Bottom pour or Ladle pour - shat's your pleasure and why?

G1R2 · June 1, 2013, 04:28 PM

I've read a lot of complaints about Lee bottom pour pots, so why not pour with a ladle and end the frustration?

It appears that the ladle method is simpler and easier, so why use that tinker's dream called the Lee bottom pour?

David Bachelder · June 1, 2013, 04:54 PM

I do both, sometimes during the same session. Im looking for a bottom pour ladle. Lyman makes one.

TXGunNut · June 1, 2013, 08:50 PM

I use and prefer the bottom pour pot for 5-6 cavity moulds. I have some 1-2 cav Lyman moulds that seem to prefer a Lyman bottom-pour ladle so for those I use the old pot. There are better pots than the Lee botttom pour but I've learned to live with it and it's shortcomings.

dahermit · June 1, 2013, 09:57 PM

After years of dipping lead from a plumbers pot on top of the range to make bullets, I tried a Lee bottom pour pot. I could not get used to its tendency to leak from time to time and having more inclusions than when I top-dipped. So, I plugged the hole with a metal screw and removed the valve system and used it as a top dip pot. It eventually got knocked off the casting table and I replaced it with a Lee pot manufactured for dipping. I would never go back to a bottom pour.

Beagle333 · June 1, 2013, 10:42 PM

I like the Lyman dipper. I put screws/bolts in both of my Lee pots.

Perhaps if I had a RCBS or Lyman MagFurnace, I might be a bottom pour person.... but I was another who didn't take too much time with the drips before I figured out that the ladle would work every time, no matter how clean/dirty the pot was.

armoredman · June 1, 2013, 11:26 PM

I use the Lee bottom pour, works just fine for me. I do have an old fashioned lead pot and dipper in reserve.

bbqncigars · June 1, 2013, 11:30 PM

I have had very good results from a Lee pot and a Rowell ladle. This is with anything from a 3 cavity .25 caliber up to a 3 cavity 850gr fifty caliber. I did add a PID control to the pot, though.

Mike / Tx · June 2, 2013, 07:07 AM

Having had one for a pretty good while and simply knowing what makes a valve work makes has made mine relatively easy to deal with. After I got it initially I raised the whole shebang up 2" higher to enable me to pour the large surf weights I bought it for in the first place.

While I had it all apart, I went ahead and lapped the seat and stem to mate as near perfect as I could. Very rarely does mine drip much more than what ever is left when I shut off the pour. When it does drip it is usually only one drop and it hits the aluminum spacer I am using, freezes into a dime sized or smaller splat, and is shoved to the back or off the side when I slide the mold back under. When I pour my cutoffs back into the pot I simply pick up what ever might be laying off the side and toss them right back in as well. No biggie and really not much of a mess at all.

The major advantage I feel when using it is being able to rest the molds directly under the spout at what ever height it works best. I can run it from darn near touching to a full half inch or more if needed and I don't have to steady two separate tings at once or worry about my ladle cooling between or during pours. I also set mine up with the PID controller and I simply set it to the desired temp for the mold or alloy I am using at the time and roll on.

Not knocking the ladles at all, but usually I pour 4-6 cavity molds and it is simply a lot easier to keep everything up to temp and rolling along with the bottom pour, verses having one other thing to deal with while setting my cadence, and trying to keep everything up to a consistent temp. .

Rifleman1776 · June 2, 2013, 07:31 AM

I have a Lee bottom pour and think it is trash.
I once had a Lyman bottom pour that was great. Sadly, it rusted apart in a 'dry' storage unit.
Currently, the Lee bottom pour is plugged and I dip with a Lee dipper from it. Works OK. Did a couple hundred the other day in about three hours, with breaks.
I would go back to a Lyman if it wasn't for the cost of the new ones. Same with their moulds. Prices are

m&p45acp10+1 · June 2, 2013, 10:37 AM

I only have a dipper pot, and I use the Lyman ladle. It works just fine with the two cavity molds I use, and the only single cavith that I use.

