Used RCBS Pro Melt

[KevH]

I managed to find a used RCBS Pro Melt (not easy right now). It's got some surface rust I plan to clean up.

The label looks different from other ones I have seen and the date of manufacture is blank.

Anyone seen one like this before? Any clue when it was made?

[retread]

Nice find! No idea as to age.

[dannyd]

It is one of the last group manufactured about 4 years ago. After that they came out with the Pro2

[Walks]

From the condition of the "steel/iron" parts it looks like it was used once and put up "wet".

[KevH]

Were the rusted parts on here originally painted or blued?

I'm thinking of hitting them with some steel wool at some point in the near future, but am wondering what to finish them with to keep the rust from coming back.

[Land Owner]

Storage in a damp environment (basement or garage) will cause surface rust like that. 000 steel wool will do the job. Blued steel (mine is) on the original parts.

I dissolve about 20% Johnson's Paste Wax (or equal) in 80% diesel for MANY steel parts that stay in the garage. Brush it on or spray it on with a spritzer bottle. Wipe off the excess. Lasts a long time before reapplication is required.

[rototerrier]

Same as mine, but I've had mine closer to 8 years. I had to send it in for service. Insulation wasn't properly installed and the nozzle wouldn't stay hot. Lead would actually freeze up in the nozzle during casting even though the lead in the pot was over 700 degrees. Been perfect since their repair. So watch out for that. Could have been a bad batch.

[kevin c]

Yours looks to be in better shape than the used ProMelt I cleaned up.

I put the rusted parts in a hot 10% citric acid solution, which took the rust (and finish) right off. Then I cold blued them, though maybe I didn't need to, as I found recently that rusted steel tools that I treated the same way developed a patina on their own. My base plate had flaked paint and rust, so after taking that off I spray painted it with high temp engine paint, though I realized too late that I didn't have an oven hot enough to cure it properly. So far, it's holding up.

The part that took the most effort was finding the right size screws for the valve lever. I didn't think to call RCBS.

[HATCH]

From the condition of the "steel/iron" parts it looks like it was used once and put up "wet".

in reality that is what it will look like after being stored in a non-climate controlled garage in a high humidity area

[shtur]

I once used a rag with linseed oil to clean up an axe. After seeing how the bare metal didn't rust, I now put a light film of linseed oil on metal after it has been cleaned.

[David2011]

Linseed oil is great for protecting metal. Since the oil can oxidize it can spontaneously combust on rags so use the proper precautions for disposal of used rags.

[daveinsvaz]

My ProMelt is freezing up at the nozzle now also. Hit it with a torch and it is good for another 3-4 minutes. Does anyone have a DIY fix for the nozzle?

[Gunslinger1911]

My ProMelt is freezing up at the nozzle now also. Hit it with a torch and it is good for another 3-4 minutes. Does anyone have a DIY fix for the nozzle?

Up the temp a little.
I had that problem with a PM2 (among others !), if in a cold draft, put something (1/4" plywood ?) around 3 sides to help retain heat.

[too many things]

call rcbs they had problems and did do some rebulids now i think they offer the pro 2 cheap if you send in the old. that sticker looks like a rebuild
i have one like it with letter from rcbs , saying if i have problems to contact them
so far in 10 yrs none

[flyingmonkey35]

Send it over to me and ill take gooood care of it for you.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[Conditor22]

Drain it, take it patially apart and give the pot and spout a good cleaning, torch and tip cleaner, get all the residue out of the spout .

normally the pro melts don't freeze up because the spout is a lot thicker than Lee. IF it gets gunk buildup in the spout that will insulate the lead in the center letting it freeze easier

my 2¢

[Land Owner]

My ProMelt is freezing up at the nozzle now also. Hit it with a torch and it is good for another 3-4 minutes. Does anyone have a DIY fix for the nozzle?

A "heat sink" thing to consider includes, don't return cut off spru or visually rejected boolits to the pot during casting as the dramatic drop in temperature (solid alloy vs. liquid) will take the whole pot below the melt temp at the tip. I do the same with the torch to the tip and simultaneously raise the pot temp just a little. I don't completely trust the temp settings on the dial of the pot.

Does RCBS have a Tech that runs every new pot and then tightens each dial's set screw to a measured temp? I don't think so. The settings on mine seem fairly CLOSE, I don't have a thermometer, and the "fingertip test" for temp remains inconclusive.

[Taterhead]

Mine looks like the pic, and I believe it was made about 5-6 years ago, purchased new from MidwayUSA. My spout will also freeze, but that's at about an indicated 650 F on the RCBS thermometer. I typically operate it about 700-725.

If it is freezing at normal alloy temps, I suspect Conditor offers good advice about a drain and clean.

Note that there are specific startup procedures when beginning with an empty pot.

[Winger Ed.]

My old Pro-Melt will sometimes freeze up or slow down with lighter boolits. Less flow I guess.
Or, if there is a breeze in the shop.

Either way, after putting a torch to it once, and raising the temp. just a bit makes the problem go away.