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Posted: 7/10/2026 2:47:53 PM EDT
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Ehh so I saw the post in what did you do today about the casting furnace. Right now and I have always used a Lee. But whoes casting furnace is tier 1? I'd want bottom pour Good temp adjustment. Don't leak too badly |
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Ya, the Lee 12 and 20 pound furnaces leak, have both. My used funshow find Lyman and Saeco furnaced never leaked. Old Lyman was 20 pound, Seaco was a little smaller than the Lyman. They both failed, took them apart, and no fixing them without new heating coils. Got the "scratch and dent" from Midway. Lyman Mag 25. $340 instead of the full price of $550. Every site I checked, price was the same. Midway had the only "scratch and dent". It had a small bend on the base sheet metal that was easily fixed with pliers, hammer, and touch up paint. It comes with a built in Pid so I will post up in this thread when I try it next week. |
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I have an RCBS Pro Melt. It doesn’t leak. Its temperature control is old skool analog. Somewhere on my Photobucket, I have pictures of it. I had taken the sheet metal skin off of it and took pictures of the inside. If one has access to a drill press and a welder, possibly a lathe, it wouldn’t be too hard to make one. I think Lyman does sell a digital lead melt thermometer with a probe you stick in the pot. Otherwise, I am using one of those older type thermometers. I just know if as the pot gets lower, if I drop in one ingot, I’m good. Drop in two ingots, it freezes up. Then it takes a while to heat back up. But that is probably the case with every pot. I just never really paid attention to what the thermometer says when it starts pouring again. |
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Originally Posted By dryflash3: Ya, the Lee 12 and 20 pound furnaces leak, have both. My used funshow find Lyman and Saeco furnaced never leaked. Old Lyman was 20 pound, Seaco was a little smaller than the Lyman. They both failed, took them apart, and no fixing them without new heating coils. Got the "scratch and dent" from Midway. Lyman Mag 25. $340 instead of the full price of $550. Every site I checked, price was the same. Midway had the only "scratch and dent". It had a small bend on the base sheet metal that was easily fixed with pliers, hammer, and touch up paint. It comes with a built in Pid so I will post up in this thread when I try it next week. I had to go to bing to see what the Mag 25 looks like: Attached File I am ASSuming that the mould support is adjustable for width??? In a way, I like that better than the mould support that the RCBS Pro Melt has. Attached File When I was using that Mi Hec hollow point mould a few weeks ago, that stop collar on the the RCBS’s mould support was rubbing across the bottom of the hollow point doodads. So the mould had to be tilted a little bit left to right as I poured. I guess I could have loosened one stop collar and then just let the one (smooth) side of the mould ride against the fixed stop collar. EDIT: if you are planing on using a NON-hollow point mould, then disregard. |
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Originally Posted By WeimaranerDad: I had to go to bing to see what the Mag 25 looks like: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/369122/IMG_7763_jpeg-3792821.JPG I am ASSuming that the mould support is adjustable for width??? In a way, I like that better than the mould support that the RCBS Pro Melt has. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/369122/IMG_7764_jpeg-3792826.JPG When I was using that Mi Hec hollow point mould a few weeks ago, that stop collar on the the RCBS's mould support was rubbing across the bottom of the hollow point doodads. So the mould had to be tilted a little bit left to right as I poured. I guess I could have loosened one stop collar and then just let the one (smooth) side of the mould ride against the fixed stop collar. EDIT: if you are planing on using a NON-hollow point mould, then disregard. I was using a chunk of wood under the spout as my mold guide. |
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Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
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Guess I have never considered the room you may need to do a hollow point. I am too cheap to buy one. But a mold guide would sure be swell. I recently purchased a Arsenal 4 holer in brass. 50/50 pb/gc Keith bullet 32 Its a peice of modern art in my opinion. But it does get heavy. I use a small target plate to elevate the mold. That Lyman pot sure looks spiffy. I bet that I have had my Lee for 15 years or so. It isn't unbearable like the first Lee I owned. |
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Originally Posted By tommee-boy-72: The new Lee pots don't leak like the old ones. I left the pot on for a week once and it never leaked a single drop. But there was some serious oxides on the top. Good thing the old lady did not see it on for that long. RCBS is the best option if available Lol likely grew up hearing, don't leave that curling iron on or it will burn the house down. |
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Got my Mag 25 going today. Set it for 850 degrees and that's where it stayed. Had to decrease the spout flow with the adjustment. Cast 2 pots and I think I'm really going to like this furnace. Doesn't drip if your wondering. One issue, it comes with a mold guide that is too small for a Lee 6 gang mold. Not wide enough. Even with the guide shelf adjusted all the way down it was to high. Mold to spout clearance was too tight and hard to align mold under the spout. So removed the bolt and found the guide was also riveted to the plate. Drilled out the rivet, so guide is out of the way. Hope that makes it easier to get molds under the spout. |
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Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
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Originally Posted By RegionRat: It makes me wonder what their mold guide was designed for? I have a couple, but they are limited use molds. |
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Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
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Originally Posted By dryflash3: The mold support adjusts up and down, also has an adjustable stop. I was using a chunk of wood under the spout as my mold guide. Originally Posted By dryflash3: Originally Posted By WeimaranerDad: I had to go to bing to see what the Mag 25 looks like: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/369122/IMG_7763_jpeg-3792821.JPG I am ASSuming that the mould support is adjustable for width??? In a way, I like that better than the mould support that the RCBS Pro Melt has. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/369122/IMG_7764_jpeg-3792826.JPG When I was using that Mi Hec hollow point mould a few weeks ago, that stop collar on the the RCBS's mould support was rubbing across the bottom of the hollow point doodads. So the mould had to be tilted a little bit left to right as I poured. I guess I could have loosened one stop collar and then just let the one (smooth) side of the mould ride against the fixed stop collar. EDIT: if you are planing on using a NON-hollow point mould, then disregard. I was using a chunk of wood under the spout as my mold guide. |
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Well, I am going to go hit a gun show today and see what I can find. I would sure like to run into a used pot. Got a new Arsenal mold coming some year for throwing heavy 310ish bullets. 303,x39 (Its been about a month so far) Also bought that Lee 230 gr 30 cal mold. Why this sudden interest in subs? Got a can now that will do up to .375 size rifle. |
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Yeah about the only casting thing I laid eyes on that i wanted was a Hensly&Gibbs I think, wad cutter mold. It would have to be fixed up. Think it threw 5 or 6 at a time. Would need a screw and just deloused real good. Think it was $80. Didn't buy. Bought a bunch of other stuff though. Super bh frame and grips $100 Hungarian m95 $300 Webley mk4 $450 with repro holster Some other odds. Going back tomorrow. |
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I don't understand mold pricing at the gun show. Non casters selling what they know nothing about. Old=big $. No consideration of what it would take to get in working order. |
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