ProGun
.30 Stingray
Posts: 246
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Post by ProGun on Oct 4, 2015 13:08:23 GMT -5
I'd like to invest in a decent lead furnace right out of the gate... Which one of these is preferred amongst those in the know (this is me assuming that the two furnaces listed are the top contenders)? I'm anxious to get some boolits molded up! I got a nasty 5 gal. bucket full of wheel weights- any tips in cleaning them up would be much appreciated too.
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Post by hoover on Oct 4, 2015 13:23:03 GMT -5
I've had my RCBS for over 25 years and have cast a landsides worth of bullets with it without any problems from the furnace. If anything does happen, RCBS will rake care if it free of charge! Great customer service!
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ProGun
.30 Stingray
Posts: 246
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Post by ProGun on Oct 4, 2015 14:41:10 GMT -5
Good deal! I noticed that the Lyman is made in USA, is the RCBS? Also, I just read your powder coating post from a while ago, definitely going to try that out!
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Post by hoover on Oct 4, 2015 14:47:04 GMT -5
Not sure, Progun. Guess you could call.
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jsh
.327 Meteor
Posts: 884
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Post by jsh on Oct 4, 2015 18:16:49 GMT -5
I have a lee 20 lb bottom pour and an rcbs bottom pour both are not with out fault of some kind. Both will drip if not taken care of and cleaned.
As to cleaning yor bucket of lead. Do as you may, but I myself don't smelt in the pot I cast in. I have a propane burner, cast iron pot, big ladle and big ingot molds.
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Post by contender on Oct 4, 2015 21:57:30 GMT -5
I started many moons ago with a Lee 10 lb pot. When I got my first RCBS Pro-Melt,,, I was very happy. A better set-up. Then I lucked into a second one & I have them side by side now. Love them.
And a big +1 to smelting separately.
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ProGun
.30 Stingray
Posts: 246
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Post by ProGun on Oct 5, 2015 10:53:16 GMT -5
I think I'll probably go with the RCBS, been leaning that way for awhile any how. Plus, I don't find much support for the Lyman anywhere. I was mainly interested in the Lyman because I saw that it was Made in USA.
I was definitely planning on smelting separately. Do you guys use flux to get all the junk out?
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shorty500
.327 Meteor
too many dirty harry movies created me!
Posts: 912
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Post by shorty500 on Oct 5, 2015 11:15:23 GMT -5
Have had my RCBS since the late 80's and added a lyman a few years later both have given great service
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Post by dale53 on Oct 5, 2015 20:09:53 GMT -5
I have a pair of RCBS Pro-melts. The first one, I have thousands of pounds (no lie) run through it. The second I happened on it for a price too cheap NOT to buy. It was bought as a back up (when I want/need to cast I want/need to NOW LOL! I have had few problems with either. One thing I have done, I bought a Chinese copy of the Vise Grip (the small one) and clip it on the operating handle to totally stop any dripping. It just adds a bit of needed weight for trouble free operation.
RCBS warrants these pots for LIFE! You cannot beat that!
FWIW
Dale53
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Snyd
.375 Atomic
The Last Frontier
Posts: 2,392
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Post by Snyd on Oct 6, 2015 11:56:57 GMT -5
It seems that either of those would be a good bet. I've been using the Lee 20lb bottom pour for my relatively short casting career, 5yrs or so. Smeltdown/clean your wheel weights and pour into ingots. All you need is a burner like from a propane turkey frier, an old cast iron dutch oven a few old muffin tins, a strong ladle of some sort and some sawdust or wax for flux. Separate the clip-ons from the stick-ons and pull out obvious zinc or steel weghts. Stick-ons are pure lead, clipons are an alloy of lead, tin, antimony and arsenic. Harder than pure. Here's a thread I started on my process, other guys have chimed in. singleactions.proboards.com/thread/11845/smeltdown-casting-process |
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