Lee Dripmaster Drip-O-Matic 4-20.

[Carcassonne]

I was casting some bullets and the pot got low, so I put in some ingots and walked away for 15 minutes to do something else. When I came back I saw this.






.

[CSACANNONEER]

Yup, this can happen with ANY bottom pour pot that isn't properly maintained.

[CSACANNONEER]

It has a lot to do with maintenance. Depending on the lead you're using, sooner or later, the nozzle will end up collecting slag that will keep it from shutting all the way.

[rm1911]

I saw a B movie with something like that in.

[rcslotcar]

Mine has a very slow drip. I need to drain it and clean it out.

[stilly]

Yup, this can happen with ANY bottom pour pot that isn't properly maintained.

I am sorry sir but I must politely disagree with you on that.

It can happen to ANY bottom pour pot PERIOD.

And of course, the fix is very simple.

First, when it happened to me, I emptied my pot at the end of the casting session and I pulled out ALL of the lead. I hit the very bottom with a mapi torch and blasted EVERYTHING in there.

Then, after I was certain that it had been cleaned out, Only THEN did I refill it later on and get back to dropping lead and then it happened again. So I *****ed to Lee about it and the guy Peter, told me that when it happens and it WILL happen, that I should take a screwdriver and rotate that valve stem a little each way while pressing down. Back and forth motion was what he was looking for. Then, when my pot started to leak here and there, I did that and it worked each time. Sometimes impurities just get between the plunger and the bottom and prevent it from closing all of the way. and sometimes it does not sit evenly on the bottom filling the hole.

Things you can do: round off and sand with a FINE grit the bottom of the pin and make sure it is rounded.

I had also thought about changing the pin for a different one or getting a spare and putting a hex head or something on it that I could attach a key to to rotate back and forth easier than a slotted screwdriver.

Problem solved and I no longer am eyeballing that RCBS.

I ALSO aint turning on my pot and turning my back to it while it warms up ever again also. THAT was a freaking mess for sure...

[CSACANNONEER]

I am sorry sir but I must politely disagree with you on that.

It can happen to ANY bottom pour pot PERIOD.

And of course, the fix is very simple.

First, when it happened to me, I emptied my pot at the end of the casting session and I pulled out ALL of the lead. I hit the very bottom with a mapi torch and blasted EVERYTHING in there.

Then, after I was certain that it had been cleaned out, Only THEN did I refill it later on and get back to dropping lead and then it happened again. So I *****ed to Lee about it and the guy Peter, told me that when it happens and it WILL happen, that I should take a screwdriver and rotate that valve stem a little each way while pressing down. Back and forth motion was what he was looking for. Then, when my pot started to leak here and there, I did that and it worked each time. Sometimes impurities just get between the plunger and the bottom and prevent it from closing all of the way. and sometimes it does not sit evenly on the bottom filling the hole.

Things you can do: round off and sand with a FINE grit the bottom of the pin and make sure it is rounded.

I had also thought about changing the pin for a different one or getting a spare and putting a hex head or something on it that I could attach a key to to rotate back and forth easier than a slotted screwdriver.

Problem solved and I no longer am eyeballing that RCBS.

I ALSO aint turning on my pot and turning my back to it while it warms up ever again also. THAT was a freaking mess for sure...

Sounds like you are agreeing with me. Yea, I view turning the valve stem with a screwdriver, cleaning and, if needed, lapping the valve are all part of proper maintenance. I need to do the same thing with my RCBS as I do with my Lee.

[acoop101]

I laped my valve stem into the seet when I got my dripo matic and I have never had it soil it's self.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

[Redemption]

Actually stilly is right, when you place solid ingots in the push against the stem and can cause it to shimmy up as the ingot melts and slides downward. This is not always a matter of adjustment or maintenence.

This happens to me all the time regardless of how often i clean or adjust my pot