What Bottom Pour Furnace Do You Use?

[shdwlkr]

I think when we talk about which melting pot to get we need to look at a few things, how many bullets are you going to cast at a time, how many in a year and most of how much can you easily afford to pay for this pot.
For me I cast small lots as my LEE pot is a ten pounder so you don't get a lot of 45-70 bullets from a pot something like 160 is average so most of my casting sessions are 200 bullets at a time and for a year I could or would cast maybe 5000 for the year if I have the time to cast that many which I usually don't. That works out to around 104 bullets a week. If I could afford a better pot I am not sure what I would by as my first Lee pot is almost 40 years old and still going and the second one is around 15-20 years old so I might just step up to a LEE 20 pounder as if it craps I can get another for around $60 or less and when I look at the RCBS or Lyman or any other how many 20 pound LEE's can I buy for the same money? If I could I would have two twenty pounders one for pure lead, one for my ww lead and use my two ten pounders for my custom leads. and still not have the cost of any of the higher priced pots.
It all boils down to what you want in a pot and how much use you are going to get out of it.

[LAH]

I use a Magma 40 lb. but began with an Saeco 10 pounder..............Creeker

[cbrick]

Lynn, your age is showing.

I have seen SAECO 20 pound pots but never a 10, that must be really old.

Rick

[blikseme300]

Very nice job, Blikseme. I think I found your site a while back looking for "smelting" pot designs, particularly bottom pour.

Where would a person find a band heater like that new? Never seen anything like that before.

Gear

Gear,

Thanks for the compliment. I got the elements on evilbay. Surplus is the way to go as new is expensive!

Not all bands are suitable as the energy density needs to be high enough and the maximum temperature must be supported.

I learned a lot when on my quest for a heater band suitable. What gave me a starting clue is the band used in the Magma smelter. See it in the manual available online.

Having a large volume, temperature stable melter is like using a chainsaw instead of an axe.

Bliksem

[rmb721]

I have three Lyman 20 pounders

[LAH]

Lynn, your age is showing.

I have seen SAECO 20 pound pots but never a 10, that must be really old.

Rick

Thanks Rick, if I don't feel old enough. The 10 pounder was purchased 1973 and was used so I'm not sure the date of birth. ...........Lynn

[Markbo]

Well like buying quality scopes once or mediocre scopes over and over you guys had me convinced to go RCBS.

Until I saw it was $354 vs. $91 for the Lee. Just starting out I believe I'll go the Simmons route until I learn enough to afford Zeiss.

[Doby45]

The 10 pounder was purchased 1973

I was BORN in "73", nice year.

[geargnasher]

Kinda hard to imagine, but there are lots of people on this board who had been casting longer than I've been alive, before I was born.

Gear

[cbrick]

Kinda hard to imagine, but there are lots of people on this board who had been casting longer than I've been alive, before I was born. Gear

Really? What year where you born?

Rick

[LAH]

I was BORN in "73", nice year.

Rub it in you young whipper snapper. HEE HEE

[alamogunr]

I started with a Lee Pro 4-20. Added a plumbers pot when I needed to try ladle casting. Then I found a RCBS Pro Melt on close-out because it was 220V. Since I had 220V service for my table saw, I just unplug the saw and plug in the pot.

John
W.TN

[Stork]

My first was a Lee 10# precision melter, then I picked up a Saeco #12 at a rummage sale, unfortunately the heating element was shot on it. Then I went with a Lee Pro 4-20#, much better than the 10# melter but slow to melt additional ingots when it got low.

Then I got the chance to use a friends 20# RCBS, wow. I now own one and don't regret the extra cost one bit. Its so much more consistent than my lee's were and the recycle time is much less.

FWIW
Stork

[LAH]

Then I got the chance to use a friends 20# RCBS, wow. I now own one and don't regret the extra cost one bit. Its so much more consistent than my lee's were and the recycle time is much less.

I did a poll while running Dry Creek Bullet Works & over 'bout 2 years the people with the less complaints & most praise were those who used the RCBS 20 pounder............Creeker

[Jon K]

Ditto to what buck1 said...........

Jon

[dromia]

Two RCBS Pro melts, sold or converted my Lees and have never regretted the upgrade.

[geargnasher]

Rick, I was hatched in 1975, learned to cast sophmore year of high school. I'm young enough to still think ten years is a very long time.

On topic, I use Lee Pro 4-20 pots (220V and 110V with a PID controller, but that's because I'm too stupid to know they're supposed to be junk. If it melts the lead and doesn't burn the house down I can deal with it. Actually I'm more anal than that, hence the PID, but for the money the Lee pots can't be beat. Mould temp is key to casting anyway, pot temp only matters with regard to alloy and the correct maintenance therof. If you plan to cast with pure lead and are on a budget, go with the Lee 220v 4-20 unit.

Gear

[captaint]

I have an RCBS. If I had to, I'd buy another one. Mike

[hoosierlogger]

I have a Lee 10 pounder and a Lyman 20 pounder that is so old it wouldn't surprise me if Jesus owned it at one time.

[ReloaderEd]

I use a Saeco 10 pounder bottom poor. Got it new when I was 12 years old I am now 66 yrs old. It cast about 1000 bullets two weeks ago and is still kicking.