Reading about the failed Lyman 20 # pot, and the Chinese Lyman 25# pot, I am wondering, who makes a good casting pot anymore? I understand RCBS also makes their pots in China now. Of course just because it's made in China does not mean it's junk, but it does seem that's a good first guess.
Or do I just go on the hunt for an older RCBS, American made pot?
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I bought one of the RCBS dipping pots with a built in PID. It works as advertised, but you have to leave it on when done to cool the electronics off, keeps fan on. Since I empty my pot at the end of the day into ingots, it only takes about 10/15 minutes. 2/3 pot takes about 4 hours.
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What about the WAAGE pots, that were popular years ago? I bought one shortly before I took a hiatus from casting,
but have been happy with it. Very robust and USA made. At the time they were "discovered" by casters, they were
quite the bargain for quality, epecially compared to the "specialty" furnaces from Lyman and even RCBS. I checked a
couple of months ago and they are still in business, with a large assortment of pots, etc. Prices are higher than I remember,
but that's to be expected! Does anyone here have any comments about their experience with WAAGE pots, good or bad?
Thanks, and hope this helps! (BTW, mine is not a bottom-pour pot -- ladel only, which I came to prefer after working with
the Lee garbage pots for way too long.)
John
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John what model Waage do you have? What is the capacity? Thanks
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A few years ago I had a old Lyman 20-pounder die on me. To replace it, I bought a 40-pound Magma Engineering pot. A lot of my molds are single cavity, the large BPCR type. Having a larger (than 20-pounds) batch of alloy has helped me produce more bullets of a consistent, known alloy, during a casting session.
The pot was made to omit the bottom pour feature, since I’m a ladle only caster. It is connected to a PID which helps in the consistency department.
Tom
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Why don't we mention the Lee pots. I have two 20 lb. Production pots that are close to 40 years old and still going strong.
I know of several long time casters who also use the Lees which are as old as dirt, but some still put them down. On top of that they are easy and cheap to fix if you every need to do so.
So junk, I don't think so.
David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
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My elderly 20 pound Lee, after many years of excellent service, recently got difficult to keep it from dripping. Some of the aparatus for the bottom valve was worn and out of line and I called Lee for advice, Unlike Lyman, they repair and they said send it in and they would tell me what it would cost to fix or send it in and they would send a new one for half price. I choose the half price option and now have a brand new non leaking pot. If it lasts as long as the old one I will be 112 when I need to trade again.
I thiink some folks shy away from Lee becaus the price is too low but "you get what you pay for" is sometimes a misleading guide.
John
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John:
If you don't make it to 112, I'll buy your Lee pot from your estate. I love them.
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Nothing wrong with Lee pots. I wouldn’t purchase anything else, certainly never spend the money on another RCBS or Lyman. My RCBS is still running, used it this evening along with my 20 pound Lee. Use them both when casting with 5 or 6 cavity molds. My first Lee pot from the early 80s and given to a friend when I “graduated” to my RCBS pot like a real caster. My friend still uses it frequently. Do they drip yes, but so does my RCBS and so did the Lyman I had for a while. They stop dripping if you disassemble them now and then and clean the plunger. Flux thoroughly and get the stuff to the top that can lodge in the spout and cause drips. Empty your pot after every session and scrape all the dirt from the bottom and sides of the pot and dump it in the trash when the pot is cool. Neither my RCBS or Lee dripped tonight and haven’t for years. A thermometer will allow you to assign temperature values to the mostly meaningless numbers on the dials of any pot.
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The Waage pots are very nice. I use my K-4757 20 lb dipping pot for ladle casting large bullets for my Sharps and Browning BPCR rifles. You used to have to email them about that specific model, as it wasn't on their website when I bought mine in 2014.
I agree with the comments that the Lee pots are not junk. I have 3 or 4 of them and they have performed very well. I also have a RCBS bottom pour, the older model without the PID controller that is very nice to use with large multiple cavity molds.
I just wanted to mention that for those with the dripping problem on the Lee pots, another option is to order a solid bottom replacement inner pot from Lee. Very inexpensive and turns the bottom pour into a dipping pot for ladle casting.
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M3 Mitch- are you looking for a bottom pour, or a ladle pot? Buffalo Arms has a ladle pot that looks like it was made by Waage, plus Magma Engineering offers both ladle pots and bottom pour. Prices are on the painful side.
https://www.buffaloarms.com/lead-casting-furnace-115v-ladl-rcb99989.html
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