Lyman 61 question

[Dieter]

I just snagged a 61 that’s in not too bad of condition, minor surface rust and such. I wanted to test it out, eBay purchase. It got up to temp pretty quick, it was only on for about a few minutes the shut off. It has the old style nomex type power cord, no signs of heat damage or melting. Both ends were pretty darn toasty after turning off. Is that common? The thermostat spindle has some radial slop in it, ordered another one from reading old posts. Wiring looked pretty new, from an initial look. Sorry if this is basic knowledge, I’m working on that.

[fecmech]

Those were great pots with 1000 watt elements. You can preheat your mold and extra ingots on the top shelf of the pot. Mine lasted 40 years and still works full on as the thermostat is toast. I currently use a RCBS pot I bought about 10 yrs ago. Enjoy your pot. There is "newer" out there but not "better".

[marlin39a]

I was lucky to buy one at a yard sale 10 yrs ago. It was in mint condition. I use it regularly, and am happy with its 10 lb capacity. Easy to keep clean, and doesn't clog up.

[44magLeo]

fecmec, on your old pot stuck full on, that could be a good prospect for PID controller.
Leo

[Dieter]

This one is actually in not too bad of shape, I’ve already knocked the rust off, cleaned and painted everything else. The mica board under the thermostat is falling apart, easy to replace along with the thermostat and add some rockwool. Wiring looks pretty good, no burning or loose connectors. It should be back up in short order.

[fecmech]

fecmec, on your old pot stuck full on, that could be a good prospect for PID controller.
Leo

I'm sure it would but any casting I do now gets done in the RCBS pot which works great. My primary focus now is shotguns and sporting clays.