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time for new equipment!
Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 8:24 am
by dhagerty40x
here is my problem. both my Pot and Sizer (along with heater) are now over 30 years Old.
My main problem is my Old CH lube heater finally gave out. The other problem with this heater is the bottom of the heater is coated with Asbestos and is starting to turn into dust!
So who makes a heater with a temp Control? give me recommendations.
My Old Lyman Mag20 bottom pour pot stills works good, but because of it's age, I might be looking for a new pot in the future.
my Old RCBS lubematic sizer still works good, but since I now use 2 different lubes, looking to get a second one as it is a pain to clean the RCBS out to switch lubes.
thanks for any help!
Re: time for new equipment!
Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:33 pm
by 260 Striker
Dan, Lots of people bash Lee products but I have two of the Lee 4-20 bottom pour pots and have had great success with them. Temperature setting is just a dial with numbers but if you have a thermometer you can soon know the number to dial to. I have used these pots for years and one of the heating elements finally gave out. Replacement element is fairly inexpensive and easy to change. I still use my Lyman bottom pour pot too but the Lee pots see more use. I like having the three pots. One for pure lead, one for #2 alloy and the third for lino. I'm sure if you tried the Lee 4-20 you would see it works just fine. Lee dies and mold blocks don't have the glitz and glamor of other companies but they work great.
Re: time for new equipment!
Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 8:34 am
by 7br
I purchased the Lyman Mag 25 last year. On the plus side, it has temp control and seems to hold temp pretty steady. Having a large pot means I can cast a lot of bullets, but I usually need to take a break before I go through 25 lbs of alloy. It gets up to temp fairly quickly. I get good bullets when I cast. On the minus side, it drips as bad as my old Lee production pot. Also, the mould guide is set up for Lyman single cavity or double cavity moulds. It works great for Lyman and RCBS moulds, but wider moulds like my LBT, NOE or Mountain Mould do not fit. I cut a piece of oak to fit in guide so my wider moulds would ride on the top of the guide. There is not much space between the sprue and the nozzle with the moulds riding on the top of the guide. Overall, I like it, but the dripping and the guide grind my gears.
Re: time for new equipment!
Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 7:41 pm
by jbolt
I have had the Lee 20 lb pot for about 10 years and it has poured a lot of lead without issue. To get better temperature control I built a dual PID controller using inexpensive PID controllers and solid state relays. When casting bullets one controller runs the pot and the other controller runs a single element hot plate to keep the mold(s) warm.
I also use the controller to run a small 110v silicon heating element for my RCBS lube sizer and a small powder coating oven that doubles as a cast bullet heat treating oven.
Way better heat control than the on-off cycling of the Lee pot or RCBS heater.
Re: time for new equipment!
Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 11:12 am
by dhagerty40x
260 Striker wrote: Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:33 pm
Dan, Lots of people bash Lee products but I have two of the Lee 4-20 bottom pour pots and have had great success with them. Temperature setting is just a dial with numbers but if you have a thermometer you can soon know the number to dial to. I have used these pots for years and one of the heating elements finally gave out. Replacement element is fairly inexpensive and easy to change. I still use my Lyman bottom pour pot too but the Lee pots see more use. I like having the three pots. One for pure lead, one for #2 alloy and the third for lino. I'm sure if you tried the Lee 4-20 you would see it works just fine. Lee dies and mold blocks don't have the glitz and glamor of other companies but they work great.
The Lee 4-20 looks like it would work for most work. BUT, I have 2 Saeco 8 Cavity molds that will not work with it as they are too long. I have right now the Mag 20 for casting and have a 60lb Plumbers pot I use for metal mixing.
probably will save some money and get the Lee for normal use.
Re: time for new equipment!
Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 11:23 am
by dhagerty40x
7br wrote: Sat Aug 10, 2019 8:34 am
I purchased the Lyman Mag 25 last year. On the plus side, it has temp control and seems to hold temp pretty steady. Having a large pot means I can cast a lot of bullets, but I usually need to take a break before I go through 25 lbs of alloy. It gets up to temp fairly quickly. I get good bullets when I cast. On the minus side, it drips as bad as my old Lee production pot. Also, the mould guide is set up for Lyman single cavity or double cavity moulds. It works great for Lyman and RCBS moulds, but wider moulds like my LBT, NOE or Mountain Mould do not fit. I cut a piece of oak to fit in guide so my wider moulds would ride on the top of the guide. There is not much space between the sprue and the nozzle with the moulds riding on the top of the guide. Overall, I like it, but the dripping and the guide grind my gears.
The Mag20 I have is the predecessor to the Mag 25. Just noticed the Mag25 is a little sturdier and has the digital control.
My Mag20 also used to drip, but I took out the shutoff rod out and polished it. also made sure nothing in the pour hole. after that I just get a couple of drops when it warms up and after that, almost never drips!
Re: time for new equipment!
Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 11:25 am
by dhagerty40x
jbolt wrote: Sat Aug 10, 2019 7:41 pm
I have had the Lee 20 lb pot for about 10 years and it has poured a lot of lead without issue. To get better temperature control I built a dual PID controller using inexpensive PID controllers and solid state relays. When casting bullets one controller runs the pot and the other controller runs a single element hot plate to keep the mold(s) warm.
I also use the controller to run a small 110v silicon heating element for my RCBS lube sizer and a small powder coating oven that doubles as a cast bullet heat treating oven.
Way better heat control than the on-off cycling of the Lee pot or RCBS heater.
20180729_115944.jpg
HMM, I have not played with a PID controller since I was in the Navy! might have to think about this!
Re: time for new equipment!
Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 3:37 am
by jmoore
A friend and I made a PID controller some years back for an old Lyman pot I have. It can run pots if needed, just by unplugging the pot.
Having a hard time pulling old P'bucket photos but here's a link to a thread in the milsurps.com forums:
https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=55341
Re: time for new equipment!
Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 9:32 am
by dhagerty40x
jmoore wrote: Thu Aug 15, 2019 3:37 am
A friend and I made a PID controller some years back for an old Lyman pot I have. It can run pots if needed, just by unplugging the pot.
Having a hard time pulling old P'bucket photos but here's a link to a thread in the milsurps.com forums:
https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=55341
That is an Old Pot! have not seen that one in Years!
Being an Electronics tech by trade with some engineering training, a PID controller should be a piece of cake to work with.
I ended up finding the RCBS LAM heater for my lubrisizer. I think I am going to get a Star sizer for the second unit but will need different dies with the Star.