Need help with self build melter

[USMC87]

I have been looking for a heater band to make my own melter, I found a ceramic 3000 watt 240 volt insulated heat band on ebay. Does anybody have any idea if this band would be ok to put a pot inside? Looks to be 7 inch inside diameter and 6 inch wide, Should make a descent size pot.

[jmorris]

Don't know what band you are looking at but I used a 3500 watt 230v oven element from sears repair center ($12) for my 3/8 wall thick pot on the outside of the 60# pot I built and it works fine.

[375RUGER]

I would think 3000 watts would melt lead just fine.

[Sasquatch-1]

I don't know if this will help or not, but the Lee 10 pound bottom pour only uses a 500 watt heating coil.
I have seen places on line that make coils that can be bent to fit the need.

[Springfield]

Better make sure your wiring can take 3000 watts.

[Whiterabbit]

3000 watts at 120v = 25 amps.

That's assuming 100% efficiency, or that the 3000 watt rating isn't heat output but load draw. In short, holy smokes!

At 50% efficiency, that's 50 amps. Or roughly what my arc welder takes at ONE HUNDRED PERCENT duty cycle.

Or in short, really really holy smokes!

I hope that heater coil takes 240 volts in!

[USMC87]

Yes Sir it's 240 volt, Do you think a little less watts would be ok for a big pot? I'm going to use 10 guage wire for all connections. I appreciate the help you guys give me here.

[Springfield]

My 40 lb Magma pot is 1500 watts. Lee and RCBS pots are 6-800 watts. 3000 seems a bit excessive.

[Whiterabbit]

actually, two new thoughts. #1, ceramics are brittle, my lee pot heater seems to be metal. Nice and tough. Problem? no?

Second, my lee melter (duh!) has a "pot" on it (variac? pot? something!) that lets me dial down the heat. So 500 watts or no, its not like I'm always at 500 watts. So in that case, I bet 3000 is ideal. You'd have it ratcheted down (way down!) most of the time anyways. So it might not be the power hog 3000 watts would imply.

Springfield is probably still right though :)

[jmorris]

My 3500 watt element is 230v. You can do it with a candle, if you are willing to wait long enough. To keep it melted you are going to need "x" amount of energy, the only reason you want a lot it to start or when you add more lead to the pot.