In fact I am waiting on the pot to heat back up so I can get back to casting as I type.

I am casting now while the weather is still pretty nice. Casting in the heat during summer here is not fun at all.

armoredman · June 2, 2013, 11:34 AM

Got THAT right - I generally cast early morning before the furnace in the sky heats up the garage too much.

snuffy · June 3, 2013, 02:24 PM

Lee pot, what drips??¿¿

If you're talking about the ten pound production pot, yeah, that's the fabled drip-O-matic. Not much you can do with it, but live with it.

Both of my pro-20's are drip-less. BUT I modified both by putting more weight on the valve bracket. I took a piece of 1.5 inch dowel I had around, drilled a 7/8" hole in it nearly all the way though a 3" chunk of it. This hole I filled with lead, it smoked a bit but ended up being a lot heavier than the tiny wood knob it came with. Drilled and threaded the lead for the screw on the bracket, viola, no dripppps. (It didn't drip to start with, but I like the more positive feel of the extra weight.)

As for ladle or bottom pour, I do both. Depending on what mold I'm using and how big the boolit.

Ladle pouring breaks down into 2 different methods. Pouring with a stream of lead from a lip or bottom pour ladle,(flooding the sprue plate) or contact/pressure pouring. Refine that by holding the mold sideways,(at 90 degrees) to mate up with the nipple on a Lyman or Rowel ladle, then turning both to vertical. Then separating the ladle from the sprue plate to form a sprue puddle. Second method is to hold the mold in pouring position, then tipping the ladle to upright while hitting the sprue taper. I'm not coordinated enough to do that!

Some molds can't be used with the flooding ladle method. Like the excellent Mihec cramer style molds from Slovenia. The intricate guide pins on the side of the mold would get flooded with lead every time. You'd never get the boolits out of the mold!

erikk · June 3, 2013, 02:59 PM

I have both the Lyman (old) and LEE (20) both are bottom pour pots & both work great. The secret is to flux your lead mixture frequently stirring as you do. I use pieces of old candles-cut a small piece about the size of a dime, drop in hot lead light with lighter to keep smoke down and stir with long handled spoon. Been working for me for about 60+ years

TXGunNut · June 5, 2013, 09:31 PM

I am casting now while the weather is still pretty nice. Casting in the heat during summer here is not fun at all. -m&p45acp10+1
__________________

Agreed, last summer the lighter I was using for fluxing was lying out in the sun a few feet from the pot. Sun was too much for it and it exploded. When pieces of lighter finally started landing around me I realized I hadn't been visited by the tinsel fairy after all. Even so, I quit for the day. Temp on the table (in direct sun) was 125 degrees. Had to wait til sundown to bring in my bullets.

pete2 · June 6, 2013, 09:56 PM

I've used the Lee pots, I have 2 of the small ones. It's the best product I've used from Lee next to the powder scoops. I can make a lot more bullets with the pots than I can with Ladle and I mean a lot more, I have used as many as 3 molds at a time so the molds wouldn't over heat. I would recommend the larger pot instead of 2 of the 10 lb ones. I only have 2 hole molds, if I get back into it I'd like 6 hole molds. I had to return the first pot because the valve leaked, they repaired it and no more trouble with it, never had a problem with the second one.

June 1, 2013, 04:28 PM	#1
G1R2 Member Join Date: December 20, 2011 Posts: 73	Bottom pour or Ladle pour - shat's your pleasure and why? I've read a lot of complaints about Lee bottom pour pots, so why not pour with a ladle and end the frustration? It appears that the ladle method is simpler and easier, so why use that tinker's dream called the Lee bottom pour?

