What size melting pot?

[jonp]

Done both. Go big or go home.

[GregLaROCHE]

Glad to hear you are going with the big pot. If you don’t already know, it best to leave some lead in the pot when you shut it down. It will heat up faster and if you try to empty the pot, you risk having impurities in your last boolits.

[slim1836]

And, "DON'T LEAVE IT UNATTENDED", it will leak. Learn how to use it properly.

You can thank me later.

Slim

[Winger Ed.]

Good choice.
Over the years, as hard as it can be to save up for what you really want-
I've never known anyone that looked at their new item, and said, "Gosh. Now I wish I'd gotten that smaller and cheaper one".

Unlike a car, when you find it's kind of small for what you want to do--- there's no trade in allowance on it.

[rsrocket1]

When casting conservatively I started with 15# in the pot and refilled it when it got down to 5#. That meant a 20# pot was really only good for 10#. I go a little more aggressively and and start closer to 18# and cast until there's about 2-3 in it. That means 15# between refills. That translates to about 1000 9mm bullets or 450 45ACP bullets between refills.

Get the 20 pound bottom pour pot.

[Mk42gunner]

If you use angle iron to make your ingots eight to ten inches or so long, you can preheat them by laying one or two across the top of the pot. As the level goes down, you can stand a fairly hot one in the liquid pool and keep casting as it more or less self feeds into the melt.

BruceB recommended ingots 10½" long, that being as long as will easily fit in a fifty cal ammo can for storage.

Robert

[slim1836]

Many members here would go broke just buying ammo cans to store their lead, excluding myself of course.

[triggerhappy243]

About to take the plunge and start casting. I'm looking at the Lee electric pots and they have a 10lb and 20lb unit. I think the 10lb would be big enough for what I want to cast at a time, but wondering how many of you guys went with the smaller and then decided you needed the larger? Thanks in advance!!

if you are just starting, then you need to know how to smelt the dirty lead you will be scrounging. I use this cast iron dutch oven on a turkey fryer burner. the large surface area allows unobstructed space to let the crap float off, and space to skim.

[wills]

Text of e mail I received from Waage several years ago.
Hello Wills,
We manufacture a ~25 pound pot 115 volts temp ~820 degrees F. The model number is K4757 The price is $120.00 + 14.00 S&H to your location. a photograph is attached for your information. The estimated manufacturing time is 10-14 days.
Looking forward to answering your questions. visa/mc accepted for your convenience
Best Regards,
Marc Waage

This was not listed on the website.

[Rich/WIS]

10# will work if you use a double cavity mold, but if you go 5/6 cavity, especially with larger bullets you will appreciate a 20# pot very quickly.

[wills]

There is a lot of alloy at the bottom of a 10 pound pot you cant get out with a dipper. Easier to save yourself the aggravation and get a 20.

[triggerhappy243]

many members here would go broke just buying ammo cans to store their lead, excluding myself of course.

i don't store ingots in ammo boxes, i stack them like cord wood. These are 20 pounds each.

[kevin c]

think about 2 pots one your casting from the other is heating a new batch up to temp. this greatly lowers the down time when casting. Get an idea of what your casting weight wise ( add 150 grns for the sprue) and the number you wish to cast in a session. multiply these and divide in to 70000 (ten pound. pot}. to give an idea there are 14 500 grn bullets in a 1 lb pot not counting the sprues.

Or you can use one pot mounted over the other with the top pot feeding already-up-to-casting-temp alloy into the lower. I do this, having stolen the idea from Ausglock, because I like to cast a lot of slugs per session with little downtime, and I get to find a good use for my drippy Lee 4-20 while casting with my preferred ProMelt.

Do be sure to build a really solid and secure mount; you’ll have 15+# of molten lead hovering over 18# below, and don’t want anything tipping over.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/att...1&d=1578113781

[450]

Glad, I found this site. I am in the same boat(just starting out). I also was debating what pot to get but looks like it will be the Lee Pro 4 20lb pot.

[triggerhappy243]

Glad, I found this site. I am in the same boat(just starting out). I also was debating what pot to get but looks like it will be the Lee Pro 4 20lb pot.

or, you could start with this. I do all my smelting in it as well as casting my t/c maxi-balls.

[450]

That’s what I’m using to melt down wheel weights.

[450]

or, you could start with this. I do all my smelting in it as well as casting my t/c maxi-balls.

I need a smaller pot to use in my garage because it’s to cold for me to cast bullets outside. I do my WW’s outside in big batches.

[triggerhappy243]

I need a smaller pot to use in my garage because it’s to cold for me to cast bullets outside. I do my WW’s outside in big batches.

fairbanks............ yep, that is cold.

[450]

fairbanks............ yep, that is cold.

Unfortunately yes it for several months. Can’t wait to retire and move South.

[lightman]

Many members here would go broke just buying ammo cans to store their lead, excluding myself of course.

Ain't that the truth! I bought 2 pallets of 50 caliber ammo cans back at the beginning of the first gulf war for $1 each. I don't remember how many that was but I think there were 40 to a pallet. I wish I had bought more of them!