RCBS Easy Melt Furnace 120 Volt

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  • Last Post 07 August 2018
OU812 posted this 04 May 2018

 

I like using a ladle with my 30 caliber bullets, so I purchased this new RCBS unit.

Pros:

Larger pot with lid. The lid helps furnace heat up faster.

PID heat controller keeps temp stable.

Cons:

Digital temp gauge reads 50 degrees hotter than my two RCBS lead thermometer readings. Must adjust unit to 750 to get actual 700 degree reading from thermometers.

Before turning unit off, you must power down to zero and let fan run until temp reaches 160 degrees before unplugging unit. I guess to protect the PID. This can take over three hours.

Front of unit gets very hot. Difficult to pick up and poor melt from pot.

My Lee 20lb pot will cast bullets just as purdy and cost less money.

 

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RicinYakima posted this 04 May 2018

Mine arrived two days ago.

Pro's: A lot less bench space than my Lee or SAECO with early PID controller. PID checks out within 2 degrees boiling water at 1200 ft elevation.

Not an issue: I always empty the crucible into one pound ingots and clean the pot after each casting session. Twice I have cycled it, crucible cooled in less than 8 minutes to the stated 160 degrees.

Cons:  Lid is convenient for heating moulds, but pivot is not going to last very long. Fan blows inside heat towards the caster if you are right handed.

Because it is so big and low wattage, 800, it takes a long time to heat. So I will keep my 4 pound Lee dipper for small jobs.

OU812, PID's are going to vary with units, so beware of calibration! these thing are just generic Chinese parts. Mine just happens to be close.

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Pigslayer posted this 04 May 2018

Concerning the PID/RCBS unit combo. Electronics & high temps make for bad bedfellows. I've seen many a circuit board fail due to heat. Leave your smart phone in the sun for a while & watch it shut itself down. Always wondered how the RCBS unit would work out. Now I know. Better to have a separate PID unit. I have to push back a little on the accuracy of the PID controllers not being calibrated correctly due to being Chinese made. The calibration is set in stone in the software.  They are far closer than one thinks. I have built & tested many of these units & found them to be very close to the mark. The Chinese are actually putting out some pretty good stuff now days. I'll just bet if you checked the origin of manufacture on the PID's in any commercial freezer or temperature controlling device, most of the time it will be China. The RCBS unit shown is of course nor bottom pour nut the price isn't too bad. Both the Lyman & RCBS bottom pour units are well over $200.00. Better off with a LEE 10 lb. or 20 lb. bottom pour & make yourself a PID. That way if one's PID should fail you still have the temp. control on the pot.  

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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RicinYakima posted this 04 May 2018

I have just put Uncle Russ's original PID controller in storage, so that if this fails I can use the high quality one he made for me. Having spent my last working years in a lab, mechanical thermometers are very poor quality these days. I know the Chinese stuff is "good", but it isn't made in USA.

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badgeredd posted this 04 May 2018

I ordered an Easy Melt a bit over a year and half ago. After waiting for the back order for nearly a year, I gave up and cancelled the order.

The reason I ordered one was because it looked like it would be a little bigger diameter than my Lee 20 lb pot. Is it?

The problem I have with my Lee is the probe (thermocouple) gets in my way often. I guess that I could permanently install a new thermocouple in the bottom which would clear up the problem.

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RicinYakima posted this 04 May 2018

Can't answer size question as I only have a Lee 4 and a 10.

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BigMan54 posted this 04 May 2018

I saw a video on you-tube where a guy drilled a hole through the back of his Lee 20lb & installed the probe horizontally under the pot.

I don't understand the big deal about a lid being included in the new Lyman/RCBS pots. I've always put an ingot mold on mine. Although I dId forget once in melting a full pot of cold lead, QUITE THE GEYSER.

 I've never failed to drain the pot since.

Long time Caster/Reloader, Getting back into it after almost 10yrs. Life Member NRA 40+yrs, Life S.A.S.S. #375. Does this mean a description of me as a fumble-fingered knuckle-draggin' baboon. I also drool in my sleep. I firmly believe that true happiness is a warm gun. Did I mention how much I HATE auto-correct on this blasted tablet.

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OU812 posted this 05 May 2018

The RCBS unit reheats and melts remaining lead in pot pretty quickly.