June 1, 2013, 04:54 PM	#2
David Bachelder Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2011 Location: Trinity, Texas Posts: 636	I do both, sometimes during the same session. Im looking for a bottom pour ladle. Lyman makes one. __________________ David Bachelder Trinity, Texas I load, 9mm Luger, 38 and 40 S&W, 38 Special, 357Magnum, 45ACP, 45 Colt, 223, 300 AAC, 243 and 30-06

June 1, 2013, 08:50 PM	#3
TXGunNut Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2010 Location: If you have to ask... Posts: 2,860	I use and prefer the bottom pour pot for 5-6 cavity moulds. I have some 1-2 cav Lyman moulds that seem to prefer a Lyman bottom-pour ladle so for those I use the old pot. There are better pots than the Lee botttom pour but I've learned to live with it and it's shortcomings. __________________ Life Member NRA, TSRA Smokeless powder is a passing fad! -Steve Garbe I hate rude behavior in a man. I won't tolerate it. -Woodrow F. Call Lonesome Dove My favorite recipes start out with a handful of used wheelweights.

June 1, 2013, 10:42 PM	#5
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	I like the Lyman dipper. I put screws/bolts in both of my Lee pots. Perhaps if I had a RCBS or Lyman MagFurnace, I might be a bottom pour person.... but I was another who didn't take too much time with the drips before I figured out that the ladle would work every time, no matter how clean/dirty the pot was. __________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile. Last edited by Beagle333; June 2, 2013 at 11:02 AM. Reason: just because

June 1, 2013, 11:30 PM	#7
bbqncigars Senior Member Join Date: February 1, 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 525	I have had very good results from a Lee pot and a Rowell ladle. This is with anything from a 3 cavity .25 caliber up to a 3 cavity 850gr fifty caliber. I did add a PID control to the pot, though. __________________ "Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most." A. Brilliant

June 1, 2013, 09:57 PM	#4
dahermit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Location: South Central Michigan...near Posts: 6,501	After years of dipping lead from a plumbers pot on top of the range to make bullets, I tried a Lee bottom pour pot. I could not get used to its tendency to leak from time to time and having more inclusions than when I top-dipped. So, I plugged the hole with a metal screw and removed the valve system and used it as a top dip pot. It eventually got knocked off the casting table and I replaced it with a Lee pot manufactured for dipping. I would never go back to a bottom pour.

June 1, 2013, 11:26 PM	#6
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,299	I use the Lee bottom pour, works just fine for me. I do have an old fashioned lead pot and dipper in reserve.

June 2, 2013, 07:07 AM	#8
Mike / Tx Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2000 Posts: 2,101	Having had one for a pretty good while and simply knowing what makes a valve work makes has made mine relatively easy to deal with. After I got it initially I raised the whole shebang up 2" higher to enable me to pour the large surf weights I bought it for in the first place. While I had it all apart, I went ahead and lapped the seat and stem to mate as near perfect as I could. Very rarely does mine drip much more than what ever is left when I shut off the pour. When it does drip it is usually only one drop and it hits the aluminum spacer I am using, freezes into a dime sized or smaller splat, and is shoved to the back or off the side when I slide the mold back under. When I pour my cutoffs back into the pot I simply pick up what ever might be laying off the side and toss them right back in as well. No biggie and really not much of a mess at all. The major advantage I feel when using it is being able to rest the molds directly under the spout at what ever height it works best. I can run it from darn near touching to a full half inch or more if needed and I don't have to steady two separate tings at once or worry about my ladle cooling between or during pours. I also set mine up with the PID controller and I simply set it to the desired temp for the mold or alloy I am using at the time and roll on. Not knocking the ladles at all, but usually I pour 4-6 cavity molds and it is simply a lot easier to keep everything up to temp and rolling along with the bottom pour, verses having one other thing to deal with while setting my cadence, and trying to keep everything up to a consistent temp. . __________________ LAter, Mike / TX

June 2, 2013, 07:31 AM	#9
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	I have a Lee bottom pour and think it is trash. I once had a Lyman bottom pour that was great. Sadly, it rusted apart in a 'dry' storage unit. Currently, the Lee bottom pour is plugged and I dip with a Lee dipper from it. Works OK. Did a couple hundred the other day in about three hours, with breaks. I would go back to a Lyman if it wasn't for the cost of the new ones. Same with their moulds. Prices are

June 2, 2013, 10:37 AM	#10
m&p45acp10+1 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 3,930	I only have a dipper pot, and I use the Lyman ladle. It works just fine with the two cavity molds I use, and the only single cavith that I use. In fact I am waiting on the pot to heat back up so I can get back to casting as I type. I am casting now while the weather is still pretty nice. Casting in the heat during summer here is not fun at all. __________________ No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.

