I need a new lead melter. Thinking of the 20 pounder one that Lee sells or the Lyman 20 dipper. Any comments or suggestions. THANKS....

  I've had two Lyman's, a SAECO, and an RCBS pot. Haven't tried the Rapine's that 40_Rod suggests, but of those I have I like the Lyman 20 pd. dipper. Unless things have changed, the last time I contacted SAECO they weren't making the pots or servicing them anymore. They suggested someone in Missouri who I never could get ahold of.

PETE

Hello
  Ditto on the turkey fryer! Dual purpose. I had a buddy make me  what looks like an upside down pie pan with a hole in the middle to fit my cast iron pot. It can hold 50+ lbs. And! it keeps the heat around the pot better. I had problems with out the heat sheild. Lead took too long to melt. Hope this helps?  Jesse

I just retired my 10 lb. Lee furnace after 20+ years. Actually it was still working, but I wanted something bigger to do more casting with.
I bought the Lee 20 lb. furnace at my local Sportsman's Warehouse for $64, which was less than I could have mail ordered it for! I love it! It's a much better system than the 10 lb was, and it's also a bottm pour, but large enought o easily dip from if you prefer that.
I'm giving the 10 lb. pot to my nephew, as I'll never go back now!

Ive been casting large (500- 550) bullets for BPCRS fror the last 10 years & have tried a couple of the high dollar melters BUT the 1 I use the most is the 20lb. LEE. In fact the others are long gone!   Save the extra $$$ for something else!

And the biggest reason for buying a Lee 20# Pot, you can buy four or five of them for the price of a Lyman Pot.  leadball

there 10# pot is hard to beat-the one that's on only top dipping-i always dip my bullets-i got tired of bottom-pour electric pots leaking and having to be cleaned out every time you used them. I too once owned a lyman but got rid of it because it leaked from the bottom all the time-also i found out you get better bullets when they are dipped.

I've been casting since the '60s with a SAECO 10 lb pot that's older than I am, it's still going strong, wish I was. Youda thought it would have needed some sort of service, but not so far (knock on wood here). I also use a cast iron pot on my fish/turkey cooker, it holds 50-60 lbs & will melt it fast. Great for dip casting & replenishing the small pot.

But now you guys have got me seriously considering a new 20 lb Lee!

BTW to reduce the leakage past the bottom-pour pot's plug, I've found that it helps greatly to wire a lead weight to the handle, for added sealing pressure. It took me about two years of cursing before I figured this out. Sure makes it a lot less frustrating!
HTH, Joe