Why do Lee pots leak?

[Jerry11826]

Why do Lee pots leak?

Started casting in the early ‘80s. Guess I was in late 20's. My first “pot” was the little Lee 10lb. electric. Only cost $10.00 - $20.00.

Worked great, but leaked. After every pour, you needed to use screw driver to twist the “rod” to stop the leaking.

Sent it back to Lee for repair. Lee sent it back to me saying there was nothing wrong. Still leaked! Finally decided, “FTS”.

Purchased an RCBS Pro - Melt. Gosh it was expensive, think was about $200.00. Have never had a problem! No leaks! There is a date stamped on the label, 8/86 or maybe 8/88, difficult to read. I think that means I have been using it for 25 years. I am 66 now.

I was casting about two weeks ago. Turning 40 lbs. of Lyman #2 into 38 special bullets. Noticed how “ratty” the Pro - Melt looked. Some of the paint had come off in the area surrounding the top of the pot. I thought, Jerry, this can’t go on forever. What do I do when it quits?

Retired now. Living on SS. Would be hard to pay for a new Pro - Melt! About $400.00.

Thought about getting a Lee 20 lbs. bottom pour. Much less expensive. But per this forum, they still leak.

Why do Lee pots leak? Can the leaks be fixed, or do I need to start saving to get a new Pro - Melt?

Jerry

[Mike / Tx]

I have had a 4-20 for a good time now. I originally purchased it to pour 8oz and heavier surf weights for shark fishing. I used some 2"x2"aluminum square tubing and some 1/4" SS tubing to raise the controls and pot up high enough to alloy the long tubing I used fo pour my weights to fit under it.

That said, I also found the dripping to be an issue then. I pulled the valve stem out, and using some lapping compound, I lapped in the seat and stem to a nice perfect fit. T took about an hour or so of adding, wiping out, and adding in more compound, but once I had mating surfaces I had no more leaks.

Another thing a lot of folks do with the older units is simply add weight to the handle. I hear the newer ones already have this, but can't say for certain. I can easily see whee this would help, especially if the lapped seat and stem were combined with it.

[Vance]

because they are cheap, poorly designed and have poor quality control. Send the pro-melt you have back to rcbs when it does conk out to be fixed. They more than likely would not charge you for the repairs.

[snuffy]

because they are cheap, poorly designed and have poor quality control. Send the pro-melt you have back to rcbs when it does conk out to be fixed. They more than likely would not charge you for the repairs.

Now that's just biased and unfair!

It's usually operator error. Smelting dirty lead in the pot, then expecting that dirt to magically disappear. The dirt interferes with the valve, keeping it from seating.

Keep good clean alloy going into them, they'll work just fine.

Does anyone realize that just about everything floats on top of molten lead? Steel is included in that. The valve stem actually tends to float in that pot of molten lead. That means the more lead is in the pot, the less pressure is on the valve seat. Add to that the increased pressure of that column of liquid lead, you'll get drips.

I bought a 4-20 lee pot about 12 years ago. It leaked some, but no where near what the 10# production pot did. An occasional drip if I didn't pour another boolit right away.

Since then, I bought another 4-20 for myself and another for a buddy that I introduced to cast boolits. Neither one has dripped to this day.

To be fair, Lee does cut corners on quality. High quality costs money, especially in inspection. Do you expect each and every pot to be tested? Would you like to see your new pot with specks of lead on it from testing? Heating up the pot would remove the film of oil that's on it to preserve it until it's bought and used. They have no way to know if it'll be bought right away.

Dissing Lee for being cheaper has become a sport on here and other forums. If not for Lee, many people would never have started loading or casting. Paying RCBS or Lyman prices would be a prestige thing, 'I GOT THE BEST BOAST! But some just can't afford it.

Then along comes Lee with tools that no one else thought of, or thought "it will never sell"! The FCD,(factory crimp die), collet neck sizers, hand held auto prime, disc powder measures, on and on and ----.

[DannyAbear]

......

[GP100man]

Snuffy hit it on the head ,the stems float a bit .I add weight on all my lees & hardly ever a drip!

[Old 454]

Snuffy is correct, Lee products are price pointed for people with out a ton of cash to spend, and still want to enjoy reloading and casting.

They do work, sometimes a little tinkering is nessessary.

