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Lee Pro 4-20 pot. I bought it used. The more I use it, the worse it leaks. I can buy a new spout and pin. Reckon that will fix this mess? Also do you think I will be able to get the old spout out of the old pot or will I need to get a new pot liner too? Unless I screw the stem all the way down when I’m not using the pot I walk back to this, or worse.
https://i.postimg.cc/8PFHFzh9/4-BBE1...DCD51-A152.jpg
Impossible to say without knowing what it's been through but a few things to try.
Keep it full at all times. The extra weight seems to help the plunger stay down.
Flux your pot, stirring down not just letting it burn on top.
With gloves and pliers, use a firm piece of wire to clean out the inside of the spout up to where it stops (where it meets the plunger). I use 174 lb SS fishing wire.
Ok thanks. I don't keep it full. I'll try that. I flux with wax every time I use it. I have a pair of heavy welding gloves that I wear and I use a SS kitchen spoon to stir. I'll try cleaning the spout and see if that helps. It's pouring a good stream so I don't think it's fouled but will check anyway.
Keeping bottom pour pots full or almost full makes a massive difference. Hope it helps you!Quote:
Originally Posted by FurFlyin
You could sale that is new fangled art.
Have you emptied it and cleaned it out? If not empty pot, pull plunger and clean tip real good. Then using a small round wire brush clean inside of spout real good. Then put back together and try again. A tiny piece of slag will keep plunger from seating.
Charlie I’ve actually taken it all the way down twice in the year or less that I’ve had it.
I’m using very clean X-ray room lining lead. The only contaminants I ever get out when I flux the lead is rust from the sides of the pot.
A new spout and rod/stem only cost $6.50 plus shipping so if keeping the pot full doesn’t fix it then I’m just going to go ahead and order one.
I was hoping that someone had replaced their spout so I’d know if it can be removed from the old pot. I don’t have to tell you how stubborn heat set rusty threaded things can be to remove. I know you use to deal with that in your job just like I do in mine.
Brad I'd contact Lee and see what it cost to refurbish it. Let them do the hard work.
I use that pure soft lead too. What you're seeing (and scraping off) is lead oxide. It can be all kinds of colors from blues to gold to brown to grey and black. Get it all off the plunger and side of the pot but leave it on top (a reasonable layer, anyway) as it makes kind of a protective layer - if you scrape it off more is just going to oxidize in its place.Quote:
Originally Posted by FurFlyin
Is it possible the previous owner drilled out the spout any? That's the first thing a lot of people do when they have bottom pour problems especially if they use hard lead.
A friend of mine is a national tackle manufacturer and I have asked him about this same problem and he indicates that it is impurities in the lead. He says the impurities are clogging the spout and causing the bypass of the lead. He indicated the pot needs to be emptied, cleaned and refilled.
Smooth, I don’t know if it’s been drilled out. I really don’t think it has, judging by the stream that comes out compared to videos I’ve watched.
Thanks for the replies guys.
How often do you guys clean your trailer pots? I know I cleaned this one down to bare metal less than 1000 jigs ago. I used a die grinder with a steel cup brush in it. The only way it could be any cleaner than it was then was to be new
Other than scraping the oxide off the plunger and the sides of the pot (while full to half full) and cleaning the spout occasionally, I have never cleaned my pot and I've poured thousands of jigs, dropshot sinkers, and more. Keeping it full keeps most of the headaches away.Quote:
Originally Posted by FurFlyin
My pot I could not replace the spout I had to replace entire pot liner.. I don’t know how your pot is setup as far as lift handle. Look real close at how and what lifts the plunger up and down. See if just maybe it is just a little out of align causing plunger not to seat properly.Quote:
Originally Posted by FurFlyin
Well, the problem is solved, and I feel a little less intelligent. I repair things for a living. I consider myself to be fairly good at it too. I do have a tendency to fly right by the simple things looking for a more complex issue and that’s exactly what I did here. After seeing that very few if anybody had to replace their spouts it finally dawned on me that I was likely making this out to be more of an issue than it was.
I heated up the pot this morning, took a flat headed screwdriver, pushed down hard on the stem and twisted it back and forth several times to “grind” the corrosion out of the seat in the spout and voila, she don’t leak. You’d think that somebody that deals with Galvanic corrosion issues every single day would have thought of that first, but you’d be wrong! LOL Right, wrong, smart or stupid I always try to update my threads with the solution to the problem or question in hopes that it will help someone in the future.
Glad you got it fixed.
Glad you figured it out. :banghead I have those moments too.
That was going to be my suggestion. Had my pot a long time and I’ve only brought it fully down like 3 times. That said, I’m sure that I don’t pour near as much as some of you. I have a big #3 or #4 if there is one, straight blade screwdriver that I use to stir and twist the drop rod in my 10 lb pot. Has stopped my problem a bunch of times.
Typical lee pot, I just deal with it
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Yep , a few wiggles back to center will solve problem. Mine does the same...
congrats!