop for the moment. I ended up takong it apart and replacing the coil after about 6 years as it burned out. It's easy to work on. While it was apart, I cleaned up the insides, scale, etc, and took some valve grinding compoune on the tip and honed the tip to the spout. That seamed to work for a while. my biggest issue was the dross and other crap you get in recycled lead would build up in the spout and cause the pin not to seat properly. So the drip drip drip continued until cleaned out. Got to be kind of a pain but then again, it is a hobby. I think I paid about 120 for my RCBS pot when I got it. Man I'm in sticker shock now that I have priced to replace..............

cpt dan blodgett · April 24, 2012, 11:45:46 PM

Sir charles I trust you have it by now. Please tell us how you like the new pot

Ranch 13 · April 25, 2012, 08:52:36 AM

Sir Charles if you got the big 20 lb lee pot with the bottom pour you're not going to be happy with it. There's to much head pressure to get consistant pours using the spout. There's zero flow control with that stupid system they have, and the thing is going to get somebody burnt real bad. That little screwhead will jump right out of the slot on the valve stem and stick it wide open flow. It does work great for ladel casting and building up a batch of alloy and then using the bottom pour to cast up some ingots.
Those 10 lb production pots work great for bottom pouring, and you can learn to live with of fix the drip.
Both variety of pots melt and hold temperature pretty well. But with the big pot you need to remember to keep edging the temp down as the melt level drops.

Sir Charles deMouton-Black · April 25, 2012, 09:39:21 AM

I got the LEEE professional pot, thanks to PJ. It is a ten-pounder, and I've only had a chance for a couple of short sessions. It works great with double cavity molds, less so with DDs six-holers. its a bit tight for those, but It is the nut nearest to the closest cavity. I think Ill just use 5 for the next attempt.

Ranch 13 · April 25, 2012, 09:47:43 AM

I like my old production pot for double cavity pistol bullets, and when I just want to run a short batch of the bullets for the big guns. Using Gussy's locking mould handles I can bottom pour 45-70's with no more culls in a run than when casting with a ladel.

Steel Horse Bailey · April 26, 2012, 06:14:50 AM

I realize that my casting experience only spans a few years. (3 or 4, actually)

I had (have still, but a friend wants to buy my whole set-up) the Lee Pro IV pot http://leeprecision.com/pro-4-20lb.html (the improved version of the Production Pot IV) and I have been perfectly happy with it. Yes, it drips some. Not a big deal. I would stick my PRS 250 BigLube mould right under the spout and "inject" the lead in at pretty high speed. VERY consistent for my uses and it worked fine for me. - especially considering the price of the bigger (tho' not by weight capacity) RCBS pots which are highly rated.

It didn't do as well with my Lyman 535 gr. Postel mould for 45-70, either the "injection" process, or simply letting the lead "fall" into the mould. For that, I had the best luck using a dipper, but I never got that to my satisfaction and sold my mould. I don't shoot that Sharps much anyway (dang it) so I'll buy my bullets from Montana Precision Swaging or some other reputable place IF I don't sell my gun.

Not disagreeing, just relating MY short experiences.

Drydock · June 03, 2012, 11:55:25 AM

I've had a Lee bottom spout pot for near 20 years now. Bought it at a pawn shop. Drips now and then, I keep a screwdriver next to the pot and twist now and then. No other problems. Great for CAS casting IMHO.

Cookie · June 11, 2012, 02:19:45 PM

My first (and only pot so far) is a Lee 10lb Production Pot.

Unlike virtually every other Lee product I own, this is one I wouldn't purchase again.

I hate the constant dripping.

(I deal with it by placing a short steel tube under the spout to mostly contain the splatter.) But what's really annoying is the stupid rod down the middle of the pot. It makes skimming and stirring a complete pain. It also means that my ingots have to be pretty small to fit. (I use muffin tins, and I have to fill them 1/2 full to make sure they fit.)

Now, the Lee 20lb Pro pot appears to be a different design without the stupid rod down the middle. It also makes me think this design will drip less. Anyone own the Lee Pro? Is my assumption correct?

Ranch 13 · June 11, 2012, 03:01:05 PM

I own a Lee pro, and while it might not "drip" it takes but very little for that rod to move and for the melt to flood out from the bottom. It is impossible to get a consistant flow control with that haphazard set up, and the dang thing could almost be consider dangerous. It does however work well for ladle casting.

Cookie · June 14, 2012, 03:10:42 PM

Bummer. I used to ladle before I had my Lee pot. And I really like pouring. I'd hate to have to go back but I get exactly what you're saying.

I wish I could blow several hundred $$$ on a different brand pot, but, my 5 kids really enjoy being able to eat. $:-\$

Paladin UK · June 16, 2012, 02:26:51 PM

I aint gotta bad word fer ther Lee Pro Pot, I had my first one for 20+ yrs and I`m 5yrs into the current one. 6 gang molds are nooo problem whatsover.

