Author Topic: looking for a furnace?  (Read 773 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Donna

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 436
    • http://www.aeroballisticsonline.com
looking for a furnace?
« on: October 14, 2004, 06:12:17 PM »
I’m interested in casting as pure as lead as I can to Basically cast bullets. I’ve been thinking about the Lyman Mag 20 Electric Furnace, what do you guys thing?

Donna
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20

Offline jhalcott

  • Trade Count: (1)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1869
looking for a furnace?
« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2004, 06:58:50 PM »
That's a lot of $$$ for some thing to melt lead in,Donna. Pure lead is getting hard to find now .Even the "plumbers lead" is mixed with something.I suppose you do NOT like the drippy Lee pots.Lee makes a 20 Lb pot that is not a bottom pour unit I think. Since you plan on casting pure only ,dipping should be no problem.You could just leave the lead in the pot till next session. PLUS,you would have a bunch of $$ to buy more molds with.

Offline Lloyd Smale

  • Moderators
  • Trade Count: (32)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18263
looking for a furnace?
« Reply #2 on: October 14, 2004, 11:30:31 PM »
if your casting with pure id recomend you buy a good pot. The lyman rcbs or magma pots are good ones. Pure lead is slower to melt and my lee pots take forever to get it to temp. My lyman and rcbs are much faster (and they dont drip!)
blue lives matter

Offline Donna

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 436
    • http://www.aeroballisticsonline.com
looking for a furnace?
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2004, 12:00:18 AM »
Lloyd Smale,

I saw the RCBS one but did not know how they stood up to the Lyman. I use to have a Lee pot mean moons ago, actually too mean moons ago, but never did like it and I saw the Lyman and RCBS had a higher wattage. The RCBS is less expensive than the Lyman but I am more interested in quality than cheep. Please give me your take on the two.

Donna
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20

Offline flintman

  • Trade Count: (3)
  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 363
I use a lyman Mag 20
« Reply #4 on: October 15, 2004, 05:08:36 AM »
And I love it!Found it on EBay and bid $100.00 on it,fellow bidders failed to outbid me,their loss,as I am totally tickled with it! :D
John 3:16

Offline Leftoverdj

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1398
looking for a furnace?
« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2004, 09:38:35 AM »
Donna, the Lee 20 pound pot is a vast improvement over the older 10 pounder. Someone else will have to advise you on the high dollar stuff.
It is the duty of the good citizen to love his country and hate his gubmint.

Offline Lloyd Smale

  • Moderators
  • Trade Count: (32)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18263
looking for a furnace?
« Reply #6 on: October 15, 2004, 12:29:51 PM »
both the new lyman and the rcbs pots are very close in quality. Id buy the one you get the best deal on. But keep in mind that rcbs has a vastly supperion customer relations dept if anything ever goes wrong. If you have money to burn the Magma is the cadilac! My buddy has one and it heats lead faster then any other pot ive seen.
blue lives matter

Offline Cat Whisperer

  • Trade Count: (2)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7493
  • Gender: Male
  • Pulaski Coehorn Works
looking for a furnace?
« Reply #7 on: October 15, 2004, 03:20:37 PM »
Quote from: Lloyd Smale
both the new lyman and the rcbs pots are very close in quality. Id buy the one you get the best deal on. But keep in mind that rcbs has a vastly supperion customer relations dept if anything ever goes wrong. If you have money to burn the Magma is the cadilac! My buddy has one and it heats lead faster then any other pot ive seen.


Donna - Lloyd said it right.  I've got the Lyman.  Which ever you get, do your smelting outdoors in something else - like turkey fryer and an IRON pot.  

RCBS is better known for excellent customer service.  Lyman has poor reputation but may be coming around.
Tim K                 www.GBOCANNONS.COM
Cat Whisperer
Chief of Smoke, Pulaski Coehorn Works & Winery
U.S.Army Retired
N 37.05224  W 80.78133 (front door +/- 15 feet)

Offline LAH

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 320
looking for a furnace?
« Reply #8 on: October 15, 2004, 03:21:22 PM »
I haven't used the new Lyman or RCBS. Customers say the RCBS is somewhat better. I'll agree with Lloyd on the Magma Pots.  I use two 40 pounders almost daily and have nothing but good to say about them. I've melted pure lead with no trouble and cast a pile of bullets for fire lapping. The pots worked great with the lead.
Joshua 1:9

Offline Cat Whisperer

  • Trade Count: (2)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7493
  • Gender: Male
  • Pulaski Coehorn Works
looking for a furnace?
« Reply #9 on: October 15, 2004, 03:26:34 PM »
Quote from: Leftoverdj
Donna, the Lee 20 pound pot is a vast improvement over the older 10 pounder. Someone else will have to advise you on the high dollar stuff.


More good advice.  20 is MUCH better than 10, regardless of brand.  When you get rocking and rolling, the 20 is too small.
Tim K                 www.GBOCANNONS.COM
Cat Whisperer
Chief of Smoke, Pulaski Coehorn Works & Winery
U.S.Army Retired
N 37.05224  W 80.78133 (front door +/- 15 feet)

Offline calvon

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 274
  • Gender: Male
What pot?
« Reply #10 on: October 17, 2004, 12:32:49 PM »
I have a bottom pour ten pound Lee pot that continually dripped until I finally got tired of it. I removed the pouring device, threw it away, and turned a self tapping metal screw into the spout from the bottom. Makes a fine dipper pot, which I use only for casting pure lead or near pure lead. I sort out the stick-on wheelweights, which are near pure lead, and use them for bullet cores in my manufacture of swaged jacketed bullets. I don't shoot rifles a lot any more but I do shoot quite a bit of cast in a handgun. I use wheelweights for that.

My main casting furnace is the expensive forty pound Magma pot. It doesn't leak and it maintains temperature better, an altogether superior machine.

Offline Kenneth L. Walters

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Avid Poster
  • **
  • Posts: 109
RCBS furnace
« Reply #11 on: October 18, 2004, 01:48:14 PM »
Over the years I've probably owned 12+ furnaces, everything from a 4 pound Lee to a 95 pound Magma.  Many were good.  Lyman furnaces, however, wear out.  RCBS furnaces don't.  Even if an RCBS did it has a lifetime guarantee.

The RCBS furnace was designed by a firm called Ohio Thermal.  I bought an Ohio Thermal.  I've used it for more years than I can remember.  No problems whatsoever.  I also have two RCBS furnaces.  Identical to the Ohio Thermal in every way except paint job.  They are in constant use.  I liked the RCBS so well that I bought one per alloy and sold the rest.

I like the Lyman company and have friends who work there.  Still I would not recommend their furnace.  They just don't last.

Offline Donna

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 436
    • http://www.aeroballisticsonline.com
looking for a furnace?
« Reply #12 on: October 18, 2004, 01:57:41 PM »
Thanks guys, you were a big help.

Donna
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20