As I mentioned in other posts, I've been looking to upgrade my melting pot/ pouring process to cast more bullets faster. Quickly looking through the cast boolits classifieds I nothing really jumped out at me for a used unit. Checked out amazon and they have a Lee 20lb bottom pour pot for less than 75 bucks. Reading through the reviews they don't look too bad, most common thing seems to be the temperature control and people dissatisfied with the flimsyness of the base, both things I could take care of easily and willingly given the price.
For a no frills, get the job done, bottom pour pot, what do you all think of this unit? Any one use one? Any input appreciated.
http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision-Pound-Electric-Melter/dp/B001MYESWE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1394565210&sr=8-6&keywords=lead+pot
I have the Lyman MAG 20lb furnace, very nice pot, insulated and good thermostat and casting flow is controllable, very few drips after the spout closes. I had a problem where this pot, over the years, had started tripping my GFI circuit, and wasn't getting hot enough to pour with, contacted Lyman and they said to mail it to them (about $17 dollars at that time) and they fixed it at no cost or return shipping. Big plus to have it fixed and working again.
I also have the LEE 20lb Pro 4 pot, it runs OK, temps are OK to a point, however it drips like a sieve. I use a pair of small vice grips on the pouring stem to add weight and to be able to turn it, in order to stop the drip-O-matic flows. It's usable as a bottom pour pot but the dripping is something to take in consideration. The flimsy parts can and do wear for the pour control.
On runs, where I have the 4 and 6 cavity molds running or those that need a lot of metal Like the fishing sinkers/lures, I have metal in both pots, as the level is depleted in the Lyman pot, I add from the LEE pot to maintain the run. This has worked very well.
That is good to hear they fixed it for you for just the price of shipping, that's not a bad deal. My only issue right now is spending 250$+ on a pot, that's just a little too salty at this moment :( Does the added weight on the stem of your LEE do a good job of holding it closed or does it just slow the leaking down? I'm not extremely concerned about the dripping, anything is better than my current set up as far as ease of use. Between making sure I don't catch myself on fire and trying not to breathe in too many fumes even while the fan is going, i'll take the dripping LOL Having two pots must be nice, jealous! All in time I suppose.
The LEE will work, the dripping will be much less with the extra weight and by turning the stem to help it seal.
This is the one I have, the mold shelf works but the one on the Lyman is much better to slide the molds directly in place.
(http://cdn1.cheaperthandirt.com/ctd_images/lgprod/7-90947.jpg)
Quote from: The_Shadow on March 11 2014 06:54:31 PM MDT
The LEE will work, the dripping will be much less with the extra weight and by turning the stem to help it seal.
This is the one I have, the mold shelf works but the one on the Lyman is much better to slide the molds directly in place.
(http://cdn1.cheaperthandirt.com/ctd_images/lgprod/7-90947.jpg)
Alright, good to know. I was curious about the mold shelf/guide deal and if it actually helped or just got in the way although it looks like you can just loosen it and run it to the bottom and out of the way? On this pot do you have room to get a 4 or 6 cavity .40 caliber mold in there? I only have the two cavity right now but would like to in the future get a bigger one and i didn't know if this here pot could handle it.