rcbs pro melt

[1Hawkeye]

Is a RCBS pro melt REALLY worth the money? I have a leek I mean Lee 4/20 that was good for the first two years now no matter what you do to it the thing drips to the point it's almost constant. Is it true that pro melts never drip?

[rr2241tx]

There's no manufacturing defect in your Lee 4/20. If it is leaking, then empty it, clean the crud out that should have been fluxed out before you filled the pot, maybe spin the metering rod in the spigot a few times with some polishing compound then refill it with clean alloy. If you can't get it to hold water, then Titan Reloading will sell you a new metering rod and spigot. Whether the RCBS is worth the additional money depends on your finances and attitude, it will leak too if not kept clean.

[1Hawkeye]

The lee has had several through scrubbings.I've tried all the tricks to get it to stop but it still drips.

[dilly]

The Pro-Melt absolutely is a good machine. Most people buy a Lee, use it happily at first until at some point it starts to drive them crazy, then when finances allow buy an RCBS. At this point we get posts on the board saying how great the Pro-Melt is and how they wish they had gotten it first.

It is a common cycle you see on the board if you watch it for a couple years.

There are of course people who skip the Lee and go straight to RCBS, and plenty of people who know how to get the Lees working reliably and are quite happy with the results.

You get to pick which demographic you fall into here.

[Nick Quick]

I love my RCBS. I bought it used on e-bay and it works great. I checked the temp control on the machine against a thermometer I bought from Rotometals and is right there. Warms up very quick and the capacity of the pot is more than enough for me.

[Smoke4320]

a Pro Melt paired with a PID is casting nirvana IMHO

[gnostic]

I had bad luck with my RCBS, it didn't get hot enough. I now have the 420 lee and hate it, because of the constant dripping. I've never been able to pour, the same quality bullet, as when I 'pressure pour' with a ladle. The bottom pour, isn't really faster for me, as, I have to throw half the bullets back.

[primersp]

Idem to Nick kick buy one used on eBay, just change the plug,sold the Lee buy 10 years ago

[Mica_Hiebert]

I had bad luck with my RCBS, it didn't get hot enough. I now have the 420 lee and hate it, because of the constant dripping. I've never been able to pour, the same quality bullet, as when I 'pressure pour' with a ladle. The bottom pour, isn't really faster for me, as, I have to throw half the bullets back.

Send the pro melt back to rcbs they will fix it.

[Nick Quick]

For 161$ of course I bought it on e-bay. It was used but the person who used it really took in care of it. The pot was shiny and every single part that came with the machine was well maintained. If I'd find one again at the same price I'd buy it again. Just coz would be a such shame to let it abandoned on some cold, unwelcome e-bay corner.

[DerekP Houston]

Sigh, i just gave in and ordered a promelt. I left my lee alone for 20 minutes and came back to a mess on the table again. I don't know if it is worth the price tag, but I'm sold on the RCBS customer service if it doesn't work properly. I already wasted $120 attaching a PID to the lee to make it accurate, but the dripping has got to go.

[Walter Laich]

I walked into a Pro-Melt on ebay for $125 about 10 years ago. Best $$ I ever spent. Did some touch up painting--just because and love it. Big part of casting is enjoyment not just a way to make bullets to shoot. Pro-Melt added to that enjoyment.
Finally reversed it so you pull down to pour rather than push up the handle. Helps with the worn out shoulder I have. Built a PID mostly to see if I could and that was also a good idea. Last addition was the aftermarket lid and new shelf that is offered in this forum.
I could cast all day and never get tired if my butt didn't fall asleep after a couple of hours.

[Nick Quick]

Aftermarket lid? Where did ya get that from?

[Leadmelter]

Still using mine bought in the early 1980"s that sits in my garage year round. When it is time to make boolits, it is up to speed in thirty minutes. My first Lee furnace was a good starter unit and I gave to a friend but it died after 15 years.
Leadmelter
MI

[DerekP Houston]

I think my lee knows it has a replacement en route, it has been acting nice all day.

[VHoward]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?275219-RCBS-Pro-Melt-Upgrades
OpenNRG will set you up with a lid and shelf kit.

[too many things]

let us work on the problems . 1 lee is as good as it gets --BUT they never made the rod heavy and it will float in lead. if you use a weight on the lift it WONT drip. same for RCBS if the pot is full it will drip too.
Steel will float in lead. so understand that the drop rod will float in lead. put a weight on the handle and you wont have a drip
RCBS has easy fix , the way the arm lifts you can use a spring under the pin. lee have to use an extra weight on handle

[Nick Quick]

VHoward, thanx a lot. I will order one right now. I need just the lid. From what I've seen the shelve is on perfect orizontal position and I like to keep the mold inclined a bit so the sprue puddle will not flow into the hole that is about to be filled but the opposite direction. And for that the mold has to be a tad inclined.

[9w1911]

let us work on the problems . 1 lee is as good as it gets --BUT they never made the rod heavy and it will float in lead. if you use a weight on the lift it WONT drip. same for RCBS if the pot is full it will drip too.
Steel will float in lead. so understand that the drop rod will float in lead. put a weight on the handle and you wont have a drip
RCBS has easy fix , the way the arm lifts you can use a spring under the pin. lee have to use an extra weight on handle Great idea on the spring!!
I need a pid

[clum553946]

I had a Lee for one week. Thank goodness I bought it from Amazon prime as it leaked after the third time I used it. Sent it back, no questions asked & ordered the rcbs! What a difference, the rcbs is a pleasure to use plus the quality is heads above the Lee. The Lee, in my opinion, is potentially dangerous!

[dilly]

The Lee, in my opinion, is potentially dangerous!

A leaky pot is definitely dangerous, and don't assume it can't happen to any bottom pour. Put a cookie sheet or some piece of metal underneath the pot on the work surface and it really minimizes the chance of fire.

[hermans]

a Pro Melt paired with a PID is casting nirvana IMHO
I cannot agree more....+1+1+1

[psychbiker]

There's no manufacturing defect in your Lee 4/20. If it is leaking, then empty it, clean the crud out that should have been fluxed out before you filled the pot, maybe spin the metering rod in the spigot a few times with some polishing compound then refill it with clean alloy. If you can't get it to hold water, then Titan Reloading will sell you a new metering rod and spigot. Whether the RCBS is worth the additional money depends on your finances and attitude, it will leak too if not kept clean.

I'd politely disagree. Mine dripped from the start. I then smelted clean lead in a propane tank pot and fluxed it, added it to the Lee and it still dripped. Finally I casted until near empty, cleaned it out, polished the rod and the spigot hole best I could. I then cut the handle screw down to bring the weighted knob closer AND I added a cut down spring to the top bracket screw. So it requires a little more effort to lift up but the spring will force the rod back down and keep tension on it. Works a lot better, the drips nearly subsided. Still drips a here and there but at least 75% less dripping.

I'll post pics of the spring mod later.

[Blacktail 8541]

let us work on the problems . 1 lee is as good as it gets --BUT they never made the rod heavy and it will float in lead. if you use a weight on the lift it WONT drip. same for RCBS if the pot is full it will drip too.
Steel will float in lead. so understand that the drop rod will float in lead. put a weight on the handle and you wont have a drip
RCBS has easy fix , the way the arm lifts you can use a spring under the pin. lee have to use an extra weight on handle

Funny, My RCBS pro melt has never dripped in 11 years, and I do nothing more than clean it every few years.

[VHoward]

My Pro Melt has never dripped either.