What Bottom Pour Furnace Do You Use?

[les265]

I have three Lee furnaces and they seem to do a great job. I was wondering if the investment in a Lyman or RCBS would be worth it. Just wondering what brand most of you are using.

[Hickory]

I don't use a bottom pour.
I have found I can do everything
better by ladle casting. Always have good fill-out.

[casterofboolits]

I have three of the RCBS 10 kilo pots. I used to hand cast boolits for IPSC shooters for years.

I burned thru Lee and Lyman pots fairly quickly in the early years and replaced them with the RCBS pots. Also have an Ohio Thermal Pot which is the same as RCBS except it is grey and and black, not green. RCBS bought Ohio Thermal.

RCBS equipment is pricey, but is the best available.

[Dale53]

I have two RCBS pots. I am VERY satisfied with them.

Dale53

[cajun shooter]

The Lee pots are good for getting your feet wet but will not hold up. They also have a rheostat that will not give you the same temp each time. The RCBS has a real thermostat and will last for many years with carefree service. I had to work on my Lee's every day they were used.

[Toobroke]

I have a Lee that is used only to melt/clean wheel weights, an old Lyman Mouldmaster that is used for casting bullets and a (really) old Potter that I use for pure lead for swaging cores

[ktw]

I have a pair of Lee 4-20s and am satisfied with them. I only cast moderate quantities of bullets for myself. I always use a good thermometer. I ladle cast a few of my larger, lower volume rifle bullet designs from the same pots.

If I was going to cast commercially I'd probably go with something more robust.

-ktw

[Artful]

of your listed choices I have an RCBS and an additional SEACO - both 20+ pound pots. I have friends with smaller Lee pots and find them usable but not for use with 4 - 6 cavity molds.

[fatnhappy]

i got a lyman mag 20 from fleecebay for $130. It took a long time for this dumb dipper caster to learn how to use it. I'm pretty happy with it

[67bear]

I use a Lyman Mag 20. I'm Pretty happy with it.

[1hole]

"Just wondering what brand most of you are using."

Perhaps the more useful question would be "What pot would you prefer?"

[sagamore-one]

My dad started me out with a Lee production Pot. I soon upgraded to a Saeco, then to a Lyman Mag 20. After rebuilding the Mag 20 four times I moved up to an RCBS Pro Melt. I,ve had to repair the RCBS twice but the warranty covered the cost. The Mag 20 is on the shelf just in case the RCBS ever dies and the company goes out of business, or I can't find another RCBS.
If I had it to do all over again... the RCBS !!!!

[les265]

Thanks for the info guys. I have always heard that the RCBS furnace is the one to get. I guess I will have to start saving up for one.

[wallenba]

When I was new to casting I started with the Lee. I wrecked it prematurely with a corrosive flux. Stepped up to the RCBS when IRS refund came. From a Chevy to a Cadillac.

[9.3X62AL]

I am VERY happy with the RCBS furnace I now use. It is among my best reloading tools, period.

I used two Lee bottom-pours before finding the RCBS furnace, and they were capable, usable tools. Not top-drawer, but not bad either. Like most Lee tools, they need a bit of "owner engineering" or construction completion before being at their best. Given their price point, that is an acceptable trade-off. At the price of an RCBS furnace--it better be first-rate right from the box, and remain trouble-free for one very long time. Mine has been.

[btroj]

I like my RCBS. Had it about 20 years and it is still working great. Have a Lee too but haven't used it in years, too drippy.

[dragonrider]

I have use Lee BP's for about 25 years, have three, two tens and a twenty. One ten is dead need to check it out one day. I have now problems with the other two. I use a ten to feed mjy twenty therefore the temp in the casting pot, that being the twenty, dosen't drop any appreciable amount.

[jsizemore]

Got a Lee with PID, Lyman Mold Master, and RCBS. Like em all. Use the RCBS most.

[keyhole]

I use a RCBS ProMelt purchased new about 1975. It has worked without problem ever since. It has not been used heavily- probably melted under 1,000 lbs of metal, almost all wheelweights. But it's nice to have something you don't have to repair or fiddle with to keep it working. I am kind of shocked by what a new one costs but I guess what I paid back in the 70's was a lot then too. But if you buy it once and it last 35+ years, it's not expensive.

[deltaenterprizes]

RCBS, Lyman, Magma

[nvbirdman]

I use a Saeco that I bought at a yard sale in 1973 for fifteen dollars.
It paid for itself long ago.

[Lloyd Smale]

I started with lees and eventually went with two 20lb lymans. there a giant step up in quality over the lees. When i had my fire and lost my two lymans i went with rcbs mostly at the time i did it because rcbs has a much better warantee program. I found the added bonus was the pots are even a bit better then the lymans. If price wasnt a consern id go with a magma. My buddy has a big magma and its a great pot. It heats up as fast as my rcbs and holds about twice the lead. Problem for me is i sometimes run two differnt alloys at the same time and wanted two pots and could buy two rcbs pots for less then the price of one magma.

