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California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
I was using two pots for the two alloys till I "loaned" my son-in-law the 10-pounder. Bought him a 20-pounder for Christmas, that year, and he still has the 10-pounder.
Bottom pour pot etiquette
- Thread starter Mitty38
- Start date
Winelover
North Central Arkansas
Started off with the Lee 10# er.................didn't take long to realize it's pretty much a piece of junk. Won't even support a full pot of lead. The antique one I have is at a permanent angle. It's used for melting the lead out of the few jacketed rounds I come across. I don't even count that one in my pot inventory.
Now their 20# er is a vast improvement, for those on a budget.
Now their 20# er is a vast improvement, for those on a budget.
358156 hp
At large, whereabouts unknown.
Both of my primary pots use a PID, I'm starting to feel the need for a third, but probably won't ever do it due to my lack of shooting time. I still have most of last winters cast ready to load. The Lyman bottom pour is kept full of 1-30 for my hollowpoint obsession. I have a LEE 20 lb ladle pot for harder alloys that's currently full of WW alloy. I generally only drain them completely for cleaning, and that's not terribly often. I use "clean" alloy, taking extra effort when smelting to make sure everything is as clean as possible. Tin is added at the casting pot, by weight of "new" alloy used. I don't add anything if I'm recycling sprues although I do allow the added alloys to sit in the pot at casting temp for about a half-hour before fluxing with hamster bedding (shredded pine).
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
I kept the RCBS bottom pour for first melting of scrap. The four pound Potter for single cavity small bullets. Lee is converted to bottom pour and the new RCBS is a ladle casting pot.
Mitty38
Well-Known Member
A second pot kinda sounds like a good idea right now. I am revamping my current system and have found extra storage room. Would be nice to have another 20 lb bottom pour for rifle lead, and a 5 or 10lb dipper pot for pure lead.
I have 2 pistol alloys 1 for magnum and auto and another for the 38 loads. But those are close enough that a little mix in one way or the other is not going to make a difference. So the bottom pour I have, would be just fine between the two.
Now
you guys are starting to rub off on me. Next thing you know I will be powder coating me bullets different coolers to color code them, and marking my brass.
I have 2 pistol alloys 1 for magnum and auto and another for the 38 loads. But those are close enough that a little mix in one way or the other is not going to make a difference. So the bottom pour I have, would be just fine between the two.
Now
you guys are starting to rub off on me. Next thing you know I will be powder coating me bullets different coolers to color code them, and marking my brass.
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Mitty38
Well-Known Member
Rally
NC Minnesota
I use two Lee 20’s whenever casting. I made adjustable levers for both that allow height adjustments and still allow the use of a screwdriver to twist the metering rod in them to stop the occasional drip when small dirt particles are present. I always empty my pots because I tend to cast 60-80 lbs of whatever bullet or slug I’m working with per session. I change alloys often because I’ve been playing with slugs and doing some informal penetration testing with alloys. Clean my pots often and remove metering rod each cleaning. I use a 5/64” drill bit to keep the Lee nozzles clean while casting, and it makes quite a difference to keep a full stream flow.
Mitty38
Well-Known Member
I need to try that. Most of the time my flow diminishes I grab my Benzomatic, light it up, and put a little more heat to the spout. While wiggling the handle. It works ok.
But a drill bit. Or piece of rod.
Maybe welded to an old screw driver at a 90 degree angle, to use as a clearing tool seams way more handy.
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I drain mine to the last drop. When cool, I wire brush them out until they are clean. Oh well.
I do the same.
Had a pot I left full of alloy for 5,6 yrs. Plugged it in and walked away. Half hour later, I came back. The pot had "geysered" spraying the patio ceiling and surrounding environs with "tinsel".
Now I empty and clean My pots after each use. And I keep an inverted ingot mold over the top of the pot except when fluxing or adding alloy.
JonB
Halcyon member
sounds good. we likely might be relatedI need to sit down and have a beer, or coffee with this guy. Shure we're not related?
JonB
Halcyon member
I use a allen wrench
I use a ladle
358156 hp
At large, whereabouts unknown.
with small Vice Grips. Old American made ones, not the metallurgically challenged Chinese brand.
CWLONGSHOT
Well-Known Member
Multi pot is how I roll as well works best for me. 3x pots here.
CW
CW
Ian
Notorious member
As OCD as I am, I do that very rarely and haven't in fact done it since the lead-free alloy experiment.
Now I haven't cleaned my 4-20 spout in.....wait, no, I've never cleaned it. Last thing it had run through it was a drill to uniform it after removing it and peening the opening a little smaller.
I never fret too much about the Lee pots dripping. Both of mine drip - recently cleaned or not. Both HAVE been cleaned thoroughly, after running into some funky "alloy" that I wanted to remove completely, maybe a year ago now. I cleaned up the metering rod noses as well. I don't think it's "dirt" making them drip and I don't think twirling the metering rod gets rid of dirt that isn't there, so I don't do it - because it's never worked for me.
I actually made an attempt to lap one metering rod to fit, using valve-grinding compound once. It made no difference at all.
My 10# pots leak as the metering rod begins to "walk" radially, twisting so that the notch in the rod that fits the wire bail that lifts the rod are not parallel to one another. As I'm casting, I know I have to fit a little 15 to 20 degree twist into the cadence. Just that light little twist shuts off the drip. I've even intentionally twisted the metering rod a little just to cause it to drip to test my hypothesis and - it made it drip. If t he notch and the bail are not parallel, the rod is held at a different angle. This may well be just how my pots have "worn in" over the years too.
I've done it so long that if I ever bought a new pot that didn't drip, I'd be reaching for the screwdriver every fifth or sixth pour out of habit.
I actually made an attempt to lap one metering rod to fit, using valve-grinding compound once. It made no difference at all.
My 10# pots leak as the metering rod begins to "walk" radially, twisting so that the notch in the rod that fits the wire bail that lifts the rod are not parallel to one another. As I'm casting, I know I have to fit a little 15 to 20 degree twist into the cadence. Just that light little twist shuts off the drip. I've even intentionally twisted the metering rod a little just to cause it to drip to test my hypothesis and - it made it drip. If t he notch and the bail are not parallel, the rod is held at a different angle. This may well be just how my pots have "worn in" over the years too.
I've done it so long that if I ever bought a new pot that didn't drip, I'd be reaching for the screwdriver every fifth or sixth pour out of habit.
CWLONGSHOT
Well-Known Member
I still have that 35 year old 10# LEE! It works just as its supposed to... drips and all! Its my pure lead pot. My old Redding is my 20:1 and the old Lyman is a sore. My old (but newer) Lyman 25 is my main pot.
CW
CW