I modified a Lee Pro 4 Lead Melting Pot to make it functional w/ fishing molds

[wedocq]

The Lee Pro 4 lead melting pot was originally designed for pouring lead bullets. While the 20 lb capacity was enough, the rest was scaled down to pour small bullets. Here is what it originally looked like.




There just isn't enough room to put a downrigger mold under the spout. Also, the pour spout is too narrow to pour a 2lb halibut ball, let alone a 15 downrigger ball. The pour spout is a simple needle stop valve. All I needed to do was remove the needle stop, and drill the spout out to be just under the size of the needle stop. the original spout was less than a 16th of an inch in size, with the needle stop being a 1/4". I drilled the spout out to 3/16", which more than tripled the original size.




I then needed to raise the melting pot up 4", and get rid of the front support beams, as they are in the way when trying to put a downrigger mold underneath. I used 3 metal pieces that were aprox. .25" x 1" x 15". Drilled 4 holes in each and used self tapping sheet metal screws to attach it to the body, and wood screws to attach it to the base.




I removed the original base and used a piece of wood that was larger to increase stability. Without the front stabilizer bars, the unit was prone to falling forward when there was 20lbs of lead in the pot. Also, the larger molds sit a lot better on the larger platform.  The original base is pictured to the left. For those of you that are thinking wood base, really? YUP! My father in law gave me the idea. he said when they melted lead back in the day, they would do 50 lbs at a time. He said they would use a "wooden spoon" to stir the lead because the wood handle wouldn't heat up like a metal spoon would. He told me the wood would burn, but not catch fire. Well, you can see the burns on the wood, but no fires!



Finished product!



7-15 lb downrigger balls, 20 2, 2.5 and 3lb halibut weights. I am figuring about $250 retail here. Who is ready to pour?
Special thanks to Tubbs, who survived a lead explosion while helping me experiment!

[BigMac]

wedocq,

All those weights got me drooling!!

(Dave)

[croaker stroker]

Good job on the modification! Now you are ready for the grand finale lead pour.

[Seattleflyfisher]

Nice work Shawn!

What do you use the small round weights for?


SFF

[Hydro-Therapy]

Shawn it looks like you are getting things dialed in. That 15lber is a bunch of lead to pour at once and not an easy task. I have a 7 1/2lb and found that pre-heating the mold will help eliminate the cold flow lines on them. I put it on a coleman stove to getter HOT. :twocents:

Hydro-Therapy

[fishing eagle]

Wedocq.... $250 retail.... you are selling yourself short there. The last I knew, lead was selling for $3.00 per pound wholesale according to my friend that operates a major tackle shop.

[tubbs]

Thats fun stuff.  Cant wait to get some lead and try it again. 

When that lead exploded I moved faster than I have in a long time.  Still kinda amazed that I had lead from the waist to shoulders but not a drop hit me in the face or hair.  Ohh and not a drop of it hit Shawn.  How does that work we were standing right next to each other when it blew.

[CanvasGuy]

Tubbs... Don't you know by now that Shawn is Blessed?....

[wedocq]

Tubbs... Don't you know by now that Shawn is Blessed?....

I am the Tim Tebow of the fishing world!  :biggrin:

Hydrotherapy: Yes a warm mold does do better. As my system got better and I was using the DR mold more quickly, it stayed warmer and poured a nicer looking ball.

Darren (SFF) the smaller balls are 2, 2.5 and 3 lber's that I use with a spreader bar for halibut fishing.

-Shawn

[wedocq]

It's really hard to organize several people at once, so I am just going to announce when I am going to be pouring lead, and if you want to show up , GREAT! I anticipate a few lead pours over the next few months, BUT, I do know for a fact I am pouring this weekend. So if you want to come down (or up for you PDX rats) message me, or text me.
-Shawn

[Steve66_1]

HI,
why I cant see all the pics in this post? Only see the first one....

[wedocq]

They are old links. Basically I removed the base, and added 2 legs that were taller so I could fit a mold under the spout. I also drilled out the spout so that I could pour a 15 lb DR ball! I still use it regularly.
-Shawn

[Redwood]

I too would love to see the photos of your modified Lee pot.

In particular I'm interested in more detail about how you modified the needle stop to accommodate faster pouring.   

I just got my new Lee 4-20 pot was fill it up and almost immediately discovered it's just not fast enough for the large jigs and 2 and 3 pound cannonballs that are the main things I want to pour - and I'd like to do some outrigger balls as well.  But I haven't emptied it all the way yet to get a better look at the needle stop assembly.  I figured there's got to be a way to modify it and Google took me straight to your thread.

[DevMah]

The Lee Pro 4 lead melting pot was originally designed for pouring lead bullets. While the 20 lb capacity was enough, the rest was scaled down to pour small bullets. Here is what it originally looked like.




There just isn't enough room to put a downrigger mold under the spout. Also, the pour spout is too narrow to pour a 2lb halibut ball, let alone a 15 downrigger ball. The pour spout is a simple needle stop valve. All I needed to do was remove the needle stop, and drill the spout out to be just under the size of the needle stop. the original spout was less than a 16th of an inch in size, with the needle stop being a 1/4". I drilled the spout out to 3/16", which more than tripled the original size.




I then needed to raise the melting pot up 4", and get rid of the front support beams, as they are in the way when trying to put a downrigger mold underneath. I used 3 metal pieces that were aprox. .25" x 1" x 15". Drilled 4 holes in each and used self tapping sheet metal screws to attach it to the body, and wood screws to attach it to the base.




I removed the original base and used a piece of wood that was larger to increase stability. Without the front stabilizer bars, the unit was prone to falling forward when there was 20lbs of lead in the pot. Also, the larger molds sit a lot better on the larger platform.  The original base is pictured to the left. For those of you that are thinking wood base, really? YUP! My father in law gave me the idea. he said when they melted lead back in the day, they would do 50 lbs at a time. He said they would use a "wooden spoon" to stir the lead because the wood handle wouldn't heat up like a metal spoon would. He told me the wood would burn, but not catch fire. Well, you can see the burns on the wood, but no fires!



Finished product!



7-15 lb downrigger balls, 20 2, 2.5 and 3lb halibut weights. I am figuring about $250 retail here. Who is ready to pour?
Special thanks to Tubbs, who survived a lead explosion while helping me experiment!

Only one pic shows on the post.

Dev