RCBS Pro-Melt Awesomeness

[dbarnhart]

I had the first serious casting session with my new RCBS Pro-Melt this morning. with my 4-cav brass Accurate mold I cast 1514 boolits and it seemed effortless.

Now understand that my previous pot was a Lee 10# bottom pour (AKA Sir Dripsalot). Oh man what a difference. Some of the things I really like:

1. The little bracket or shelf to rest the mold on while I'm pouring. I don't have to support the weight of the mold while pouring and while the sprue sets up. The little guides on the bracket mean that the mold is sitting right where it's supposed to be for the pour.

2. Recovery time. If I don't let it get too empty, just enough so that adding a 1-pound ingot refills it then there is NO recovery time. Yes, the temp does drop but not enough that I have to stop casting and wait for it to come back up to temp.

3. Travel-stop on the pour handle.

4. NO DRIPS!

[DRNurse1]

Thanks for your review. I was on the fence with replacing my old melt pot with a Lee or Lyman/ RCBS due to the cost, but my time has to be worth something. I spend a lot of time waiting for my melt to heat up and that allows the mould to cool>>>toss a few casts back into the pot.

DRNurse1

[dbarnhart]

Yes, I finally feel like I have my Boolit production rate where I want it. I don't shoot a lot, 100 rounds of .45acp per week but that adds up to about 5000 rounds/year. Two 'casting weekends' per year - one in the spring and one in the fall - should take care of things nicely.

[VHoward]

I too started with a Sir Drips A Lot Lee 10# bottom pour and recently changed to a RCBS Pro Melt. I also noticed the same things you did. I will also add that the temp stays a consistant temp as you cast and the level of the lead drops in the pot. On the Lee, as the level of the lead dropped, the temp increased. At least it did in mine. I like not having to constantly adjust the temp control.

I did whine about the price of the Pro melt before I bought it, but now that I have used it, I think it is worth the price. It was nice to get a $50 rebate on it too.

I prefer to only put in clean lead to my pot and I don't put in the sprue cut offs or bullet rejects. Those get put into my smelting pot to be cleaned with the next batch of wheel weights.

[hornady]

RCBS is a great pot, over the years I have owned 4 of the Lee. I now own the RCBS Pro-Melt It would be very hard to go back too the Lee after casting with the RCBS.

[seagiant]

Hi,
Well...I've said it before and I'll say it again. This is the best deal for a serious bottom pour pot you can buy! I got into it with the guys that make the PID controllers by saying I don't need it, my pot is pretty good on that. I think most of those guys are using LEE 20lb. pots and need it on those pots but I don't see wasting the money on the RCBS?

[Rockchucker]

Hi,
Well...I've said it before and I'll say it again. This is the best deal for a serious bottom pour pot you can buy! I got into it with the guys that make the PID controllers by saying I don't need it, my pot is pretty good on that. I think most of those guys are using LEE 20lb. pots and need it on those pots but I don't see wasting the money on the RCBS?

I really can't see the need for a pid on the pro melt either, Mine holds the temperature great with the oem thermostat. I think you're right about most folks use the on the lee pots.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Being a retired plumber (quit laughing), I came up with a simple improvement to my RCBS pot. I thought a roller would be a nice feature on the mould holder projection rest when pouring lead to lessen fatigue when using larger than a single cavity mould. So I looked around in my plumbing odds and ends and came up with a piece of 3/8" pipe about 3" long with no threads on either end. I removed the stops on the mould holder and slid the pipe onto the rod then replaced a mould stop on the rod end. I now have a roller for moving the moulds in and out from under the spout.Robert

[dbarnhart]

Hmmmm. That's a great idea. I think I will see of I can find some brass tubing at the hardware store and cut a piece that is the width of my mold. That way the two collets will keep the mold centered and I'll have a roler to boot!

[quasi]

I wish RCBS made a 50 lber, now that I have 30+ gang molds.

[Defcon-One]

I upgraded from a LEE 10 lb. pot to an RCBS 20 lb. Pro-Melt about 1-1/2 years ago. Wow, what a difference!

I took the pour spout plug and lever off of the old LEE pot and threaded the spout and then put a short screw in it to plug it up tight.

Now I use the LEE pot to pre-melt my 5 lb. ingots. I load both pots and plug in. By the time I need to add lead to the RCBS pot, the LEE pot has it melted and ready to pour into the RCBS, then I add a new ingot (or sprues and rejects, too) to the LEE pot. I always have pre-melted lead ready as needed. Just need to pour it in, no waiting to heat back up required after adding cold lead to the Pro-Melt.

