I just bought an old Lyman Mould Master on Ebay and received it 2 days ago. It already had hardened lead in the pot, which I thought was a bad sign it might not work. I plugged it in, and turned it up to 700 degrees. It did not melt the lead; although, it seemed like it was getting pretty hot. I kept on cranking it up finally to all the way up. On the all the way up setting, which was way past the dial to the stop, it finally melted the lead and poured through the spigot.
Is this normal for these old melters?
Also, I've noticed that there were several variations of this melter. Mine does not have Model 61 on it and has an aluminum base. Others I've noticed had a cast iron base and a Model 61 at the plug in. I guess these are older models. I appreciate any input. Thanks