Lee production pot bottom pour!

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  • Last Post 21 February 2012
1kshooter posted this 23 May 2011

Hello to all I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on how to best clean out the lee pots...mine has some crud in the nozzel and it pours real slowly I tried emptying it out and adding pure solder to try a super clean run ....should I be running a small drill bit through it?

thanks very much for your time and help Jonathan

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6pt-sika posted this 23 May 2011

When I'm runnign if it doesn't pour in a steady and straight fashoin I take a large bent paper clip and run it up into the canal from beneath while it's got hot lead in it . Of course I hold the paper clip with visegrips or pliers .

 

I use both a Lee 10-4 and a Lee 20-4 .

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billwnr posted this 23 May 2011

6pt-sika wrote: When I'm runnign if it doesn't pour in a steady and straight fashoin I take a large bent paper clip and run it up into the canal from beneath while it's got hot lead in it . Of course I hold the paper clip with visegrips or pliers .

 

I use both a Lee 10-4 and a Lee 20-4 .

My method is similar. I used a small allen wrench and a pair of visegrips.

Bill

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RicinYakima posted this 23 May 2011

Empty the pot. When it is cold, clean with hot soapy water, rinse, plug in and turn on to dry. Almost all of the stuff left that sticks to the sides is water soluble. It just washes away with a little help from a brush. However, the water is toxic so you may wish to consider solidifying that and the rinse with plaster of paris or cement before you throw it in the dumpster.

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1kshooter posted this 23 May 2011

thanks so much for the ideas i think i have some issues going on with my lead...worked great last year but I have had it out in the garage over the winter (unheated)and it seams i am having a hard time remelting the ingots....they are seperating and I am getting some weird lumpy silver stuff in the pot and also almost layers that don't want to melt??? i will try to get pic's up here to show what I am talking about! Thanks again folks!

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1kshooter posted this 23 May 2011

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1kshooter posted this 23 May 2011

here is the silver stuff that I have to remove...not dross

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1kshooter posted this 23 May 2011

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1kshooter posted this 23 May 2011

I am kind of thinking that I am going to have to remelt the whole works and flux it again? ...not sure at all why thiss stuff worked so well last year and not this year?!?!?!

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Brodie posted this 23 May 2011

Could you have gotten a tiny bit of zinc in the pot?  Even a zinc plated screw could be enough to curdle your lead. 

I had this happen to me years ago and I drained the pot, cleaned it with a rotary wire brush, ran a small drill bit through the drain, and after all that it performed great.

B.E.Brickey

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1kshooter posted this 23 May 2011

I would guess that it is possable that there might be a zinc contamination....could have been in the solder that I used (lead free)for a little bit of tin!

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1kshooter posted this 25 May 2011

Old Coot wrote: Could you have gotten a tiny bit of zinc in the pot?  Even a zinc plated screw could be enough to curdle your lead. 

I had this happen to me years ago and I drained the pot, cleaned it with a rotary wire brush, ran a small drill bit through the drain, and after all that it performed great.

:dude:ummmm are screw drivers zink coated?....and could a quick dip in the pot with one contaminate it?

ps. the papper clip trick worked wonders thanks folks...i love this site!:D

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Brodie posted this 25 May 2011

I don't know about the screw driver.  I think most are chrome plated or just steel.

B.E.Brickey

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1kshooter posted this 26 May 2011

I will get it empty and clean it out...it has turned into a Lee drip-o-matic lol so I am going to try the drill bit trick as well!

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JetMech posted this 26 May 2011

1kshooter wrote: I would guess that it is possable that there might be a zinc contamination....could have been in the solder that I used (lead free)for a little bit of tin! Some lead-free solders do have zinc in them. It pays to check the composition before buying.

I have a Lee 10# drip-o-matic myself. Contaminants were a problem when it was the only way I had to melt wheel weights. Now I just use clean metal and the problem is greatly reduced, but still happens ocassionally. The easiest way I've found to clear the spout is to put my dross can under it and just pop the handle up, letting it fall back in place, several times rapidly and the spout clears after a couple pops and you're back in business with a full stream. It only takes a couple seconds and has worked ever time (so far).

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1kshooter posted this 26 May 2011

Thanks Dollar Bill, I have been using some of the free solder that was given to me and funny thing I just ran out of the first spool and grabbed the second!!!! thats probley it! Thanks again!

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1kshooter posted this 26 May 2011

I have emptied the pot and I am going to try to give it a good cleaning ...any thoughts on this? i was thinking Hot soapy water and a bronze brush?? any beter ideas?? again Thanks folks!

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Brodie posted this 27 May 2011

1kshooter. it sounds good to me. I ran into the same thing on another thread and the advice was to turn the pot on and let it boil with the soapy water, but I think that the bronze brush is a better idea.

Brodie

B.E.Brickey

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1kshooter posted this 27 May 2011

Thanks Brodie, I think I got it all out..it is still dripping a bit but not to bad ..i wanted to get it cleared up for tomorrow as i have the chance to get my friend into casting!...we both shoot a lot of sabot slugs to practice for deer and I have switched over to cast Lyman 525gr sabots and I am happy with the way they shoot so far, so is he as he now wants to start casting to reap some of the savings as well lol

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Savage99 posted this 03 July 2011

My Lyman mag 20 does the same thing after awhile. I completely drain it. Then let it cool down. I use an allen wrench about the size of the hole and with gloves, heat up the grude that has accumulated in the hole. It came out as a chunk, then everything is fine. Also clean the plunger while you have it apart.

