RCBS ProMelt vs Lee 4-20 (buying my first pot)

[jsizemore]

I use a 10quart dutch oven which lets me end with 150-160 lbs of cleaned alloy. I use a turkey fryer with a little taller legs so I don't spend so much time bent over stirring and scraping which is key to clean alloy. You'll be amazed what accumulates under the melt after the surface looks mirror clean. I ladle pour all my ingots because of that. A shallower pot is easier to ladle from. The size of my pot is about the same size as the ring/support for the fryer. I use a reclaimed hot water heater sheet metal jacket for a wind screen and the top for a lid for the whole setup. The jacket is cut to the same height as the pot on top of the cooker. I'm miserly with the gas. Takes me 40 minutes to get the lead up to liquidius. I can get 2500 lbs of alloy processed on a single 20lb propane tank. Each lb of processed alloy costs me 2 cents of gas.

Everybody has their own ideas about what works and doesn't. I use 55 gallon drums to store alloy.

[YoungGun88]

My inspiration for the bottom pour was the “Satans Little Smelter” and this one:


I have nothing against ladle casting, but the safety aspect of bottom pouring, and keeping things as close to the ground as possible, is important to me. Tip hazard, you could say. I live in LA, so God forbid an earthquake happen with a full pot of molten lead!

Anyhow, these guys seem to have some useful tricks, like using a steel 5gal paint stirrer to help flux lead and stir/agitate alloy in the pot, faster and more efficiently:

[Walter Laich]

since I'm old I find that 30-40 minutes is my limit for casting

I drop the sprues in a box and once done put them back in the pot along with enough lead to fill it for the next cast.

yes, I realize I'm heating the lead twice--once when I put them in at the end of the casting session and again when I start the next one

▲ I balance this out with the fact that I'm ready to go as soon as the pot comes up to temp--no waiting while the sprues and new lead melt and get up to casting temp

I'm happy with this and in the long run, that's what matters to me

[jsizemore]

Like I said, everybody has there way that they like best. Ain't nothing wrong with that. I smelt wherever my truck will go. I cast in the house where I'm comfortable year round. I load in the house where I'm comfortable. Clean and work on guns in the house. I shoot out back on my range. I hunt out back on the farm. It's the way I do things. Other folks got their way. Beginners can choose when they know all their options.

[Petander]

A super score! Congrats!

An original Pro Melt... I have one that I bought used in the late 90's. Still runs great.

Those other two will find uses, either for different alloys (I have a separate pure pot) or to pre-heat alloy for longer sessions.

I tend to limit my sessions to 3/4 Pro Melt these days. No more marathons.