Personally I have a Lee Loadmaster, I admire what they try to do with the press in using all aspects of the design to do diffrent things, with the Loadmaster the priming is really not good, but tinkering with it not only helped learn and understand all phases of a 5 station press but helped in making a bettor bullet. If Lee would fix the priming system a Loadmaster is a damn good press.

Would I buy a Dillion, Hornady LNL ? sure, but for all the calibers I load it would be an expensive under taking, I have two kids in collage, I am lucky I have what I have lol.

Don't knock Lee for what they have done for us poor folks out there, if you can afford a nice Dillon or LNL, I am glad for you, enjoy!

And yes I am getting the Lee 4-20 pro for fathers day, drip or no drip, I will enjoy casting the same as others.

[Vance]

Biased? It sure is and it is based on experience with the Lee pot. I bought an RCBS Pro-Melt and don't have any problems with it. I don't treat either pot any differently and I will say the Lee pot is a piece of crap. From the leaky spout, inconsistent temperatures and constant fiddling to get it to work right, it can sit on the shelf being unused while I use the RCBS pot. I have put nothing but clean lead in my pots.

[snuffy]

Biased? It sure is and it is based on experience with the Lee pot. I bought an RCBS Pro-Melt and don't have any problems with it. I don't treat either pot any differently and I will say the Lee pot is a piece of crap. From the leaky spout, inconsistent temperatures and constant fiddling to get it to work right, it can sit on the shelf being unused while I use the RCBS pot. I have put nothing but clean lead in my pots.

Okay, at least it's from a bad experience and not just off-hand bashing. I guess I'm lucky, the 3 that I have personal experience with work great.

But then again, some people can break an anvil. Not knowing how anybody else treats the equipment, leads a person to expect some bad reviews.

I WILL admit to a couple of refinements on both my pro-20's. I added weight to the knob, well actually replaced it, with about 3 ounces of lead poured in a 7/8 hole drilled in a 1.5 inch piece of wood dowel, then threaded on the screw on the valve bracket. The closure of the valve is more positive.

As far as the temp swings of the lee pot, I agree completely. Erratic is not even close to describing the wide swings. Poorly designed thermostat. I solved it by building a PID controller. ANY pot can have one installed in/on it, even the famed RCBS is not all that good for even temps. Lyman has come out with a pid controlled pot, with it "built into" the pot. Promised for June, but still not available.

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/b...g25furnace.php

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/267...rnace-110-volt

Says "coming soon".

[Vance]

FWIW. I don't say anything bad about an item unless I have tried it. I have owned a Loadmaster, a Pro 1000 and a Lee safety powder scale and did not care for any of them. The Lee bullet molds I have work fine and turn out fine bullets. I owned for a while a Lee classic turret press and liked it. I owned a Lee breechlock challenger press and liked it while it was still working (damaged it myself, no fault of press. Still annoyed me), a classic cast single stage (love it, great replacement for the breechlock challenger) and various lee dies in 3 different calibers which are fine.

The loadmaster and pro 1000 were in working order when I put them on ebay and I recovered most of the money I spent on them. I won't recommend them to anybody either. The lee pot and the safety powder scale are sitting on a shelf. The breechlock challenger is waiting to be sent to the recyclers, the frame at least. The ram, linkage and handle and the bushings are still good if anybody needs parts.

[grumpa72]

Maybe I have the one pot that works well from Lee Precision. I have cast thousands of bullets in many flavors without issue. Of course, I did read the instructions and it did say to use the slot in the rod to clear debris. When my lead is clean, I can pour for a long time without drips. When I add some poorly cast, aka dirty or range pickup, lead I do get a bit of debris in the pour hole. All of this is expected. Perhaps once a year, I empty the pot completely, scrape the sides of the pot with a small steel "toothbrush" and clean out the pour hole with a piece of wire.

I have purchased lead from a guy who cleans out the pistol range trap and smelts it into bars. It isn't as clean as the lead I smelt and that is the cause of the occasional clean out. I would buy this Lee pot again in a heartbeat.

I am pouring extremely hot melted liquid and I expect the occasional drip or splatter. This isn't baking muffins!

[Rifleman1776]

You are just funnin' us.
Lee pots don't leak.