June 2, 2013, 11:34 AM	#11
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,299	Got THAT right - I generally cast early morning before the furnace in the sky heats up the garage too much.

June 3, 2013, 02:24 PM	#12
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	Lee pot, what drips??¿¿ If you're talking about the ten pound production pot, yeah, that's the fabled drip-O-matic. Not much you can do with it, but live with it. Both of my pro-20's are drip-less. BUT I modified both by putting more weight on the valve bracket. I took a piece of 1.5 inch dowel I had around, drilled a 7/8" hole in it nearly all the way though a 3" chunk of it. This hole I filled with lead, it smoked a bit but ended up being a lot heavier than the tiny wood knob it came with. Drilled and threaded the lead for the screw on the bracket, viola, no dripppps. (It didn't drip to start with, but I like the more positive feel of the extra weight.) As for ladle or bottom pour, I do both. Depending on what mold I'm using and how big the boolit. Ladle pouring breaks down into 2 different methods. Pouring with a stream of lead from a lip or bottom pour ladle,(flooding the sprue plate) or contact/pressure pouring. Refine that by holding the mold sideways,(at 90 degrees) to mate up with the nipple on a Lyman or Rowel ladle, then turning both to vertical. Then separating the ladle from the sprue plate to form a sprue puddle. Second method is to hold the mold in pouring position, then tipping the ladle to upright while hitting the sprue taper. I'm not coordinated enough to do that! Some molds can't be used with the flooding ladle method. Like the excellent Mihec cramer style molds from Slovenia. The intricate guide pins on the side of the mold would get flooded with lead every time. You'd never get the boolits out of the mold! __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?

June 3, 2013, 02:59 PM	#13
erikk Member Join Date: October 2, 2012 Posts: 42	I have both the Lyman (old) and LEE (20) both are bottom pour pots & both work great. The secret is to flux your lead mixture frequently stirring as you do. I use pieces of old candles-cut a small piece about the size of a dime, drop in hot lead light with lighter to keep smoke down and stir with long handled spoon. Been working for me for about 60+ years

June 5, 2013, 09:31 PM	#14
TXGunNut Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2010 Location: If you have to ask... Posts: 2,860	I am casting now while the weather is still pretty nice. Casting in the heat during summer here is not fun at all. -m&p45acp10+1 __________________ Agreed, last summer the lighter I was using for fluxing was lying out in the sun a few feet from the pot. Sun was too much for it and it exploded. When pieces of lighter finally started landing around me I realized I hadn't been visited by the tinsel fairy after all. Even so, I quit for the day. Temp on the table (in direct sun) was 125 degrees. Had to wait til sundown to bring in my bullets. __________________ Life Member NRA, TSRA Smokeless powder is a passing fad! -Steve Garbe I hate rude behavior in a man. I won't tolerate it. -Woodrow F. Call Lonesome Dove My favorite recipes start out with a handful of used wheelweights.

June 6, 2013, 09:56 PM	#15
pete2 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 2,566	I've used the Lee pots, I have 2 of the small ones. It's the best product I've used from Lee next to the powder scoops. I can make a lot more bullets with the pots than I can with Ladle and I mean a lot more, I have used as many as 3 molds at a time so the molds wouldn't over heat. I would recommend the larger pot instead of 2 of the 10 lb ones. I only have 2 hole molds, if I get back into it I'd like 6 hole molds. I had to return the first pot because the valve leaked, they repaired it and no more trouble with it, never had a problem with the second one.