[Bret4207]

I've been a ladle man for 30 some years. I tried a Lee BP and invented several new curse words. While I love many Lee products, their pots are not among my list of recommended buys. Last year I finally got a SAECO. Night and day from the Lee IMO. I still am not tossing my ladle, but this BP has possibilities.

[Bob J]

I have 3 Lee BP pots.... One for WW, one for RL and one for pure lead.... Have had no problem 2+ years now....

[59sharps]

I have a lee 4-20 and the RCBS. like them both. If I had to replace one I would go w/ a Lee only because of price.

[475/480]

Magma 40lb ,best thing I ever did was changing from ladle pour to bottom pour. I bought mine at $395 then they jumped to $575

Sean

[MakeMineA10mm]

I learned on the old-style round Lymans, and then started using the Saeco round pot that I inherited from my dad, but it got a short. A friend got me into a bunch of used casting gear, including an early NIB (NOS) Lyman Mag 20, that I then used for several years. Then a Ballisti-Cast came along with a 100-lb pot, and I got hooked on the big ones.

I now cast from a 90-lb Magma bottom-pour pot. It's awesome. I can cast for hours without re-stocking the pot. Just take a break now and then to put sprues back in and flux, and then off I go, usually pouring 6 at a time...

[bob208]

i have one of the old round 5 lb. laymans. got it in 71. about 90 the thromostat. bruned out . sent it back they put one on from a 20 lb. pot. no charge i was willing to pay for repairs. i bought a 20 lb. pot in 85 when i started shooting muzzloaders. i use the 5 l.b for pure lead and the 20 for mix for the center fires.

[.30/30 Guy]

I started out using a Lyman 61. I wanted a larger capacity so I tried a Lee 20#. Big mistake. I now use a RCBS.

The most important thing is the bottom valve. I would rate the RCBS a 10, the Lyman a 8 and the Lee a 2.

[Ole]

I use a Lee and am quite happy with it.

I guess ignorance is bliss, because Lee is all i've ever used. :drinks:

[buck1]

"Just wondering what brand most of you are using."

Perhaps the more useful question would be "What pot would you prefer?"

RCBS! But I have lyman,saeco, and lee. RCBS is king , but they all work well.

[fcvan]

As a kid my Dad had a Saeco. When i started buying my own gear I bought a Lee pro pot 4 and Lee double cavity moulds. I still have Dad's Saeco but haven't fired it for years.

Years ago I read a newspaper article about a man from Idaho who dipped from a gas fired pot. His two tips (as I recall) were gas with a large pot kept the alloy at a more constant temp and the swirling effect of pouring onto the sprue plate as opposed to directly into the mould.

From that point on I started pouring onto the sprue plate somewhat between the two cavities. If the larger sprue is still somewhat liquid as i am setting down the mould i know the temp is right. I get a drippy spigot now and again but i simply clean the opening with a bent wire and get back after it.

I preheat the two moulds I'm using by setting them on top of the pot. A tin can lid covers the pot and makes a good surface to lay the moulds onto. I always have an ingot laying on the rim of the pot and i keep the pot topped off. This seems to keep the temp pretty constant. I typically cast about 500/hour and usually alternate between a 35 cal 125 gr lrn and a 40 or 45 cal ranging between 180 and 230 grns.

I recently purchased a Lyman mould .225 cal 55 grn flat point gas check for my Mini 14. For years I avoided it because I had read so much about what a Pain In The um Neck it is to get good castings in such a small pill. Poppycock. The first two dropped beautifully and perfectly. The gas checks were easy to seat. 14 grains of IMR 4227 cycle my old 180 model Mini like a champ and tin cans roll pretty much the same when hit at 2250 fps. I especially like pulling the trigger and hearing 'dime, dime, dime' instead of 'quarter, quarter, quarter' Frank

[John Guedry]

I use a 10# Lee. It works fine in spite of being all bent and lopsided.(got dropped,it was cold at the time.)

[69daytona]

I have a Lee with a pid controller on it and it works very good for all the casting I have done in the past 4 years. When it burns out I will probably buy an RCBS as they are better built of better materials, Nothing wrong with the Lee except for the temp control.

[59stude]

I started with a Lee production pot about 20 years ago. Last year I bought an Lee Pro 4-20 and it works well for my use. I would like to have an RCBS pro-melt or an Lyman Mag-20 but the price is to high for me.
An example of prices here in Sweden for casting equipment.
Lee production Pot S.kr 967 = US$ 138
Lee Pro 4 S.kr 1055 = US$ 150
Lyman Mag-20 S.Kr 4402 = US$ 628
RCBS Pro-Melt S.Kr 5841 = US$ 834
all prices are from Midway-Sweden today.
And if I would be lucky to find any second hand equipment, it would cost about half of new.
So be happy when you buy for prices less then we have to pay here.

59stude

[blikseme300]

I use a DIY brand bottom pour. It is PID controlled and contains 70lbs of melt when full.

See it here: http://bliksemseplek.com/boolits.html

Here is a pic of the yield of one casting session, without refilling the pot, of approx 3500 120gr .358 boolits.

