I recently was given a bunch (over a hundred lbs) of lead and am considering adding more to the addiction by pouring jig heads. My question is if a production pot is recommended. Just curious to see what some of you use. Thanks for any info. Ron
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I recently was given a bunch (over a hundred lbs) of lead and am considering adding more to the addiction by pouring jig heads. My question is if a production pot is recommended. Just curious to see what some of you use. Thanks for any info. Ron
I am getting a production pot soon as I need to pour my own weights and jigs and I will only be doing maybe 1000 a year in total. If you are gonna do a lot of them I would suggest a larger setup so you can pour a lot and not have to wait for heating and you can also clean a lot of lead if needed all at the same time.
I am gonna get a plain Lee pot and buy a ladle instead of buy one of the pour spot models. I like to see what I am doing and I don't like some of the things I have read about the spout ones.
The only problem with production pot. You have to keep them clean they will lead up if your lead is not clean good luck. In what I mean by this is the spell will plug up where the lead comes out you can clean the tip with a wire or something like that too on plug it be careful it will burn you.
Hard to beat the bottom pour pots ... make sure your lead is clean !!!
Clean it up in another pot than the one you pour with (open pot).
Flux it good !!! Skim off the "junk" .. Then pour in ingots (muffin pan works) Then its ready for Your pouring Pot.
Solves a lot of problems.
Have Fun
JSC
That is why I am gonna go with a simple pot and a ladle. Can flux all I want and not worry about the spout plugging up. Can also get a feel by using the ladle as to how much you need for each different spot in the mold and different molds.
I'm in a 100% agreement with JSC. You can't beat a bottom pour pot for speed, consistency and safety. I have (3) of them and I never have problem with the spout plugging up. You do what JSC mentioned and you will pour everyday as a happy camper. Just my 2 cents worth.
Well I guess it depends on how clean the lead is you got RonDon. If you know it is pure then you won't need to buy 2 pots, you will only need 1. If not you will need 2, 1 to clean it all and one to pour it from a bottom pour pot. I agree that clean pure lead is best done in bottom pour spout pot. I pour 90% wheel weights so clean lead is rare for me. And I definately don't have the money to buy 2 pots to pour what little I am gonna do.
I've never poured any jig heads but I've poured thousands of round balls for muzzleloading gun competition. I've had both Lyman & Lee bottom pour pots. The were both bad about leaking at the spout.
I wouldn't say they leak, however they do drip. Everyone I know that has one even an RCBS does drip. It's the nature of the beast.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sawman53
Ditto JSC & cadman
If you don't empty the pot you won't have the plugging up issues. I keep my pots full all the time.
These pots (bottom feed) are probably the safest way to pour and fluxing/cleaning the lead is not a problem. I usually flux every other pour.
Hey Cadman,
Good to see you hanging out. Every pot I have drips and I just tap the rod and it stops.Just poured 100 corn stick ingots and ready for some fun. I had the big pot I was melting in blow out today like a volcano. Never had that happen before. Very dangerous I might say. Lead everywhere. Run if you ever here it sizzling . Scared the fire out of my Grandpa. I didn't know he could shag that fast. I think it had a little moisture in the old pipes. Messing with hot lead can be very dangerous so fellers be mighty careful. Off the soap box and what was we talking about.............Ifish
Finally had some time to catch up on reading some threads. I'm glad you're OK. I am so paranoid about lead water pipes. That moisture in the pipe and then in the pot will scare the c&&p out of you. Seriously everyone who pours should always think safety, especially when you're working with lead.Quote:
Originally Posted by ifish
Trick I found was to take a Drill Bit slightly larger than the pour spout and drill the hole slightly larger.........worked great for me and several others who tried it.
lightwirehooker
Okay, let's help everyone out here and tell us what pots you are all using that have the spouts.
I have looked at the smaller Lee Pot with the pour spot and it looks like it would be a pain in the arse to flux anything in there. The larger one looks like it would be more open and easier to skim and flux in but I could be wrong here.
