What Bottom Pour Furnace Do You Use?

[L1A1Rocker]

I made my own bottom pour. I used a turkey fryer propane burner as the heat source, used an old cast iron pot, drilled a hole, added pour spout, added a metal rod to control flow.

it melts 300 pounds of lead at a time. Makes casting my ingots go fast.

This requires pictures and and tutorial. . .

[45-70 Ranger]

Well up iuntil a week ago for the last 25 years I was casting with a Lee 10# Production pot. But the nozzle finall gave out and would only dribble. A self-threading screw in the interior port of the nozzle and it is now a 10 pound dipping pot! I don't mind a bit if it won't pour anymore. I can dip with the best of them!

I suppose that 25 years of service is pretty good. Shucks, the element is just fine and I expect to be casting with this thing another 25 if I live that long

Wade

[RugerSP101]

Lee Production Pot IV.
Love it.

[RugerSP101]

Well up iuntil a week ago for the last 25 years I was casting with a Lee 10# Production pot. But the nozzle finall gave out and would only dribble. A self-threading screw in the interior port of the nozzle and it is now a 10 pound dipping pot! I don't mind a bit if it won't pour anymore. I can dip with the best of them!

I suppose that 25 years of service is pretty good. Shucks, the element is just fine and I expect to be casting with this thing another 25 if I live that long

Wade

is it a replaceable part?
Can it be cleaned out or something?
Just curious. Ive wondered what happens if it stops working. Seems like a simple enough design.
At $60 if I get a few years out of it its more than paid for itself, but I do like to fix things

[plainsman456]

I use a Lee for smelting[I don't get in hurry when doing this]and a LYMAN MAG 20 for casting them boolits.

[wynnjammer]

Picked up Lyman mag 20 at the flea market about 15 years a go before that I had a lee 10 Lb

[ColColt]

I have just recently decided to get back into the casting business since I haven't been overjoyed at commercial bullets so; I pulled my Lyman Model 61 out of retirement. To my surprise, it still heats good melting about 4 pounds of 50/50 lead and Linotype in about 15 minutes. It even poured! Unfortunately, it stopped pouring and I had to let it cool down after I dumped what was in the pot and clean the stem and the well that holds the stem as it was dirty and preventing the liquid from flowing anymore. No big deal, now I can see daylight through the spout hole and she's ready to go. I bought this baby back around 1972 or so. Buy anything today that will last that long.

[Dale53]

I used one of those Lyman 11 lb pots for many years with complete satisfaction. However, when my two sons started shooting IPSC with me, the 11 lb capacity was not enough. I bought an RCBS 22 lb pot and later a second one at an estate sale for "not much".

I learned early not to try to "smelt" with ANY bottom pour pot. Do your smelting with a Fish/Turkey fryer and cast iron or steel Dutch Oven, put only clean ingots in your pot and you are on the way to bullet casting nirvana!!(heaven)...

Dale53

[Hankster1962]

I purchased a Lee 10lb Production Pot over 20 years ago and a Lee4-20 lb pot maybe 10 years ago. I do all my smelting in a cast iron pot over a turkey fryer and have only put clean ingot metal into my two pots. This, I assume has greatly minimized dripping problems. I do a fair amount of casting with both pots as depending on what alloy I wish to use. They work as well now as they did when I purchased them.
Shooting buddies of mine cast from Lyman or RCBS pots. They have no more, no less problems with drips than I did, except they paid significantly more than my pots cost me.
If there was one thing I would say I hate about the Lee pot, is the dang metal rod angle in the Lee 10 lb pot. A little pain in the *** when adding the metal at start up and when fluxing, but I have learned to live with it, and work around it (literally). I am very happy with them both and have no regrets having purchased them. Almost sounds like I am talking about my wife.

[Markbo]

...IAlmost sounds like I am talking about my wife....

A very, very dangerous statement to make on a public forum!

[whd45]

Lyman Model 61

[Shooter6br]

Lee 4-20 Still have 2 other Lee pots/ Plugged the 10lbs pot Use for blendinfg and Dada little 5 lbs pot. The new 4-20 is mostly drip free and adjustable for flow

[miestro_jerry]

I have several Lee pots, 2 10 pounders, 1 20 pounder, an RCBS pot, several Dutch ovens. I have all sort of ladles and other stuff. I still have my first Lee 10 pounder, it still works and never had a problem with it.

Jerry

[bearcove]

Had a lyman 61 now RCBS. Both worked fine.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Been using two Saeco's; model T34 and 24 since the sixties. Added an RCBS pro-melt to the team in 79 to handle the H&G 4 holers a bit easier. Good quaity all around and everything keeps working without a hitch. LLS

[209jones]

I got a bit torqued with the Lee 10lb pot a couple of weeks ago. The plunger must not have been seated all the way in, about 7 lbs of melted hard shot poured out in a hurry whilst I was not watching. I thought I had lots of time, went and got something to eat in between pots. Out came the 4lb hammer and a chisel to break it up to remelt it. That was way too much like work.
I also made a point of taking the plunger out and cleaning the bottom of the pot out a bit. It actually stopped dripping for a while after that.
This last session I used the Lyman Mag20, I had a run of 320 & 400gr to do. It really is a night & day difference.

[bslim]

I have been using a Magma 40# pot for the past 8 months. I just started casting my own so this is the only experience I have with production pots. This unit has put out over 30,000 castings without problems at all. A good thing for a newbie caster. I cast 1,000 38's in one session, then take a break and add the sprues and more ingots to fill the pot. I take this as a safety percaution, that when filling or adding material to the pot, I have gloves and a full face mask on. The pot wasn't inexpensive but it's paying off in satisfaction.

[G__Fred]

I secured my Lyman Model 61 off of Craig's List for $40. It is old and to date I have processed over 400 lbs through the 10 lbs pot.

I have no reason to complain!!!

[jfischer]

Just started casting and pick up two old saeco pots that work great along with two saeco molds and a hg for my 45 acp. All for a 120 bucks.

[avogunner]

I've been using the same Lee Production Pot IV since 1987.....when I started casting. It suits me just fine.