Bliksem

[geargnasher]

Very nice job, Blikseme. I think I found your site a while back looking for "smelting" pot designs, particularly bottom pour.

Where would a person find a band heater like that new? Never seen anything like that before.

Gear

[lurch]

Gear,

Just did a quick look over at McMaster-Carr and Grainger. Both have heaters that while not exactly like that, have some that could be used to fill the bill.

Maybe this:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/TEMPCO-Band-Heater-2VYU9

Not exactly cheap but...

[lwknight]

My Lee drip-O-matic works just fine for a cheap melter.
My old one got so bad that I just plugged the spout and use it for a pre-melter or minor smelter.
Best of all , they were pretty cheap.

[CiDirkona]

Big Drippy just got a new buddy, Lil Drippy, thanks to some sold j-words. :D

[shdwlkr]

I think when we talk about which melting pot to get we need to look at a few things, how many bullets are you going to cast at a time, how many in a year and most of how much can you easily afford to pay for this pot.
For me I cast small lots as my LEE pot is a ten pounder so you don't get a lot of 45-70 bullets from a pot something like 160 is average so most of my casting sessions are 200 bullets at a time and for a year I could or would cast maybe 5000 for the year if I have the time to cast that many which I usually don't. That works out to around 104 bullets a week. If I could afford a better pot I am not sure what I would by as my first Lee pot is almost 40 years old and still going and the second one is around 15-20 years old so I might just step up to a LEE 20 pounder as if it craps I can get another for around $60 or less and when I look at the RCBS or Lyman or any other how many 20 pound LEE's can I buy for the same money? If I could I would have two twenty pounders one for pure lead, one for my ww lead and use my two ten pounders for my custom leads. and still not have the cost of any of the higher priced pots.
It all boils down to what you want in a pot and how much use you are going to get out of it.

[LAH]

I use a Magma 40 lb. but began with an Saeco 10 pounder..............Creeker

[cbrick]

Lynn, your age is showing. :coffeecom

I have seen SAECO 20 pound pots but never a 10, that must be really old. :mrgreen:

Rick

[blikseme300]

Very nice job, Blikseme. I think I found your site a while back looking for "smelting" pot designs, particularly bottom pour.

Where would a person find a band heater like that new? Never seen anything like that before.

Gear

Gear,

Thanks for the compliment. I got the elements on evilbay. Surplus is the way to go as new is expensive!

Not all bands are suitable as the energy density needs to be high enough and the maximum temperature must be supported.

I learned a lot when on my quest for a heater band suitable. What gave me a starting clue is the band used in the Magma smelter. See it in the manual available online.

Having a large volume, temperature stable melter is like using a chainsaw instead of an axe.

Bliksem

[rmb721]

I have three Lyman 20 pounders

[LAH]

Lynn, your age is showing. :coffeecom

I have seen SAECO 20 pound pots but never a 10, that must be really old. :mrgreen:

Rick

Thanks Rick, if I don't feel old enough. The 10 pounder was purchased 1973 and was used so I'm not sure the date of birth. ...........Lynn

[Markbo]

Well like buying quality scopes once or mediocre scopes over and over you guys had me convinced to go RCBS.

Until I saw it was $354 vs. $91 for the Lee. Just starting out I believe I'll go the Simmons route until I learn enough to afford Zeiss. ;)

[Doby45]

The 10 pounder was purchased 1973

I was BORN in "73", nice year. ;)

[geargnasher]

Kinda hard to imagine, but there are lots of people on this board who had been casting longer than I've been alive, before I was born.

Gear

[cbrick]

Kinda hard to imagine, but there are lots of people on this board who had been casting longer than I've been alive, before I was born. Gear

Really? What year where you born?

Rick

[LAH]

I was BORN in "73", nice year. ;)

Rub it in you young whipper snapper. HEE HEE

[alamogunr]

I started with a Lee Pro 4-20. Added a plumbers pot when I needed to try ladle casting. Then I found a RCBS Pro Melt on close-out because it was 220V. Since I had 220V service for my table saw, I just unplug the saw and plug in the pot.

John
W.TN

[Stork]

My first was a Lee 10# precision melter, then I picked up a Saeco #12 at a rummage sale, unfortunately the heating element was shot on it. Then I went with a Lee Pro 4-20#, much better than the 10# melter but slow to melt additional ingots when it got low.

Then I got the chance to use a friends 20# RCBS, wow. I now own one and don't regret the extra cost one bit. Its so much more consistent than my lee's were and the recycle time is much less.

FWIW
Stork

[LAH]

Then I got the chance to use a friends 20# RCBS, wow. I now own one and don't regret the extra cost one bit. Its so much more consistent than my lee's were and the recycle time is much less.

I did a poll while running Dry Creek Bullet Works & over 'bout 2 years the people with the less complaints & most praise were those who used the RCBS 20 pounder............Creeker

[Jon K]

Ditto to what buck1 said...........

Jon

[dromia]

Two RCBS Pro melts, sold or converted my Lees and have never regretted the upgrade.