One thing I have also never heard is do you leave the lead in the pot or pour it all out when done for the day?
There are no secrets to anything all you have to do is ask. I have (3) Lee IV bottom pour pots. Always keep your lead full in the pot when you pour. Do not empty it when your done pouring. let it cool and put it away. When you start it again the next day watch the pot so when it warms up the lead doesn't start pouring from the spout. The reason this happens is when the pot cools the lead solidifies and shrinks. So when you start the pot the first time every time, it has a tendency to have lead pour out of the spout as it heats up. Just make sure you have a small clean can that will fit under the pot for the drips. Also when it starts warming up and when it starts to pour out, you can lightly keep tapping the plunger until it closes to keep the lead from pouring. Once it heats up enough you will have no problems except for some drips. Make sure you flux your lead in the pot with candle wax or beeswax. What you want to do is light the smoke. Mix it in the lead and you have fluxed the lead. Use clean lead and you will have no problems.Quote:
Originally Posted by fish_4_all
fish4all, I have a bottom pour 10 lb. capacity lee pot, and I think that is what ya need. I flux with no problem, stir with an old butter knife, and skim with an old spoon. after learning the ins and outs by doing it, I think this is the way to go. I wouldn't want to use a ladle because the lead cools very very fast, and I can't imagine the ladle giving you good pours. that bottom spout shoots the lead in there real fast, and I can hit 8 cavities in just a few seconds. off that subject, I let the mold sit for about 20 seconds before opening, and never grab the jig by the hook, I grab the excess lead with a pair of pliers . this has kept me from getting loose hooks in the heads. my only problem is that I have to set the pot on a peice of plywood instead of straight on my table saw, otherwise when I lean on the table I get a little electrical shock. I need to take the pot apart and put a new cord on it with three wires so I can ground it good. anybody else get this?
I think I remember seeing that candle wax was an accepted flux material, how about toilet bowl ring wax? Just a thought as candles are so cheap, I use the bowl wax for my dubbing anyway.
Thank you guys for all the tips and advice... Keep em coming!
fish_for_all
You will not be sorry if you buy a bottom pour pot. It is safer and more consistent than ladle pouring. I can even pour spinnerbaits if I want with the wire sticking out. On the wax toilet bowl ring that should work as well. Just make sure you put in a small piece in the pot, then drop a match stick in, it will ignite and flame up and then mix slowly while the flme is burning until it burns out. I will get you the rest of the info we talked about yesterday, tonight.
redear.........very good information for all beginners.
Get yourself a large cookie sheet with sides. Set your pot in this and cleanup is alot easier when your spout does the inevitable drip thing. The one my pot is in is non-stick and that makes it even easier!
Anyone that needs to rebuild their Lee pots they offer a total rebuild for 1/2 the retail price. Lee Precision, Inc. Reloading Tools and Equipment: Satisfaction Guaranteed I put a new inside pot and plunger in mine for $18.00 including shipping.Lee Precision,Inc. Serving You Since 1958 Lee Precision is very good about fixing ther stuff. I use a Lee Production IV. Great American Company by the way.....Ifish
Okay, I guess I will have to consider getting the bottom pour pot now. Not sure if I will get the bigger one or the smaller but it seems like my mind has been changed. I don't mind being wrong, well wrongish. If we never ask we never get the answers we need even if it turns out preconceptions are wrong.
Oh and a little more on the wax, let me make sure I have this right for all of us:
Put a small piece of wax, maybe the size of a pea in the pot and let it melt
Once melted, light it with a match
When it goes out, stir it in and then scrape off the junk
Or do you stir it while burning?
I don't know about the match, or what it's supposed to do, but I just put a little peice of candle wax in there, like you said, and a few short peices of solder wire with flux in it. the wax will smoke and stink quite a bit, so if ya do it in the garage while the mrs. is home, get ready for some fussin. lol we forgive ya for bein sorta wrong, especially since ya turned us on to that hair straightening trick with the straightening iron. lol the most time consuming thing about pouring jigs is putting the hooks in the mold correctly so it closes all the way, so considering this, you don't need to be messing with a ladle too.