[grumpa72]

Rifleman,
When I first got my Lee pot, I had small leaks, certainly not to the level that your photo shows. When I used to add range pickup lead to my pot, it got filthy dirty and the pour rod would sometimes allow the lead to leak out. By keeping my lead clean, as I mentioned in my original post, I rarely have more than a drip or two. I have used a dental pick in the past to help scrape out the junk in the bottom of the pot when I wasn't as clean as I needed to be.

Now, when I make ingots, I flux with bees wax and then again when I start melting my ingots in the pot. The amount of stuff that floats to the surface is amazing.

Have you cleaned the inside of your pot and your pour hole?

[Rifleman1776]

I use only clean pure lead. I jammed the stopper into the hole and only cast with a dipper.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Rifleman1776 I would shoot holes in a pot you linked here. No doubt about it. As far a pots. I've had a Lyman Mag 20 well over 20 years. Not once have I regretted buying it. I'll bet over the years I've casted 8-900 lbs of lino & lead. Lee's are good for those on a budget. But if your got the extra money buy a Lyman Mag or RCBS pro-melt. You won't be sorry you did.

S/S

[Rifleman1776]

SSMc, I one had on older model Lyman pot and loved it. Sadly, it rusted to pieces in a 'dry' storage unit.
Current budget prevents upgrading my Lee pot.

[Dakotared]

I must have the only good lee pot they ever made. Since January I have put over 400 lbs of lead through mine and no leaks. I have had maybe 12 drips in that whole time.

[Daggitt]

They must have made two that don't leak. I have the other one. No problems with it. And it did not cost $400. I think I bought a gun with the difference.

[millerwb]

I use my Lee pot to cast most of what I shoot. A few leaks when I don't clean the lead good enough. I would buy another one in a heart beat. I don't cast more than about 10K bullets a year. I can live with a few drips now and again and save my money for a new gun or such.

[ronz]

I lapped the valve like was suggested when I got mine and it hardly ever drips
and saved over the cost of the pot lead and moulds in less than a year
if it wasn't for lee I would never have started casting
how many years and thousands of bullets would it take to recoup the cost of an rcbs or lyman bottom pour pot?
especially if you have to buy the lead

[stubbicatt]

I weighted the valve handle on mine and it works ok.

That said, I found that ladle pouring is more my style, so I'm in the market for a standard, non bottom pouring pot.

I never had an issue with temperature swings. I put my Lyman thermometer in the melt and leave it there, and it seems consistent. I pull it out when pouring, but otherwise I guess I have never really paid attention to the temperature swings you guys have.

[Mike / Tx]

I cannot say that mine has never evacuated it's self while in the heating up stage. It could have easily been prevented had I not gone to answer a call.

That said I only paid something like $60 for mine when it was new, and I fully have easily recovered that with just the cost of surf weights I poured up.

The temp control is really nothing more than a rheostat to give it more or less juice. The temp will vary as the level in the pot drops. I was simply using the cut off sprues to keep it relatively constant, but as I got more into trying to have some resemblance of consistency with my weights I added in the PID controller. Talk about the cats meow. Now I just pick out which mold I want to use, set the temp for that alloy and rock along. My bullet weights usually only vary by a grain or three at the most now as long as I keep up a good cadence.

While this don't really matter much if one is pouring up bullets to simply punch paper with, when your reaching out some to distances beyond 50 - 100yds it does make a difference.

As for the other brands, I can't say they are or would be any better than what I am using now. They all get hot, and melt alloy. The final product comes from the mold and how it was poured. Other than being able to say I use a Lyman or RCBS or Ballisti-Cast, I doubt I would know the difference after the bullets were cooled, lubed and sized.

[dahermit]

The temp control is really nothing more than a rheostat to give it more or less juice.

I disagree. As I cast with my Lee pot, I can hear it click off when it reaches a "high limit" and then click back on when it reaches the "low limit" (just like your furnace and air conditioner). Therefore, I do believe that Lee pots have a rheostat plus upper and lower limit switches. If it was just a rheostat the pot would not shut off and on to maintain temperature. Anyone disagree...explain it to me please.

[David Bachelder]

I have a LEE 20lb pot. It drips. I have learned to live with it.

I think I'll add a weight to mine and see if it eliminates the drip, if it does I will be happy, if it doesn't I'll still be happy. Either way I win.

[Rifleman1776]

Agree with dahermit, the control does click on and off to control an even temp.