[geargnasher]

Rick, I was hatched in 1975, learned to cast sophmore year of high school. I'm young enough to still think ten years is a very long time.

On topic, I use Lee Pro 4-20 pots (220V and 110V with a PID controller, but that's because I'm too stupid to know they're supposed to be junk. If it melts the lead and doesn't burn the house down I can deal with it. Actually I'm more anal than that, hence the PID, but for the money the Lee pots can't be beat. Mould temp is key to casting anyway, pot temp only matters with regard to alloy and the correct maintenance therof. If you plan to cast with pure lead and are on a budget, go with the Lee 220v 4-20 unit.

Gear

[captaint]

I have an RCBS. If I had to, I'd buy another one. Mike

[hoosierlogger]

I have a Lee 10 pounder and a Lyman 20 pounder that is so old it wouldn't surprise me if Jesus owned it at one time.

[ReloaderEd]

I use a Saeco 10 pounder bottom poor. Got it new when I was 12 years old I am now 66 yrs old. It cast about 1000 bullets two weeks ago and is still kicking.

[casterofboolits]

:bigsmyl2:
Kinda hard to imagine, but there are lots of people on this board who had been casting longer than I've been alive, before I was born.

Gear

Gear,

My youngest daughter is nine years older than you and I started casting when she was three.:bigsmyl2:

[Char-Gar]

I bought my first Lyman bottom pour pot about 1965. It was a 10 lb pot and I still have it. I have pluged the spout and use it as a dip pot. About 1985 I bought a Lyman 20 lb. pot and it is still in regular service. When I first got it, it wouldn't get hot enough to get lead up to casting temp. I send it back to Lyman and they fixed it for free and it has worked well every since.

I don't know if the Lymans are better or worse than any other make. They are all I have used and have served me well for 45 years.

[skeet1]

I bought a new Saeco mid 70's and was never very happy with it. This year I purchased a Lee 4-20 and have had very good service out of it. Yes it does drip on occasion but so did my Saeco. I just keep an ingot mold sitting on the base to catch the occasional drip, no problem at all.

Skeet1

[leadsquirter]

I have two old Lyman MouldMaster 10 lb. pots. One was given to me by a friend who no longer reloads and the other one bought at a local auction for $40.00. Both work good.

[shootingbuff]

Had RCBS and was shooting to much to cast and sold the equipment. Relocated and now have more time to do anything BUT shoot (closest range is a little over an hour away) so back into casting with 2 lees. I guess I got lucky and only have min leaking once in a while. Can not beat them for the price but the RCBS pot is so smoooooth in comparison.

[Ugluk]

Other.

I've just finished updating my homemade pot to v1.1.
It worked just fine although it is a bit underpowered with only a 700w heater.
It takes about an hour to melt 40# and get it up to 750. When I cast with two molds and return the sprues as I go it usually falls to 720 and stays there. It works well for my alloy and molds, so it's not really a problem.

The ergonomics was a problem however. The pot originally stood on four legs (threaded rod holding it together) and the forward pair had to be navigated around with the molds. It also sat rather low, so when casting I was sitting hunched squinting in under it with raised shoulders and a lot of arm movements.

The pain in back and shoulders limited the casting sessions to around 3hrs, and I only managed around 1500 good boolits from a session.

Hopefully this new edition of my low budget pot will allow for greater productivity. The hotplates I use for preheating the molds and as a mold rest while the lead solidifies is now just below the pot, and the roller guide should be easy on the arms and give a smooth filling motion.
The PID finally got a box to itself instead of just laying on the bench with terminals covered by ducttape.
http://i555.photobucket.com/albums/jj468/Ugluk/Shooting%20related/th_DSC01506.jpg (http://s555.photobucket.com/albums/jj468/Ugluk/Shooting%20related/?action=view&current=DSC01506.jpg)

http://i555.photobucket.com/albums/jj468/Ugluk/Shooting%20related/th_DSC01505.jpg (http://s555.photobucket.com/albums/jj468/Ugluk/Shooting%20related/?action=view&current=DSC01505.jpg)

http://i555.photobucket.com/albums/jj468/Ugluk/Shooting%20related/th_DSC01504.jpg (http://s555.photobucket.com/albums/jj468/Ugluk/Shooting%20related/?action=view&current=DSC01504.jpg)
Does anyone use a foot operated bottom pour?
I'm thinking this would be the improvement left for me to try if this don't do the trick, and if so, would it be better (safer) to make it so the pedal should be lifted to open the valve? Or would that be hard on the leg?

[Mikael]

Pot's looking good Ugluk :smile:

I'm thinking it would be kind of awkward managing the pouring with your feet at a start. But sure, after a while it'd probably be alot smoother then using your arm, then you can dual wield those molds!:Fire:

[LAH]

Nice set up. Foot pour would be great but keep the dog away. HEE HEE

[Ugluk]

Nice set up. Foot pour would be great but keep the dog away. HEE HEE

That would be the reason for the idea of lifting the pedal to pour rather than pressing it down..
Even if I don't own a dog, the prospect of a lead glove don't appeal much..