Paladin (What enjoys casting boolits ) UK

Fairshake · July 08, 2012, 08:23:28 AM

I am happy for those who had good luck using the Lee 20 bottom pour pots. To me they are a real PITA as they drip like crazy and only use a rheostat rather than a real thermostat. This keeps you chasing the correct temp the entire time you are using it.
I started casting in 1970 while employed at a full service gun store. By full service I mean that we sold everything that involved shooting and reloading and casting.
The lead furnace was the Lyman 20 which was an excellent pot and equal to today's RCBS. They also used a real thermostat.
Steel Horse Bailey, They don't sell a small lead furnace that will pour the 535 Postell well; not even the RCBS that I use does a great job.Your best bet is to purchase a Wagge 4757 which I also use for just that purpose. It's a special order 22 pound ladle pour pot that is the best made pot to be found. They don't list them in the catalog but make them on request. It will last a lifetime and the last one I purchased was about $180.
Back to the Lee pots, the small 10 pound is not a bad pot for beginners but you need a lead source on the side to keep them filled.
The 20 pound pots are a dangerous thing ready to happen; I will tell you why.
I went through 3 of them and was ready to give up when I said I would try one more. I purchased it and the drip started the first week. You may clamp a s becausemall pair of vice grips to the control rod and the weight will help it seat better. You still have to have a ingot mould under it to collect the drippings and you still have to chase the temp with the terrible rheostat but that is a ongoing problem.
The terrible accident I had that could have had very bad results was when the entire pouring rod and control handle broke loose.
The hot lead at 750 degrees had no way to be stopped as the small metall screws pulled loose from the cheap housing that holds it together. This allowed the entire pouring system to pull out and be in my hand while I fell backwards from my bench to avoid being burned to the bone.
I always was under the impression that the small screws that go around the top were into some type of screw set up. This is not true as they are very short self tapping metal screws. They only screw into the very thin aluminum housing and this is all that keeps you from maybe losing a leg or even your life if it was bad enough to cause an infection.
I had hot molten lead all over my bench, chair and shop floor. This took place as I had just filled the pot of course.
I wrote a very long letter to Lee explaining that this matter should be looked into as someone could receive terrible injuries because of this poor design. I received a new pot in the mail with out even a we are sorry note.
I sold the pot on E-Bay and purchased another RCBS which I should have done from the start.
The best casting pots with bottom pour are the RCBS, Lyman, and Saeco. For ladle pouring large slugs it's the Wagge hands down.
For you who doubt what I say, take your Lee screws out and see what is holding your pot together.
Later Fairshake

Steel Horse Bailey · July 08, 2012, 01:48:17 PM

Senor Fairshake, thanks for the input.

Your experience with a Lee pot is an eye-opener. Molten lead is nothing to be careless about. My Father's cousin's husband was a foreman of some sort in a factory that used molten lead. It was transported within the factory up by the ceiling (out of the way) in huge pots that held several hundred pounds each. The buckets/pots/cauldrons were on a track affair and moved overhead to where the lead was needed. One day, Dominic was walking toward one of hie workers when one of the pots broke loose and fell to the floor very near him. Molten lead covered everything around where it hit, and some of the "liquid" splashed and filled up one of his safety boots. Basically, it melted his left foot, because the boot held it in, rather than letting the lead flow out. As for myself, I experienced a "Kamikaze" moth who fluttered around the fluorescent work light over my my casting work area then decided to take a dive straight down and into the full pot I was working from at the time. Since the moth body is probably 96% water (as is our own body) the pot exploded. There is still a drop or 2 that hit the ceiling 12 feet above my area on the underside of the roof. I had a lot of little burns, but I WAS wearing eye protection and welder's gloves, so my burns were a painful nuisance but not bad. I found that my own reactions and self-preservation instincts can react pretty quickly when threatened!

I'm pretty much out of the casting business, anyway. My health has deteriorated enough that I shoot less than 1/4 than a few years ago, so I'm in the process of making a trade of my casting equipment, moulds, wheelweights supply, and processed ingots to a good friend in exchange for some goodies I'll still use. Springfield Slim has been the supplier of late of the boolits I still shoot. I have already traded off that Postell mould.

But all this information is good to know. My Lee always dripped, but it wasn't a lot and I made a small tray from a coffee can base that caught all the drips, and I'd simply pick'em up every so often and toss the little mound of drips back into the pot. ("Toss" being a bad choice of words - carefully place may be a better description of what I did!)

mdiede57 · September 08, 2016, 06:41:42 PM

an OLD thread.... but I just found this it.
I use a Lee pot, it's maybe 35 years old, and it's getting where the thermostat is not keeping the lead hot, and yes, it drips also.
Looks like I am in need of a newer model. Anyone have something they are not using that would be intreasted in parting with ?