looking for a furnace?

[Donna]

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

[jhalcott]

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.

[Lloyd Smale]

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!)

[Donna]

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

[flintman]

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!

[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.

[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.

[Cat Whisperer]

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.

[LAH]

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.

[Cat Whisperer]

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.

[calvon]

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.

[Kenneth L. Walters]

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.

[Donna]

Thanks guys, you were a big help.

Donna