[zxcvbob]

I use a Lee 20-4, and when I use a 6-banger mold I keep adding the sprues back in while they are still hot. I seldom cast more than about 300 boolits at a time, and most of my 200+ grain molds are 2 cavity molds (and 200 is a big run of those.) It's weird but when I cast in freezing cold weather, I have to turn the rheostat *down* because the temperature creeps up.

Instead of a band heater, I wonder if a new electric oven heating element could be wrapped around a piece of 6" pipe? (a used element might be too brittle and break.)

[oldhickory]

Bottom pour pots, LEE 6 bangers...I'm not coordinated enough to use either. I ladle cast using a 20lb Rapine and an old 10lb LEE, gave my old Lyman Drip-Master to someone here who needed a pot.

[Cowboy T]

Lee Pro 4-20 for me. Drips just a little, but it's easy to deal with. Tens of thousands of boolits later, it's still doin' a great job.

[zxcvbob]

Lee Pro 4-20 for me. Drips just a little, but it's easy to deal with. Tens of thousands of boolits later, it's still doin' a great job.
Takes a lickin', and keeps on drippin'. :D

(I just cast a few hundred today with mine)

[mold maker]

Those lead bead sculptures sell. Your Lee dripper automatically creates a work of art. Spray them with lacquer and use shoe polish to antique. Great for paper weights.

[Shooter6br]

My Lee BP 10lb er drips of course but does not have enough "flow" for small 32 cal HPs. i may try using a laddle. i wonder if the new Lee 20 lb BP is better.

[blikseme300]

I use a Lee 20-4, and when I use a 6-banger mold I keep adding the sprues back in while they are still hot. I seldom cast more than about 300 boolits at a time, and most of my 200+ grain molds are 2 cavity molds (and 200 is a big run of those.) It's weird but when I cast in freezing cold weather, I have to turn the rheostat *down* because the temperature creeps up.

Instead of a band heater, I wonder if a new electric oven heating element could be wrapped around a piece of 6" pipe? (a used element might be too brittle and break.)

zxvcbob,

I tried to wrap oven elements around my pot initially but both cracked. Both were new, BTW. There are some people that did manage this but I could not make it work. If anybody here has a trick to share on how this is done please chime in.

Bliksem

[LAH]

zxvcbob,

I tried to wrap oven elements around my pot initially but both cracked. Both were new, BTW. There are some people that did manage this but I could not make it work. If anybody here has a trick to share on how this is done please chime in.

Bliksem

Check this out, maybe some help...........Creeker

http://www.sixshootercommunity.com/articles/aaronb/heating_element_replacement.html

[bbailey7821]

I got 1 each of 10 and 20 lb Lee. They seem to work okay, but I use a thermometer. The temperature control takes some fiddling to keep it constant.

[bbailey7821]

Oh yeah, the 20 lb model is a dripping fool!

[Shiloh]

Pretty happy with my LEE Pro 4-20.

Shiloh

[Shooter6br]

Got a Lee pro. So far love it $63 at midsouth or midway

[blikseme300]

Check this out, maybe some help...........Creeker

http://www.sixshootercommunity.com/articles/aaronb/heating_element_replacement.html

Creeker,

I feel like an idiot. I get a lot of stuff from McMaster every week and never knew they had bendable elements. aargh! I spent many hours finding affordable band heaters for my pots.

Thanks

Bliksem

[Shooter6br]

Do yourself a favor Get a Lee Pro 4. I was not happy with the HP small caliber bullets I was making with the lee Production pot. I heated the lead hotter than the hinges of Hell. I pre warmed the mold hot. The problem was the low flow of the Lee pot. if you plan to make HP's or just like a good looking solid GET A LEE PRO. Well worth the price $63 at Midsouth or Midway...Rick

[Ken77539]

Lee Pro 4-20.

Not too many issues so far (I'm a newbie). Did have one problem with it dripping though. Wrote Lee with my evaluation, I suspected insufficient weight to keep the valve rod seated in the pour spout, and gave them a possible solution. What I got back was the steel knob from their Production Pot IV to add weight to the valve assembly. Installed it on my pot and promptly burnt the @$#! out of my finger, (did I mention I was a newbie at this?) but it did provide the additional weight to keep the valve seated. I just finished modifying the valve assembly - I drilled two new holes in the valve arm and remounted the steel knob towards the bottom of the arm and took a 4" long piece of wood closet rod and fasioned me a new handle to operate the valve with, and mounted it towards the top. Had to go to work, so I'll be testing this thing out in the morning to see how it does.

11/16/10
Tested it out yesterday morning and it worked just fine. Had 1 small drip, about the size of a dime, but that was adjusted out with a twist of the valve rod.

http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad192/Ken77539/CB1458.jpg

[jecjec13]

have a lee 10# over 15 years old, and a lee 20# about 10 years old. never had any trouble with them. price wise guess I will stay with lee.

[cigarman454]

My first buy was Lee, but I do like my RCBS

[Tom R]

I just bought my first it is a lee bp 10 pound I think they call it a production pot. I have not taken it out of the box yet but it was 49.00 at Cabelas.

