I have a couple of the Lee lever dump 10 pound pots in the cupboard and both dripped to some extent since day one. I put a small nail with a point sharpened to fit inside the nozzle after I removed the arm and plunger in each and ended that. I use them for small jobs today and as back-ups should I ever need one. Since then I have invested in 20 Lee pots as a simple furnace with no moving parts and feel that from a safety standpoint, this is the tops. Andrew has the 4 pound version and he too has the utmost in safety. Anything with moving parts is prone to problems in my book so the few parts that go clink, the better. IF I were to look towards a furnace with pouring capabilities, I'd go with the RCBS unit like Paul has. IF I were pouring complex pours - something other than a single hook and in some instances a keeper wire along side the hooks - I would be owning a RCBS unit. A friend has the RCBS furnace like what Do-It sells and he loves the machine for casting bullets. But he has the same 4 pound pot for casting his jigs that Andy has and loves that too.
In my opinion there is no short-cut in quality that is worthwhile if you are pouring jigs mechanically. The time keeping things clean isn't worth a few jigs. The problems you can encounter with leaks and drips can be dangerous and really annoying to have to take time to resolve. Spend the money for a great unit up front, or hand pour.
I've been down every road conceivable with jig making and have settled on hand pouring as the best fit for me. I have a spin caster sitting on a garage bench that can whip out 100 1/32 heads in twenty seconds and the heads just fall off the sprue, no trimming necessary. I don't use it because quite frankly its over kill for what I do today and requires the use of a fifty pound container of melted lead to do a decent run. Anyone heading to the get together that will give me $50.00 bucks for that chunk of machinery....I'll have it along. It works great for casting gold and silver jewelry too.
As for jigs, the most efficient way to cast them depends entirely on what your needs are and how much "stuff" you're willing to put up with, like drips and leaks. I can cast 100 hooks in twenty minutes using the molds I own. Most of these cast a single head weight in multiples of 6 or 7 at a time. The only thing that changes is hook size and when I cast I do several hundred of one head size and no less than two hundred of a single hook size in that head. I have the ultimate control over every aspect of the process right down to assuring 100% pure lead is used, which is the only way to go unless you are casting sinkers. The only molds Do It sells that cannot be hand poured are the few precision molds that do require a drop pot. I have several of the professional mold and all hand pour beautifully. Personally I think people go way overboard in casting equipment and that this is something people need to grow into instead of jumping in both feet forward.
