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Thread: Aftermarket heater band for Master Caster?

  1. #1
    Boolit Man
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    92

    Aftermarket heater band for Master Caster?

    UPDATE 01-21-2019 CUSTOM BAND IS INSTALLED AND WORKING:

    CUSTOM HEATER BANDS FOR THE MASTER CASTER ARE DONE. IF YOU WANT ONE READ BELOW.

    After several months of work, waiting for the order to be produced and then testing it a couple of times before commenting, I have now installed and tested the new heater band from Tempco and put a couple of casting sessions on it. It works great! The extra wattage makes the recovery time when adding lead substantially better than the stock band. Less likely to freeze the spout and you can add enough lead to gain ground on what is in the pot with much less management.

    Installation is almost identical to the original band, the only difference is that the wires come out near the thermostat box opening which makes things easier to rewire. The connections to the band itself are way more robust. Wiring and overall design are identical to the original type of band:
    120/240 wiring (series or parallel so it works with any MC, same as original)
    1600W (800W x 800W, 100 more per side than original)
    12" Wire leads (way more than enough)
    Band internal diameter: 5.590" (The band was made for the exact diameter of my pot, they should all be the same but ALWAYS CHECK YOURS. It needs to be +/- no more than .25" absolute max.)

    The part number if anyone wants to contact TEMPCO to order one or more is:
    MPP04139

    I'm giving this work away freely to the entire cast boolit community as a thank you for everything I've gotten from it over the years. I have no desire to resell these heater bands. Tempco can make them as needed for us. And by the way, their sales and engineering people were fantastic and great to work with. I would recommend them without hesitation to anyone who needs a custom heater band solution.

    Magma is also welcome to this part number if they would like to upgrade their machines. I'd only ask that they let me know if they decide to try them.

    ------
    ORIGINAL POST FOR REFERENCE:
    Has anyone found a good alternate source for a heater band that fits a Master Caster pot? Mine and a friends both died on nearly new MCs from about a year ago with only a few casting sessions and since Magma isn't going to warranty them it would be great to get a different brand or better heat band. My old MC is still working perfectly after many years and untold numbers of boolits made.

    Magma is out of stock of their own heat bands with more coming in... "soon" and they will want $140+$20 shipping for them.

    Recommendations? Has anyone replaced their with something else? Mine is 220v and my friend's is 110v but it looks like many of the bands I've seen in parts catalogs are dual wiring.
    ------
    Last edited by Advil; 01-21-2019 at 05:59 PM.

  2. #2
    ADMIN



    HATCH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Lexington, SC
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    6,697
    They are identical bands.
    The 120 are wired up parallel and the 220 is in series.
    You need to measure the diameter of the pot itself.
    I forgot where I got my replacement.
    But it was larger in wattage.
    Don't like being hammered by the Cast Boolits Staff, then don't be a nail.
    The rules are simple to follow.

  3. #3
    Boolit Man
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    92
    Hey you are still around Hatch! Good to see.

    Was looking at some from Tempco. They have some very nice 1400 degree replacements from 1500 to 1700 watt. Any reason one of those won't work?

    I'd have to get an exact size and talk to them about fit when clamped but something like this:
    (EDIT - SPECIFIC PART NUMBER REMOVED. NONE OF THE PRE-CONFIGURED BANDS WILL WORK. See later posts for more info and possible custom part.)

    From this series:
    https://www.tempco.com/Products/Elec...nd-Heaters.htm
    Last edited by Advil; 10-24-2018 at 03:30 AM.

  4. #4
    Boolit Man
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    92
    Good things are happening!

    The bad news:
    the preconfigured in-stock part number I posted above will not work. It won't fit. I edited the post to remove it so no one accidentally buys one.

    THE GOOD NEWS:
    I might soon have a custom designed part number for a far more modern construction heat band that's more durable with higher wattage. I'll post more info on this if it pans out, and again when I get one installed. I'll be getting a couple of them for my own machines and a spare.

    These guys are really working at designing a proper heating element for this application. Awesome service so far. Of course price will matter, but let's see how it goes. A very similar part from their catalog was within $12 of Magma's price. I'd assume the customized design could make these a bit more expensive initially but the difference in specs will hopefully make it worth it.

    When this process is done I'll try to get a part number in case anyone reading this ever wants to order one.

  5. #5
    Boolit Man
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    92
    Good news!

    Original post updated with info, specs and how to get one of the custom 1600W heater bands from Tempco. They are based on their MiPlus design which has a high working outer sheath temp of 1400 degrees and better construction design and materials than stock.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master MOA's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Concho, Arizona. At home in the White Mountains at last. Formerly living in Mobile Alabama.
    Posts
    1,603
    Advil,
    That's great news. I picked mine up from Eric back in 2011 or 2012 just can't remember for sure. So far so good on mine still working but should it stop at least due to your efforts and generosity in sharing this I will not only be able to replace the band but upgrade it too. Thanks a bunch.

  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy SODAPOPMG's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Florida panhandle
    Posts
    105
    Any updates on this
    Still working good?
    My stock heater on my master caster just died and I am looking to upgrade
    As mine is only 3 years old and has only cast about 30,000 bullets
    Great minds discuss ideas
    Average minds discuss events
    Small minds discuss people

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check