[rockrat]

Still use my almost 40 yr old Saeco and Rcbs x 2 pots.

[340six]

Well for the last 12-13 months i was with the lyman 8 pound dipper pot that comes with the 4500 sizer kit {also the dipper and ingot mold}
We were casting 600-800 and more with it in a day :holysheep
Just ordered a lyman mag 20 BP and i am down to my last 50 pounds of lead but have 5 or 6 ingot molds and do all the smelting in a large cast iron pot

[Cowboy T]

Lee Pro 4-20.


http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad192/Ken77539/CB1458.jpg

Now THAT's a thermometer! :shock:

How much did that thing cost? I've got its much smaller brother.

[Ken77539]

Now THAT's a thermometer! :shock:

How much did that thing cost? I've got its much smaller brother.

Actually, I salvaged it out of an old (very large) BBQ pit being scrapped out. Took quite a bit of cleaning, but still seems to work good. Works good for my old eyes.

[Texasflyboy]

I've just finished updating my homemade pot to v1.1.
It worked just fine although it is a bit underpowered with only a 700w heater.

Does anyone use a foot operated bottom pour?
I'm thinking this would be the improvement left for me to try if this don't do the trick, and if so, would it be better (safer) to make it so the pedal should be lifted to open the valve? Or would that be hard on the leg?


http://hgmould.gunloads.com/newpot/instructions_files/image036.jpg


Link to Page for Pot (http://hgmould.gunloads.com/newpot/instructions.htm)

Total Capacity: 150+ lbs.
Normal working capacity: ~80lbs
4.5Kw heat (3x 1500 Watt elements)
220V @ 18A
Time from cold start to cast: 19 minutes on average.
Bottom Pour
Foot Activated

All parts were purchased locally except for the Lee 20lb spout and the eBay PID controller.

I have been planning to make a V 2.0 model with a single 1500W stove element and a 6" opening vs. the 8".

Total cost to make was about $300. Been in use since I made it without a single failure.

[Ugluk]

That is an impressive pot!

I'm gonna try that footpedal thing eventually. Not that I need it, but it may be comfy.

[grubbylabs]

Just got my Lee 20# bottom pour :grin:

[home in oz]

Lee for cost and value...

[wingnut49b]

Lee Pro 4-20. But after I get done with the PID maybe I'll wish I bought the RCBS?

[CHD]

I run a Lee while casting boolits, but use an old Dutch Oven and turkey burner to alloy and melt down bulk lead to pour into ingots. For the money you cant go wrong. my 2 cents

[alamogunr]

Just in case any one is interested, Midway has their RCBS Pro-Melt 220v on sale. I think it is about the same price as I paid for mine. If you have access to 220v, all you have to do is change out the plug for one that is compatible.

http://tinyurl.com/28y3f37

John
W.TN

[Cimarron Red]

I'm considering buying an RCBS furnace. Is there any disadvantage to getting one in 220 volt; I already have the service in my work shop? Thanks.

[alamogunr]

I'm considering buying an RCBS furnace. Is there any disadvantage to getting one in 220 volt; I already have the service in my work shop? Thanks.

Mine works fine on 220v. In my case I can't use my table saw at the same time since that is the only 220v outlet in the shop, but I wouldn't anyway. I don't think you will see a difference in operation such as reduced melt time, etc.

John
W.TN

[Cimarron Red]

Thanks, alamogunr!

[Czech_too]

Being a newbie(like 1 year) I started out with the 4# Lee and ladle poured since I wasn't sure that this was something I was gonna stay with. Last week I graduated to a Lee 4-20 and am quite pleased to the point where I just ordered another one. Now it'll be alloy in one and pure, for BP, in the other.

[*Paladin*]

I guess I can add myself to the Lee 4-20 club. I ordered one a couple days ago.

[hk33ka1]

Lee Production Pot IV 10lb

Standard reply of I wish I bought the 20lb 4-20 pot first.

[Shakey Jakey]

I was BORN in "73", nice year. ;)I graduated from high school that year!

[1Shirt]

Started with an old 10 lb Lyman. As far as graduation, mine was 1957 and there are some on this forum who can beat that by more than a little.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[LAH]

Originally Posted by Doby45
I was BORN in "73", nice year.


I graduated from high school that year!

My eldest girl was born that year.

[beanflip]

I use a Lee 4-20

[Shooter6br]

Lee 20lbs Pro 4

[bonza]

I've had a couple of the old Lee 10lb bottom pour pots over the years. They worked well enough for a while, had to replace the element in one I recall, but eventually they just got too drippy. In hindsight, I think that was my fault, as I used to melt the scrap lead in the same pots as I was casting from, so got all kinds of junk in them over the years. For the last ten years I've been using a 25lb+ cast iron pot over a propane ring & have ladled all my bullets. I've recently moved into a new home & have just set up my reloading & casting areas. I've decided to give the electric pots another go, but couldn't bring myself to buy an RCBS pot just yet, so have ordered a Lee 20lb bottom pour & a Lee 20lb standard pot to use my ladle with. The bottom pour will be for my alloyed bullets for calibers up to .45, & the ladled pot is for pure lead for my muzzleloaders (mainly .58 caliber Minies), & will relegate the old cast iron pot to smelting. I got both Lee pots for less than $120 shipped, so I think it's worth the experiment. If all else fails I'll just take the plunge & buy an RCBS one day.