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salvadore posted this 03 July 2011

I got tired of having to mess with my 10lb lee bottom pour, who knows how it's gonna do this time?, and disassembled the actuator and used a metal screw to plug the hole and am much happier with it. Am planning on doing it with the 20lb pot also, I have nothing but trouble with them. Bought the Lyman 20lb dip pot and use it the most. Do the RCBS and Lyman bottom pours work better?

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kidwalli posted this 24 September 2011

I use a welding torch tip cleaner.

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CB posted this 24 September 2011

salvadore wrote: I got tired of having to mess with my 10lb lee bottom pour, who knows how it's gonna do this time?, and disassembled the actuator and used a metal screw to plug the hole and am much happier with it. Am planning on doing it with the 20lb pot also, I have nothing but trouble with them. Bought the Lyman 20lb dip pot and use it the most. Do the RCBS and Lyman bottom pours work better?

ditto

I have emptied my other pot and cleaned it with a wire brush. Brushed the rod cleaned and buffed the hole best as possible with a bore brush. I added about a teaspoon of 2-cycle oil in the empty pot and heated it up, tipping it around and coating the inside of the pot, opening the valve to coat those parts. Be careful as it heats up as the oil will flash and burn. I add 1 pound of lead at this point.

When the lead is melted I add more 2-cycle oil a few drops at a time to flux the lead and coat the inside of the pot at that level. I then keep adding 1 pound ingots and adding enough 2-cycle oil as the ingots melt to coat the inside of the pot as it fills with lead. This seems to me to coat and 'season' the pot and spout parts to help the flow of lead when casting.......Dan

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Coydog posted this 02 October 2011

I use any wire that is stonge enough and big enough to fit in the hole and use a pair of pliars and you can do it with the lead in it if need be or just before you start to heat your mold . They it will flow good . I also use welding gloves . It helps alot .

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idpasharpshooter posted this 04 October 2011

i use a cotter pin that i opened up and hold in some vise grips.  stick it up in there and rotate it back and forth.  with a catch pan i'll open the valve and push it up in more and rotate it.  i just emptied my pot out and pulled the valve pin and was surprised how much crud was stuck to it.  hole where the small part of the pin goes down in was completely filled with crud. now it works much better.

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largecaliberman posted this 20 October 2011

1kshooter wrote: Hello to all I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on how to best clean out the lee pots...mine has some crud in the nozzel and it pours real slowly I tried emptying it out and adding pure solder to try a super clean run ....should I be running a small drill bit through it?

thanks very much for your time and help Jonathan

You could use a bent paper clip held with a vise grip. If that does not work. Take a propane torch and heat the nozzle up a bit and and move the valve (with the valve control knob) up and down. You probable have some debris or the dreaded zinc clogging the nozzle. Heating the nozzle higher than the contents of the entire pot to melt away any foreign metals works for me.

I had a machinist friend of mine duplicated the shape of the rod valve out of stainless steel and now----no rust.

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Clod Hopper posted this 20 October 2011

Zinc sounds like a distinct possibility to me too. The dripping spout can be fixed by using s screw driver to turn the rod that opens the spout hole. Crude will build up, so you may need to use some downward turning force when the pot is HOT. I find I have to empty mine about every six months and scrap out the crud. Be careful on the hole, don't get it out of shape.

I premelt my lead in another pot and clean off the clips and other crud, then I dump it into muffin tins. If you know what you got, you can mix to get the proper alloy. This keeps the main pot a lot cleaner. I use a torch to hurry up the lead melting in the first pot which is a small Lee dipping pot. I just dump the whole thing into the muffin tins or ingot mold and get a new batch of crud going right away.

Dale M. Lock

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Clod Hopper posted this 20 October 2011

Zinc sounds like a distinct possibility to me too. The dripping spout can be fixed by using s screw driver to turn the rod that opens the spout hole. Crude will build up, so you may need to use some downward turning force when the pot is HOT. I find I have to empty mine about every six months and scrap out the crud. Be careful on the hole, don't get it out of shape.

I premelt my lead in another pot and clean off the clips and other crud, then I dump it into muffin tins. If you know what you got, you can mix to get the proper alloy. This keeps the main pot a lot cleaner. I use a torch to hurry up the lead melting in the first pot which is a small Lee dipping pot. I just dump the whole thing into the muffin tins or ingot mold and get a new batch of crud going right away.

Dale M. Lock

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onondaga posted this 20 October 2011

I give my Lee 4-20 a thorough cleaning when I have clogging . First I run till the pot is hot and then pour it empty into ingots. While it is still hot I use a 3/32 drill bit held with a pliers and push the drill up and down in the spout. If it won't pass, I heat the spout with a small torch. When clear I allow the pot to cool and disassemble the valve and valve activator parts from the pot. I wire brush those parts clean, I make a Q-tip looking cleaning rod with a bamboo barbeque skewer and steel wool. I spin that with a hand drill in the valve hole and get it shining clean. I spin the valve rod in a drill and pinch it with steel wool to get it shining.

To clean the pot with those parts still removed, I use a steel cup brush in a Dremel and remove the scale and rust in the pot sides and bottom.

Before assembly, I thoroughly vacuum the pot then I use clear silicone dielectric grease and apply it to the bearing parts and moving surfaces of the valve rod and assembly. I spray the whole inside of the pot with silicone spray and assemble the valve and parts to the pot. Reset the flow rate screw for the valve and check function before using the pot.

Gary

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Walter posted this 21 February 2012

I have found that raising the temperature will almost always clear a plugged up pour spout. Once clear, I lower the temp back down.

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