Which melter to keep?

[atlas366]

I recently came into a bunch of equipment. I'm still in the pre-casting learning stage. I have two lead furnaces, an RCBS Pro-Melt and a Waage top dip pot. If you had to keep one, which would it be? I understand them to both be very good in their respective areas, but space is at a premium and so is cash. I know many will be inclined to advise keeping both, but what if you could have just one. Thanks.

[quietmike]

I much prefer a bottom pour over a dipper, but each their own.

[Mk42gunner]

You really don't know which process you will like the best right now and if your luck goes anything like mine you will get rid of the wrong one.

I understand the space and money being at a premium, and they are both good quality pots. If there is any way possible, assuming you got them for a good price, I would keep them both.

I started by dipping from a cast iron pot on a Coleman stove, hot and uncomfortable. Next I bought a new Lee 4-20 (because I wasn't sure I would like bottom pouring) and it was a lot more comfortable to use, do to the insulation around the pot, you can even dip from it easily.

My next major electric pot purchase was an RCBS Promelt at an estate sale for not much more than the new Lee cost. It isn't quite as easy to dip from as the Lee, but it is doable.

I do want a Waage, but I can't justify the cost of a new one right now. I tend to make better boolits by dipping, but bottom pouring makes acceptable ones faster.

I guess this is a long winded way of saying that I would keep the Promelt, if I absolutely had to get rid of one of them.

Robert

[toallmy]

Try before you decide , you may prefer to dip , or bottom pore but you can try both before deciding . But I must say keep both at least for awhile .



. I still must say both . Just because you never know .

[cgm]

I recently came into a bunch of equipment. I'm still in the pre-casting learning stage. I have two lead furnaces, an RCBS Pro-Melt and a Waage top dip pot. If you had to keep one, which would it be? I understand them to both be very good in their respective areas, but space is at a premium and so is cash. I know many will be inclined to advise keeping both, but what if you could have just one. Thanks.

Rcbs promelt ....no discussion .

[lightman]

I suggest you try both before making a decision. I would keep the ProMelt because I like a bottom pour pot. Others prefer dipping.

[500MAG]

If I could have just one it would be the Pro-melt

[Bigslug]

Pro Melt's a no brainer. It's a GREAT pot that doesn't drip. I personally find dipping to be a process requiring at least one more hand than I was born with, but I do concede that there may be advantages to it for the humongous buffalo-rifle bullets ( but I bottom pour those too). If you're trying to produce heaps of pistol slugs from multi-cavity molds, well. . .I don't even like to THINK about doing that with a dipper.

If you do decide to give dipping a go, there's no reason you can't just turn the Pro Melt 180 degrees so the spigot hardware is opposite you and out of your flight path.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

As I look into the crystal ball, I see that you will regret selling either one.

[almostgone]

Probably the Pro-Melt. I envy your dilemma. I would buy the Pro-Melt off you in a heartbeat

[Walter Laich]

Pro-Melt is your friend

[TXGunNut]

As I look into the crystal ball, I see that you will regret selling either one.

Yep! I keep 20-1 in my Lee "dipping pot", WW in my Pro-Melt, bottom pour Lee is empty-for now. I have an old Pro-Melt going back to RCBS for repairs, suspect I'll keep 50/50 in that one. Draining a pot isn't as tedious as changing lube in a lubesizer but I'd still rather avoid it.

[atlas366]

Thanks for the advice. This was a once in a lifetime reloading/casting opportunity and I didn't even realize it when I was trying to value everything before purchase. I continue to find solutions to problems in all the little boxes. I was testing out a rifle die the other day using some ancient case lube from a store that closed 30 years ago in my youth and got a case stuck. I dig around in all the little fussy boxes for a few minutes and come up with a nice homemade stuck case removal kit. Watch a youtube video for three minutes and five minutes after that I have the case out. Hail to geezer-tech.

[country gent]

I would recomend trying both bottom pour and dipping with each pot and see what fits your needs best. You have them and while they take up some space they arnt eating anything so take some time before eciding do some casting and make an educated decission of your experiences with them. You didnt state what bullets you want to cast as to caliber and or weights so were in the dark there. I ladle cast all my long heavy bullets, I feel the faster pour aids fillout and consistancy. These are long bullets 1.3-1.5" in length 38-45 caliber. I would also look at capacity of the 2 pots the RCBS is 20 lbs wage makes several models. Casting the big heavy rifle bullets dosnt take long to empty a 20 lb pot.

[atlas366]

I would recomend trying both bottom pour and dipping with each pot and see what fits your needs best. You have them and while they take up some space they arnt eating anything so take some time before eciding do some casting and make an educated decission of your experiences with them. You didnt state what bullets you want to cast as to caliber and or weights so were in the dark there. I ladle cast all my long heavy bullets, I feel the faster pour aids fillout and consistancy. These are long bullets 1.3-1.5" in length 38-45 caliber. I would also look at capacity of the 2 pots the RCBS is 20 lbs wage makes several models. Casting the big heavy rifle bullets dosnt take long to empty a 20 lb pot.

.357 158gr bullets and 115gr 9mm in Lyman and RCBS two cavity molds respectively. I may add .45 auto and/or .45 colt at some point.

[Smoke4320]

Given your OP I would say the RCBS .. if there was a way I would keep both

[gwpercle]

Keep both....you just never know when you you might need the one you gave away for pennies and buying a replacement will cost an arm and a leg later.
My Daddy told me to always have a backup....you got a spare tire in your care don't you ?
Have a back up...
Gary

[Smoke4320]

Keep both....you just never know when you you might need the one you gave away for pennies and buying a replacement will cost an arm and a leg later.
My Daddy told me to always have a backup....you got a spare tire in your care don't you ?
Have a back up...
Gary

Have a back up...
I tried that once .. wife said no to a second one :) :)

[Freightman]

Keep both! I need two pots one for regular alloy, one for 30-1 or BPCR and don't say I am not into BPCR, I wasn't ether till I shot one. :bigsmyl2: and o yes smoke wife don't go to my shop she says it stinks so I can hide a lot of things lol

[country gent]

The RCBS pro melt should shine with those bullets. But also keep in mind a second pot can be handy for those alloies you want to blend special and test. Or those times you need a diffrent one and the main pot is full.

[GONRA]

GONRA suggests you hang outo all that "free (?) stuff".
If storage is a problem, items you don't favor/seem to need
can be stored in your car trunk.
Lateron you probably will want it - after all - its FREE (I guess.)

[atlas366]

GONRA suggests you hang outo all that "free (?) stuff".
If storage is a problem, items you don't favor/seem to need
can be stored in your car trunk.
Lateron you probably will want it - after all - its FREE (I guess.)

Not free, but a really good deal.

[Jon K]

I also say KEEP BOTH...Waage for BPCR & Smelting, and RCBS for smokeless pills.

[drifterdon]

I also say KEEP BOTH...Waage for BPCR & Smelting, and RCBS for smokeless pills.
This would be the best scenario as far as I can see.

[waltherboy4040]

Keep both and eat some ramen noodles for a while. Get some good experience with both then decide which one you don't like would be my advice.

[Mica_Hiebert]

If I could only keep one I'd keep the pro melt.

[DerekP Houston]

Well I'm looking for an RCBS promelt if you want to pass it on :D. Will pay fair market value.

[tmc-okc]

If I was limited to keeping only one due to space limitations, I would keep both!! Just place both in appropriate sized corrugated boxes and stack one on top of the other. Takes up the same space in storage as one box does so keep them both and enjoy.

Ron H