Another Casting Tool
ohman11
May 29, 2008, 09:11 PM
Well I got a Lee 4-20 melting pot today which I plan on only using for production. I have a dutch oven I use for melting wheel weights and making ingots. Anyone else have one of these Lee 4-20, if so are you happy with it?
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zxcvbob
May 29, 2008, 09:15 PM
I have one, and I'm very happy with it. But (oddly enough) the temperature settings drift way high if you use it in a cold room in the winter. So if you usually have it set on '7', you might have to dial it down to '6' to get the same temperature.
I use a Revereware saucepan for melting scrap lead and making ingots.
ohman11
May 29, 2008, 10:10 PM
Do you find you keep it around 6 for casting bullets?
GP100man
May 29, 2008, 11:29 PM
i clamp a set of vice grips on the handle for added weight to seat the needle to stop the drippin, other than that i keep runnin out of alloy!!:D:D
i set the temp with a thermometer.
GP100man
zxcvbob
May 29, 2008, 11:58 PM
Do you find you keep it around 6 for casting bullets?
Usually about '7' or '7 1/2', except in very cold weather I have to dial it down to about '6'. (I have a RCBS thermometer that I use; I like to cast at about 800 to 850 degrees)
.38 Special
May 30, 2008, 12:27 AM
Mine leaked like a sieve until I fiddled with the adjustment. It's fine now; I've never had to resort to the vicegrips/weighting business.
I like to cast at 700-750 degrees, which equates to 3.5-4 on the dial, at an ambient temperature of 60-80 degrees.
I'd take some of the money you saved on the pot and spend it on a good thermometer, if you don't already have one.
scrat
May 30, 2008, 11:09 AM
The drip is a pain in the arse. i have one. find that once in a while you have to take off the handle and rod assembly and totally wire wheel the inside. Including at the base This usually does the fix on the leak problem. As the leak is usually caused by an ubstruction between the rod and the pot. Keep the lead and pot clean and it will not be as bad. A jumbo sized paper clip bent to an L shape helps keep the nozzle on the bottom clear. Just keep some water near by to cool down the paperclip.
zxcvbob
May 30, 2008, 11:23 AM
The drip is a pain in the arse. i have one. find that once in a while you have to take off the handle and rod assembly and totally wire wheel the inside. Including at the base This usually does the fix on the leak problem.
You're not using borax or Marvelux for a flux are you? That stuff sticks to everything and you'll never get it all out.
scrat
May 30, 2008, 11:27 AM
nope just regular candle wax.
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