[bobthenailer]

To better support & aline the mould i use the Lyman mould guide on my RCBS pot. instead of the one supplied . you will have to drill 2 holes in the base and use 2 long bolts and you will also have to add some spacers /washers to get the guide assy closer to the pots spout .

[chboats]

dbarnhart - I have a pro melt and love it. A problem you may run in to is if you have it plugged into a 15amp GFI out let. It may start tripping the GFI, not the circuit breaker. This is a common problem. I talked to the RCBS rep about it and his advise was to change the outlet to a 20amp GFI. You are not changing the 15 amp breaker just the outlet. I had the same problem with an electric charcoal lighter. After changing the outlets I had no more problems.
The pro melt won't last forever. After 30 years of casting I had to send it back for repairs

Carl

[wymanwinn]

The pro melt won't last forever. After 30 years of casting I had to send it back for repairs ...Carl

well, damn...that means my new Pro Melt will need repair when i am 90....!!!!

if i last that long...

[Rockchucker]

well, damn...that means my new Pro Melt will need repair when i am 90....!!!!

if i last that long...

That makes us the same age, did I just say that.

[finishman2000]

dbarnhart - I have a pro melt and love it. A problem you may run in to is if you have it plugged into a 15amp GFI out let. It may start tripping the GFI, not the circuit breaker. This is a common problem. I talked to the RCBS rep about it and his advise was to change the outlet to a 20amp GFI. You are not changing the 15 amp breaker just the outlet. I had the same problem with an electric charcoal lighter. After changing the outlets I had no more problems.
The pro melt won't last forever. After 30 years of casting I had to send it back for repairs

Carl

the way around the tripping of the gfi is to plug your pot in any standard outlet (i do miune on the kitchen counter) for just 5 minutes, before it even get hot. then plug in the gfi and it won't trip. don't ask me why but it works for me everytime.

[dbarnhart]

A problem you may run in to is if you have it plugged into a 15amp GFI out let. It may start tripping the GFI, not the circuit breaker.

Yup. Same problem here. For now I use a short extension cord to plug it into a nearby 20-amp GFI outlet. I'm going to install a separate 20-amp circuit (hopefully this weekend) above my reloading bench and that should solve the problem permanently.

[9.3X62AL]

My RCBS casting furnace ranks among my best reloading and casting tools, period. Curiously, I've never used the mould support bracket--I just free-hand my moulds. Next time I use a 4- or 6-cavity tool, I'll give that part a test-drive. The majority of my moulds are of the 2-cylinder variety.

[Alan in Vermont]

I prefer to only put in clean lead to my pot and I don't put in the sprue cut offs or bullet rejects. Those get put into my smelting pot to be cleaned with the next batch of wheel weights.

I don't understand why you would do that. The sprues are already as clean as they are going to get and still warm, why not cycle them back into the pot as they are generated?

[bobthenailer]

While wating for the sprue to solidify , i gather up the warm cut off sprues and put them in the pot while casting along with preheated ingots@ 400* to keep the pot at least 3/4 full at all times.

[VHoward]

I had a clogged spout once. I also used to put the sprue cut offs back in my pot along with bullet rejects. I stopped doing that and haven't had a clogged spout again. Just preference.

[mold maker]

Well since you only had a clogged spout once, what makes you think that was the source? Your sprue cutoffs and reject boolits are the same alloy as what made good boolits. The only difference is the temp going into the pot..
Just asking to understand.

[1bluehorse]

I bought a new Pro melt a couple months ago and was talking to a friend about it and he said he had an old one around somewhere that had started giving him problems a while back. Bought it from him for 50 bucks. Sure enough the thermostat was screwed up and would heat up to 700 and no higher or lower. Called RCBS for a new thermostat. Cost was 56.00 with a new control knob (they changed them) delivered. Pot works great now. [smilie=2: The new one is still packed under the bench. Probably should sell the old one and put the new one into service (or vice versa). I really have no need for two. I still have my Lee 4-20 pot around here somewhere, that thing is darn near new, I doubt there's been more than a couple hundred lbs of lead through it if that.... I used a Lyman 61 for many years before I bought the Lee pot a couple years ago,(wanted a 20lber) but with the Lee I just didn't enjoy casting as much..so I didn't...the Pro melt has put the enjoyment back into it for me..YMMV..

[Oreo]

If you're selling I'm interested in buying. Shoot me a pm if you're serious.