[barefooter175]

I dip from a Lyman Mag 20 for round ball and use two Pro Melts for casting pistol and rifle bullets. One RCBS is almost 30 years old and still works fine. The second I purchased last year. May get a third...

James

[ronbo]

Have had a Lyman 61 for 40 years with a couple of minor repairs, wires burning off that connect the heating element and the electrical pins for the plug came loose so replaced the bakelight backing holding the pins.

[Pavogrande]

I use a Potter bought about 1958-59 or a lyman pot and dipper on the coleman stove -- same age -- Boy, am I gettin' old :-)

[Pertsev]

Started out using Dad's old Lyman bottom pour. Purchased a LEE 10 lb pot about 30 years ago.Was on a budget,had purchased a LYMAN 4 cav 45 225 RN mold and a STAR lubri sizer real cheap,needed to get casting. The LEE worked ok,bought another a couple years later and a few LEE molds for 9mm and 38.Had dribble issues w/ LEE of course.Purchased one of their newer 20 lb pots a few years ago,am still using it as a back up. Have one of the MAGMA large bottom pour pots nnow,220v,it will melt a lot of lead.Use it for hand casting and alloying. It helps to feed the 2 Bullet Master automatic machines we use.
On a budget,buy a LEE 20 lb pot.
Have a little more $$ go with the RCBS or LYMAN.Sometimes you can find them cheap at Funshows.
Really want to melt a lot of lead buy a MAGMA.

[L1A1Rocker]

I'm just getting started - haven't dropped my first boolit yet lol. I came over here from silencertalk chasing the boolit developed for the 300 Whisper/fireball/AAC BLK. A couple weeks ago I picked up a used RCBS for just over 100 bucks. Seems to work fine.

[adainhayden]

Had a Lyman Mod 61 and Mag 20 passed down to me. They are like a Timex... Takes a lick'en and keep on dripp'en. They're good to me so until I can't repair one of them I'm still to nostalgic to to cheat on them. But I have been watching the neighbors RCBS, hope he don't catch me!

[adrians]

i don't use bottom pour anymore my lee 20lb is now a ladle pot i got tired of turning the screw plug to stop it from drip ,,drip ,, dripping so i screwed a screw up in the hole and took off the handle and now i have two ladle pots my other is lyman and i'm a happy camper,,:evil:[smilie=w::twisted:

[Dale53]

I'll pray for you...

Dale53

[bjeffv]

I made my own bottom pour. I used a turkey fryer propane burner as the heat source, used an old cast iron pot, drilled a hole, added pour spout, added a metal rod to control flow.

it melts 300 pounds of lead at a time. Makes casting my ingots go fast.

[LAH]

I made my own bottom pour. I used a turkey fryer propane burner as the heat source, used an old cast iron pot, drilled a hole, added pour spout, added a metal rod to control flow.

it melts 300 pounds of lead at a time. Makes casting my ingots go fast.

Picture please.............sounds great.

[L1A1Rocker]

I made my own bottom pour. I used a turkey fryer propane burner as the heat source, used an old cast iron pot, drilled a hole, added pour spout, added a metal rod to control flow.

it melts 300 pounds of lead at a time. Makes casting my ingots go fast.

This requires pictures and and tutorial. . .

[45-70 Ranger]

Well up iuntil a week ago for the last 25 years I was casting with a Lee 10# Production pot. But the nozzle finall gave out and would only dribble. A self-threading screw in the interior port of the nozzle and it is now a 10 pound dipping pot! I don't mind a bit if it won't pour anymore. I can dip with the best of them![smilie=s:

I suppose that 25 years of service is pretty good. Shucks, the element is just fine and I expect to be casting with this thing another 25 if I live that long:rolleyes:

Wade

[RugerSP101]

Lee Production Pot IV.
Love it.

[RugerSP101]

Well up iuntil a week ago for the last 25 years I was casting with a Lee 10# Production pot. But the nozzle finall gave out and would only dribble. A self-threading screw in the interior port of the nozzle and it is now a 10 pound dipping pot! I don't mind a bit if it won't pour anymore. I can dip with the best of them![smilie=s:

I suppose that 25 years of service is pretty good. Shucks, the element is just fine and I expect to be casting with this thing another 25 if I live that long:rolleyes:

Wade

is it a replaceable part?
Can it be cleaned out or something?
Just curious. Ive wondered what happens if it stops working. Seems like a simple enough design.
At $60 if I get a few years out of it its more than paid for itself, but I do like to fix things :D

[plainsman456]

I use a Lee for smelting[I don't get in hurry when doing this]and a LYMAN MAG 20 for casting them boolits.