Okay, I just hope it is easier than I think it is gonna be to melt and clean hundreds of pounds of wheel weights in that small pot.
I use the small lees pots ... I only put in lead that has been cleaned .. fluxed ... in a pot that I heat over a gas burner OUTSIDE.. add the flux material (I use pariffin most of the time candle wax & etc) for just a Lees Pot about 3/4 of a marble ... you do not have to allways light it ,, if it is hot enough it will light its self ... if not put a match to it .. this burning is one of the big things ... stir while burning and afterwards ... them skim off all the "Junk" .. If I have some to sit for a while not in use in the pouring pot I will flux it .... also when adding some that I am not sure of ....
Hope this clears up what I was talking about 2 pots ... The cleaning pot can be anything that can stand the heat and weight of the lead ... cast iorn is best (holds the heat better as well).
You have gotten some reall good advice.
JSC
:)
Thanks guys! I now know what to ask Santa for Christmas!
The post below By JSC is the best answer you can get, other than us being there to show you. Clean dirty lead in a cast iron pot, then pour to make ingots, then put clean ingots in your Lee IV bottom pour pot.Quote:
Originally Posted by fish_4_all
Well put JSC:):)Quote:
Originally Posted by JSC
I probably have 300lbs of wheel weight material in the shed in ingots. Used the coleman stove and a big cast iron stew pot to melt em in. I let them get good and hot, then cleared out all foreign material I found on the surface. Is this clean enough? Thought about pouring my own but I already have lots of "stuff" from all I do and really don't need another. If all I need is a pouring pot and a couple of molds it would be worth looking into. And also is wheel weight material suitable for our purposes? I've heard conflicting reports. Thanx.
This is a hard question to answer. Hard lead is hard to pour if you have never done it before. I personally think it is better to mix it with pure soft. Pure soft is real easy to pour, but I think it is too soft, and in my case with bigger jigs, the paint doesn't hold up as well so I mix 30% soft with 70% hard. You will get a wide variety of answers on this as everyone pours differently and there are so many variables. I can pour straight hard lead with no problems, buy I've been pouring for 8 years. So will you have problems pouring pure hard, my answer would be yes. Definitely mix some soft into it. It also depends on the mold you use. Also each mold is different. I pour over 40 different molds and they all have their own characteristics. Even if you and I bought the same mold, some cavities pour better than others. It's the nature of the beast. I hope this helps answer some of your questions. If you need more help you can always PM me and I will try to help you further.Quote:
Originally Posted by skeetbum
LedhedQuote:
Originally Posted by LedHed
Do you mean you keep hot lead 24/7 or do you turn off the heat and leave the lead in the pot.... sort of confusing me there since i have never poured before but have just about everything I need to get started pouring....
DC
I leave the lead pots full of lead (minimizes oxidation of the pot) - not leave the pot on. However, just recently, did accidentally leave a pot on (low setting) for about 2 weeks!!!! Don’t do that – costs a lot in electricity – not too safe.
Some more good advice;
When you re-heat a full pot – DO NOT move the stem until the lead is fully melted!!! If it moves while you are heating up – it will not seat and the melting lead will run out.
Wash your hands often.
Keep a “drip Pan’ under your spout all the time.
If you start getting drips;
Turn the stem (via the slot at the top of the stem with a slotted screwdriver) either left or right (there is play for a ¼ turn each way) till the drip stops.
Wash your hands often.
Magnets are great for retrieving dropped hooks or jigs.
Don’t eat or smoke while you pour.
Stay safe.
Great advice Led.Keeping your hands clean is key.I keep a wet and dry towel with me when I pour and I'm constantly wiping and drying my hands. When I pour I start at highest setting then back it off to about the 7 setting.I mix hard lead from a few wheel weights with my soft lead. The smalller the jig the softer the lead,larger jigs harder lead can be used more on a higher temp setting. Hot lead is dangerous so be safe!!!!!