RCBS ProMelt finally!

[hawkeye1]

I’ve been using a Lee 20lb bottom pour pot for many years. I have always wanted a ProMelt. I finally got one from a friend getting out of casting all together. I fired it up and started pouring. Wondering why I waited so long to upgrade.
Then I add one ingot. The nozzle immediately freezes up. Ugh. I mess with it and get it going. Then another ingot, freeze up. Every time I added a single ingot, it would freeze up. Is this normal? My Lee 20lb never did this. Even full, it would freeze up.
Should I just run it hotter? Hate to run hotter than necessary.

[G W Wade]

If I add 4 lbs mine will freee most of time. I keep a small Solder-It torch handy, only takes a few seconds to remady. Been using mine since "90"= GW

[deltaenterprizes]

Once I start casting I don’t add any more metal until the pot is almost empty.
Keep your LEE pot full and add molten metal from it with a ladle!

[Mk42gunner]

Kind of depends on the size of your ingots and the temp of the pot.

I have not had the spout freeze after adding ingots to my Promelt, but I do preheat them. I use angle iron ingots from 8-10½" long (two to three pounds usually), and preheat them by laying them across the top of the pot.

By the time I have lowered the level enough the new ingots are hot enough they melt fully pretty quick.

Robert

[Recycled bullet]

That sounds terrible! How hot are you maintaining your melt?

[MaLar]

Did you get the instructions? I have the ProMelt 2 and you need to follow the instructions when turning it off.

[rcslotcar]

I set ingots on top of my pro melt (old ohio pro melt) to preheat them. I then lower them into the pot by mixing it slowly into the pot. I also keep a map gas torch to heat the pour spout if needed.

[sierra1911]

I upgraded from a 20lb Lee to a ProMelt several years ago (right before they were discontinued for the ProMelt2's initial release). I use my old Lee pot to preheat the ingots. I run the Lee at max temp until the lead reaches 25° hotter than my casting temp in the ProMelt. I then use a ladle to transfer the preheated lead into the ProMelt and then refill the Lee with 4 three pound ingots and my sprues.

The Lee usually has the ingots preheated just before the ProMelt needs to be refilled and I usually cast about 165 lbs before my arms would prefer to be doing something else.

[Murphy]

Congratulations on your upgrade!

I won't knock the Lee pots, they've carried me many miles over the years during my casting years. But I do understand wanting something a little less troublesome. If LEE ever gets the 'Drip-O-Matic' problem resolved, they'd probably find many customers who never pondered changing their pot.

A few years back, I decided to be nice to myself and take the plunge on a new pot. I was back and forth deciding if I wanted to go with a Lyman pot, or the RCBS Pro Melt? I decided to go the with the Pro Melt. I haven't used it a great deal, due to not shooting near as much as I once did. I also get into marathon casting sessions, it all depends on my needs when I decide to do some casting. I can't recall the last time I sat down and cast just a few hundred. I do that when trying a new bullet mold/style to see if I want to add it to my line up.

I have a 10 pound bottom pour that's been around longer than I can recall. I also have a couple of the bottom pour 20 pound pots. Anyway, once I'm up and running on casting up a large batch, I typically keep the 10 pound pot plugged in and toss my sprues and culls into it. Eventually, I'll hit the point it's time to transfer the molten alloy from my 10 pound pot over my Pro Melt. I keep a pair of heavy welding gloves for this task.

I've never had my Pro Melt temp drop bad enough to freeze things up due to adding a single ingot into it. I've heard and read about the PID thing, but I don't do electrical work. Good luck on getting it figured out.

Murphy

[kevin c]

Keeping your melt just a bit over liquidus may be a disadvantage when recharging the pot. Preheated ingot definitely help.

My top mounted charging pot is at 720°, with ingots of two to two and a quarter pounds on the rim. These get hot enough that gloves or pliers are needed for handling. When the pot runs down, an added ingot slumps into the melt in about 15 to 20 seconds, and the PID readout drops ~30°. The pot’s a Lee 4-20, and it usually keeps on dripping. Nothing but molten alloy at casting temp goes into my ProMelt underneath.

It’s a bit more cost to mount a second pot over your casting ProMelt, but it’d be even better than preheated ingots in letting you have a continuous flow of alloy at your ideal casting temp without freeze ups.

[hawkeye1]

Thanks for the tips. I like the idea of the other pot keeping the ingots preheated. That just makes sense. I really like the PM and will have to adjust to its differences. I’m running about 675*. I think I might bump that up a bit and preheat my lead. Great forum, tons of experience.

I would like to see some pics on mounting my Lee pot above this one for pre-melting my lead. That sounds like a great idea.

[justindad]

Your RCBS pot might have the lead much, much cooler than your set temperature. I stuck an analog thermometer in my pot and found the lead to be 60 degrees cooler, even if I let it sit there molten for an hour.
*
My nozzle freezes too, but not as bad as yours. I keep a long handle bic lighter nearby to heat up the nozzle when needed.

[Winger Ed.]

Run it hotter, just below where boolits start to frost.

When you add to it, stir when the ingot melts, then give it a couple minutes for the temp to stabilize.

[ACC]

Kind of depends on the size of your ingots and the temp of the pot.

I have not had the spout freeze after adding ingots to my Promelt, but I do preheat them. I use angle iron ingots from 8-10½" long (two to three pounds usually), and preheat them by laying them across the top of the pot.

By the time I have lowered the level enough the new ingots are hot enough they melt fully pretty quick.

Robert

Where did you get those iron ingot molds?

ACC

[Mk42gunner]

Where did you get those iron ingot molds?

ACC
Made them myself, from any scrap bits of angle iron I had laying around after projects. Which is why the length varies.

I prefer to use 1½" angle iron, but have used anything from 1¼" to 2". The length of 10½" came from BruceB, who stored his ingots in a .50 cal ammo can. Myself, I don't worry about that. My driveway is not level so I rarely get a perfectly triangle shaped ingot from end to end.

Weld on the outside, and put a little bit of draft on the ends for easy release.

Old bedframes, while a decent size, are a PITA for a poor welder like me to weld.

Good Luck,

Robert

[kevin c]

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=284161&d=1623136592

I got parts from Lee for a shorter model than the 4-20 I have, letting me use the larger capacity pot with shorter legs and control structure. A hole saw made an opening through the base. The clamp is just threaded rods with wing nuts snugging down a pair of long mending plates.

ETA: Lakehouse’s ingot molds are what I use, and span the rim of both the 4-20 and ProMelt. Three will fit between the hex headed screws on top of the Lee, if set on edge.