I may add handles to my pot so I can drain pot more easily. So fan will not have to run so long to cool.

 

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rfd123 posted this 22 July 2018

i bought one of these in may of this year, at the discounted/rebate price off midway.   i use 3 lee pro ladle pots for lead or different lead:tin alloys and just today got around to firing the easy melt up for the first time as i needed a separate furnace for 1:16 PPB slicks.  loaded the pot with 22.25# of lead/tin small nuggets (roto metal) and set the temperature to 700f.  didn't take long, maybe 30 minutes for the brew to melt and hit the set temp. two of my thermometers inserted into the alloy confirmed 706f.  good enuf for me.  fluxed the brew but didn't do any casting, just wanted to prep the furnace and get it ready for tomorrow.  the instructions specify in order to shut down the furnace you need to reset the set temp to zero, then wait for it to drop to 165f before pulling the plug (there is no on/off switch).  that's kind of a pain as even with holding the "v" button to decrease the set temp, it takes time ... and it will take time to reset it when i begin casting.  anyhoo, 3.3 hours later it finally dipped below the cut off temp and i could turn it off.  that part right there is a big PITA.  i'll see tomorrow how it goes for casting and keeping the alloy at the set temp as i remove 528 grains of alloy for each slick.

http://www.BuffaloRifles.org

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RicinYakima posted this 23 July 2018

That would be a PITA! However, I cast anything left in the pot into ingots, and it cools off in less than 10 minutes, with a fan blowing on it. FWIW

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Geargnasher posted this 24 July 2018

I douse mine with a few pounds of cool ingots to speed the cooldown. I may investigate gutting it and relocating the board.

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RicinYakima posted this 24 July 2018

I have read that some are adding a small desk top computer fan to the outside of the case that is suppose to decrease cooling time.

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BigMan54 posted this 28 July 2018

Keep a oscillating fan at my back when casting. I lock it down & move right next to the pot to add in cool down after I finish my casting session.

Long time Caster/Reloader, Getting back into it after almost 10yrs. Life Member NRA 40+yrs, Life S.A.S.S. #375. Does this mean a description of me as a fumble-fingered knuckle-draggin' baboon. I also drool in my sleep. I firmly believe that true happiness is a warm gun. Did I mention how much I HATE auto-correct on this blasted tablet.

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joeb33050 posted this 28 July 2018

Mine arrived two days ago.

Pro's: A lot less bench space than my Lee or SAECO with early PID controller. PID checks out within 2 degrees boiling water at 1200 ft elevation.

Not an issue: I always empty the crucible into one pound ingots and clean the pot after each casting session. Twice I have cycled it, crucible cooled in less than 8 minutes to the stated 160 degrees.

Cons:  Lid is convenient for heating moulds, but pivot is not going to last very long. Fan blows inside heat towards the caster if you are right handed.

Because it is so big and low wattage, 800, it takes a long time to heat. So I will keep my 4 pound Lee dipper for small jobs.

OU812, PID's are going to vary with units, so beware of calibration! these thing are just generic Chinese parts. Mine just happens to be close.

 

Crucible?

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OU812 posted this 30 July 2018

Maybe my old RCBS lead thermometer reading is incorrect. I have two and both read about 30 degrees different from each other. I may have to try the boiling water method to check accuracy.

Emptying heavy pot makes me nervous...very hard to get a good hold without getting burned. May have to buy new welding gloves. I am trying to come up with a way to install handle. I thought I could remove the steel feat on unit to install bracket, but these cannot be removed (lock nuts) without taking unit apart. I may have to fasten bracket to steel feat using locking allen screws.

 

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rfd123 posted this 31 July 2018

after using it twice, i prefer my cheap lee 20# ladle pots and a simple thermometer. cool

http://www.BuffaloRifles.org

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RicinYakima posted this 31 July 2018

Crucible?

JoeB, the metal dish that actually holds the metal and is in direct contact with the metal is the "crucible".

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4570sharps posted this 07 August 2018

I didn't know RCBS made a dipper pot? 

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RicinYakima posted this 07 August 2018

Yep, been out about a year or so. PID control and shopping on the net less the $125 on special. Must be fairly popular, as several places have them of back order.

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