I have a ?

[bisley45]

should I get a Lee 10# bottom pour thermostatic melter
or just get a melter that you yous the dippers with sorry if this is a stuped ?
I am just getting ready to cast never done this before :oops:

[475/480]

If money is NOT an issue get a ($395.00) Magma Master Pot (40lb) it is bottom pour and works great.I just got one last month.
If you dont want to spend that much to start out get a turkey fryer,castiron pot and a ladle and start casting.I started with the turkey fryer and a friend cut a large B-tank in half and welded a ladle for me and I started casting.

Sean

[SharpsShooter]

Welcome to the asylum...er...board! :D I like a bottom pour myself. I have a lee 10# that continues to work fine. The boolits I cast are 400gr and up in weight and I have no problems.

:coffee:

[shooter575]

I guess what you buy depends sorta on what you cast.The Lees are the cheepest and pretty good vs what they cost. I started out with one of the 4lb models. Dont bother.It is wayyyy too small. The 10lb or 20 lb would be the one I would start with. If you are casting only up to 300 gr,a bottom pour will be the fastest. If your are doing 400 or 500 gr boolets I think a dipper is the way to go. I know others will disagree,my .02 worth
All lees bottom pour pots will leak.Sooner or later.So you will just get use to messing with them a lot. I eventuly just pluged the hole and went to a dipper.
I see that Midways flyer has Lee 20lb on sale for 49.00 That is a pretty good price.

[Buckshot]

..............Bisley45, I started with a pot on a Coleman stove. Ain't nothing wrong with it. I decided that a Lee bottom pour would do me fine so I bought one of those about 1980 (somewhere around there). I ended up buying a 20lb Lee bottom pour a couple years after they came out and gave the 10lb unit to a friend. So far as I know right now, he is still using it. AT least he hasn't come up and said that *** Lee pot died after only 15 years of use!

The best bang for the buck in electric furnaces is the Lee IMHO. However both Lyman and RCBS make fancier furnaces of similar 20lb capacity, but they cost 4X as much. I do believe that you get what you pay for (most times) but my Lee pot has provided excellent service.

Whichever way you go, I'd strongly suggest you do your scrap rendering is something besides your casting pot. Reserve it for only good clean lead ingots. Further, if possible keep your stash of cleaned ingots in or under something to keep them dirt and dust free if possible. CHeck out the "Casting Equipment" forum for other folk's setups and ideas.

.....................Buckshot

[bisley45]

thanks to all the replys

[Harpman]

Still using coleman stove here, and like it alot, melt down the WW's in it and just start casting.