[wynnjammer]

Picked up Lyman mag 20 at the flea market about 15 years a go before that I had a lee 10 Lb

[ColColt]

I have just recently decided to get back into the casting business since I haven't been overjoyed at commercial bullets so; I pulled my Lyman Model 61 out of retirement. To my surprise, it still heats good melting about 4 pounds of 50/50 lead and Linotype in about 15 minutes. It even poured! Unfortunately, it stopped pouring and I had to let it cool down after I dumped what was in the pot and clean the stem and the well that holds the stem as it was dirty and preventing the liquid from flowing anymore. No big deal, now I can see daylight through the spout hole and she's ready to go. I bought this baby back around 1972 or so. Buy anything today that will last that long.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x220/ColColt/Casting%20Equipment/_DEF3899.jpg
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x220/ColColt/Casting%20Equipment/_DEF3900-1.jpg

[Dale53]

I used one of those Lyman 11 lb pots for many years with complete satisfaction. However, when my two sons started shooting IPSC with me, the 11 lb capacity was not enough. I bought an RCBS 22 lb pot and later a second one at an estate sale for "not much".

I learned early not to try to "smelt" with ANY bottom pour pot. Do your smelting with a Fish/Turkey fryer and cast iron or steel Dutch Oven, put only clean ingots in your pot and you are on the way to bullet casting nirvana!!(heaven)...

Dale53

[Hankster1962]

I purchased a Lee 10lb Production Pot over 20 years ago and a Lee4-20 lb pot maybe 10 years ago. I do all my smelting in a cast iron pot over a turkey fryer and have only put clean ingot metal into my two pots. This, I assume has greatly minimized dripping problems. I do a fair amount of casting with both pots as depending on what alloy I wish to use. They work as well now as they did when I purchased them.
Shooting buddies of mine cast from Lyman or RCBS pots. They have no more, no less problems with drips than I did, except they paid significantly more than my pots cost me.
If there was one thing I would say I hate about the Lee pot, is the dang metal rod angle in the Lee 10 lb pot. A little pain in the *** when adding the metal at start up and when fluxing, but I have learned to live with it, and work around it (literally). I am very happy with them both and have no regrets having purchased them. Almost sounds like I am talking about my wife.

[Markbo]

...IAlmost sounds like I am talking about my wife....

A very, very dangerous statement to make on a public forum! :razz:

[whd45]

Lyman Model 61

[Shooter6br]

Lee 4-20 Still have 2 other Lee pots/ Plugged the 10lbs pot Use for blendinfg and Dada little 5 lbs pot. The new 4-20 is mostly drip free and adjustable for flow

[miestro_jerry]

I have several Lee pots, 2 10 pounders, 1 20 pounder, an RCBS pot, several Dutch ovens. I have all sort of ladles and other stuff. I still have my first Lee 10 pounder, it still works and never had a problem with it.

Jerry

[bearcove]

Had a lyman 61 now RCBS. Both worked fine.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Been using two Saeco's; model T34 and 24 since the sixties. Added an RCBS pro-melt to the team in 79 to handle the H&G 4 holers a bit easier. Good quaity all around and everything keeps working without a hitch. LLS

[209jones]

I got a bit torqued with the Lee 10lb pot a couple of weeks ago. The plunger must not have been seated all the way in, about 7 lbs of melted hard shot poured out in a hurry whilst I was not watching. I thought I had lots of time, went and got something to eat in between pots. Out came the 4lb hammer and a chisel to break it up to remelt it. That was way too much like work.
I also made a point of taking the plunger out and cleaning the bottom of the pot out a bit. It actually stopped dripping for a while after that.
This last session I used the Lyman Mag20, I had a run of 320 & 400gr to do. It really is a night & day difference.

[bslim]

I have been using a Magma 40# pot for the past 8 months. I just started casting my own so this is the only experience I have with production pots. This unit has put out over 30,000 castings without problems at all. A good thing for a newbie caster. I cast 1,000 38's in one session, then take a break and add the sprues and more ingots to fill the pot. I take this as a safety percaution, that when filling or adding material to the pot, I have gloves and a full face mask on. The pot wasn't inexpensive but it's paying off in satisfaction.

[G__Fred]

I secured my Lyman Model 61 off of Craig's List for $40. It is old and to date I have processed over 400 lbs through the 10 lbs pot.

I have no reason to complain!!!

[jfischer]

Just started casting and pick up two old saeco pots that work great along with two saeco molds and a hg for my 45 acp. All for a 120 bucks.

[avogunner]

I've been using the same Lee Production Pot IV since 1987.....when I started casting. It suits me just fine.

[cigarman454]

Rcbs pro

[32/20Colt]

Lyman Model 61. Many good years of service!

[1Shirt]

RCBS, many years. Been thru a Lyman and two lees as well.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[rockrat]

Saeco (my first), a lyman 61 w/ mould guide, I bought at a gun show for $40, works great, but had to replace the cotton wound cord though and two RCBS pro pots. Different alloys in each

[Pigslayer]

Got a LEE 10# bottom pour. Had it over 10 years now. Still cookin'