comparing Lee and Lyman Lead Pots

[J-Bar]

Greetings;

I usually hang out in the Blackpowder forum, but I will appreciate advice and experience from you folks, if you please.

I am presently casting bullets and round balls with a Lee bottom-pour melting pot. It usually works pretty well, but the spout gets fouled frequently and begins to dribble between sessions. I can get it cleaned up and it works cleanly for a while, then fouls up again and drips. This is about the only complaint I have, it has been worth the money

Lyman offers a bottom pour 20 pound melting pot. Is it worth the extra money? Will it begin to dribble after a while like the Lee?

I would appreciate the feedback of those who have had experience with other bottom pour pots besides the Lee.

Thanks.

 

[flashhole]

Excessive fouling sounds like inadequate fluxing. Do you use a separate pot for melting and pouring?

 

[J-Bar]

Excessive fouling sounds like inadequate fluxing. Do you use a separate pot for melting and pouring?

I cast bullets mostly from wheel weight alloys. The wheel weight metal is smelted and fluxed in a separate operation using other pots. Lead balls for cap and ball revolvers are cast from pure lead, again the metal has been fluxed in a previous operation. Even then I flux with canning paraffin whenever metal is added to the pot. I think some of the oxides from the wheel weight metal collect down in the pour spout. I take the spout and valve rod out when the pot dribbles too much, and polish the valve rod and the inside of the spout as best I can with 4/0 steel wool. Usually that restores a complete seal.

I think if I only used pure lead it would not be a problem. Maybe I will have to go to pot dedicated only to pure lead for the round balls. It would be cheaper to buy another Lee ($60 or so) if I have to do that. But if there is another brand of pot that has a better valve design and spits out any mix of molten metal without dribbling, I would consider it.

 

[res7s]

The Lyman and RCBS pots are a better design, but IMO they ARE NOT worth the extra money. It would be more economical, IMO to just buy a 20 pound Lee pot and have a machinist swap out the valve assembly from an RCBS.

You could also polish your valve and seat with lapping compound.

http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/b...hamelessly-stolen-rds-tips-long-pot-life.html
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=131989

 

[FROGO207]

I do not have a bottom pour pot but have heard others here and on other forums complain about the same issue with the other brands of pot as well. I use a cast iron plumbers pot/burner with an Ideal ladle. I am the one who will save the cash and buy the inexpensive pot especially if they all will end up with the same problem eventually. YMMV

 

[GP100man]

Add some weight to the Lees handle , a small pair of visegrips oughtta do it as I have a pair on mine. And when ya close the valve close it like ya mean it , don`t just let the handle slip off the finger.

I got my Lyman Mag 20 used & it was worth it , but I would`nt have been able to afford it new. Now that I`ve used it I`d find a way to get another if this 1 was to stop& irrepairable.

 

[flashhole]

I forgot about the wieght on the handle tip. I used some washers and it helped a lot.

 

[rsrocket1]

When the spout fouls, just take a flat blade screwdriver and turn the spout rod a few times as shown in this video. My pot has the vertical rod, but the fix is the same. I've only cast a couple hundred pounds through my Lee 4-20, and it hasn't been a problem for me (I've used clean ingots only). Whenever it started dribbling or "freezing", the screwdriver trick worked every time.

 

[J-Bar]

Thanks for the responses, folks.

I will try adding some weight and the screwdriver trick next time I cast.

 

[noylj]

Lyman lasts longer.
Lee is cheap enough to buy another, though you usually can simply replace the heating element.
Owning one in the US, where I can get parts easily, I would get the Lee.