Old Saeco 24 vs old RCBS Pro Melt for a new caster

[KevH]

I want to begin casting. I've been collecting old Lyman and RCBS molds over the years, but with work and kids never have actually had the time to do anything with them.

I have a chance right now to buy either an old Saeco 24 for $60 or an older RCBS Pro Melt for a little over $200. Both need to have rust and crud cleaned off of them, but both work.

Any advice on which one to go with? I'd rather not collect pots and just want one that will last me forever.

[DiverJay]

I got a RCBS Pro-Melt 2 from MW a few months back on special for $231 with shipping. Not sure how it compares to the original Pro-Melt or the SAECO, but I really like this machine.

[Petrol & Powder]

They are both good pots and for the cost listed I would jump all over the old SAECO.

[rcslotcar]

Iv'e got both. I use the RCBS more often but I say get the Saeco for that price !!!

[762sultan]

I have both and still use the old Saeco quite often. The only drawback is it only holds 10 pounds of lead. The RCBS will hold twenty pounds and you don't have to refill the pot so often. For a larger bullet, which drains the pot faster, I use the RCBS. Otherwise they both work equally well.

[KevH]

I bought the Saeco. It just seemed like too good of a deal to pass up.









I'm working on purchasing the RCBS Pro Melt.

The seller (80 years old) used the Saeco to cast fishing sinkers. It hadn't been on in years and he turned it on to make sure it still worked so that's why there is some dripping on the baseplate.

Does anyone know where I can find a mold guide for this?

[lightman]

Thats a nice looking old pot and looks like it should clean up well. A little work with an electric drill with a wire brush on it and a little paint and it will be looking good. That pot looks pretty close to a 10# Lyman pot, maybe one of their mold guides will work on it?

[Rich/WIS]

Lyman mold guide (if you can find one) works on the SAECO pot, used one on mine.

[rcslotcar]

There is a Lyman guide on Ebay.

[Petrol & Powder]

You got a great piece of gear ! I would be very happy to own that.

Clean that SAECO up a bit, make or buy a mold guide and you will be in business.

[KevH]

There is a Lyman guide on Ebay.

There was. I just bought it. Thanks for the lead!

[jsizemore]

You can buy parts for the Pro-Melt. The SAECO is ...........?

[Petrol & Powder]

You can buy parts for the Pro-Melt. The SAECO is ...........?

He will not need to buy parts for the SAECO.
And for $60 you can hardly go wrong. Even if you had to find substitute parts in the future, you would still be ahead of the game.

[Eddie Southgate]

I don't have an RCBS but do have both the Saeco and a newer Lyman and much prefer the SAECO . Been using them since the 60's and only had 1 issue that was easily fixed with a generic part from a local electric supply company . The older Lyman pot was made for them and was a SAECO pot with Lyman branding added . Lyman originally sold a pot made by Potter . At $60.00 for a live pot you did very well . There is one on ebay now for $160.00 . That's way too high . Your pot will probably outlast 10 Lee pot's . My dad had 5 Lee's when he passed , two working and three needing repair .

[nvbirdman]

Back in 1973 I bought a used Saeco for $15. I used it for the next thirty-five years and it was still working when I replaced it with a Pro-melt.

[fecmech]

IMO the Saeco is every bit the equal of the RCBS (I've owned both). It's a 1000 watt pot which means it recovers very quickly. With the shelf on the pot to preheat ingots as you go and 1000 watts you will have to work your butt off to outrun a Saeco pot no matter what size bullet your casting. Nice score.

[KevH]

What is the best/safest way to clean up this thing once the remaining lead is drained out of it?

The pot is cast iron, but I'm not sure what type of metal the other components are made out of.

[Petrol & Powder]

The base is cast iron but I doubt the other components are. They are likely steel.
The first question is just how clean does it need to be? I would detach the parts that can be easily removed and clean them up with a wire wheel. Maybe paint them with some high temperature paint. For the pot section itself, I would avoid making a lot of rust/lead dust and do that work outside. You could clean up the top surface of that pot but there's not a lot of need to clean up the interior of that pot. Get any loose rust off and call it a day.
Functional is more important than aesthetics.

[eck0313]

I’ve had both. Prefer the RCBS by a wide margin, especially if casting a large number of heavy bullets.

If the heating element on the SAECO goes, you’re out of luck. They are over 50 years old at this point, and won’t last forever. They also use more electricity than the newer furnaces. For the occasional caster looking for something cheap . . . They are an option.

[KevH]

I found too good of a deal on an RCBS Pro Melt to pass up, so now I have one of those on the way as well. So I'll have a Saeco and a Pro Melt for way less than a new Pro Melt or Pro Melt II would have cost. I still really want to get this Saeco cleaned up. I don't have time to tackle it this weekend. We will see...