The little Lee melting pot I use for small batchs of castings has started to leak. Even when I press the handle up with a little pressure it leaks enough to build a little column of metal up enough to get in the way of the mold. I have tried spinning the damping rod in its seat with some valve grinding compound but that didn't work either. Hope there are somebody out there with some ideas on how to stop this problem. Thanks........

There's two thing you need to do to keep the Lee pot working. For the leak use a screwdriver and turn the top of the rod that lifts up and down to pour back and forth. It's got a screwdriver slot for doing just this and it's in the instructions also.

You also need to take a paper clip and bend it out straight and then make a littel handle on it so you can run it up and down inside the spout where the lead come out to keep that cleaned out.

I do the turn the rod thing a couple of times during a casting session or any time it starts leaking a little and the same with cleaning the spout with the paper clip. My pot has been going for 20 years now.

Hope that works for you. If it doesn't give Lee a call, they have a good tech department.

sounds like spout freeze if you running your pot a little cool it will not let the let the stem seal so run your heat up a little or take a propane torch and heat the drop spout.The lead is not fluid enough at that point and trying to set. MY 4-20 LEE POT if I run her hot no problems if I need to cast a little cooler the torch comes out or start dipping.

Dirt and other solids tend to collect at the spout, and it might need a cleaning from the inside. A bent paper clip with a hook formed at the end makes a good tool for this, as does a long handled screwdriver with a narrow blade. The collected debris may not be allowing the stem from seating fully. Scrape the sides of the pot while you're at it.
I've had two Lee Production Pots, and occasional leakage is just the nature of the beast.