I am about to jump back into casting after quite a sabbatical and need to buy some kind of a melting furnace that will keep a consistent temperature within reason so that I have a fighting chance to go through the learning curve to properly cast a bullet.  Looking to cast 25 caliber bullets so a 10 pound pot should be more than ample.  I was looking at the Lyman Big Dipper.  What are your thoughts on a good thermostat controlled pot?  Thanks.  Tom

I picked up a Lyman Big Dipper because it was available locally when my excellent 20 lb Rapine pot bit the dust.  My intention was (is) to get one of the 20# pots that Buffalo Arms sells.  That said, I have been casting for almost a year with the Lyman and have no complaints except possibly for the size.  When I get back into casting my .45 cal bullets I may want bigger capacity.  The Lyman may not hold the temp as steady, but my results do not seem to be suffering.  I will let you know a couple of years from now if I am still using it exclusively.

Jack

Are the 1000 watt dimmer switches available at Home Depot or such?  Does the Lyman thermostat control work the same as a PID or dimmer switch?  Dumb but happy!     Tom

I have used a 20# Lyman for many years. Mold temp is much more critical than the differential of the mechanical stat on/off cycle.  I would invent in a thermocouple  for the mold before I would do a PID controller for the pot.

oneatatime wrote on Jul 25^th, 2016 at 12:18am:


Yep.
I use an old propane burner made by the Ransome Torch and Burner Co.
I did install an adjustable fine control flow regulator into the feed line between the tank fitting and the control valve at the burner.
If the electricity goes out, I don't have to fire up the electrical generator to be able to cast, and I find myself doing a fair amount of casting when the electrical gadgets are all offline anyway.    

I suffered behind a turkey fryer for years before my friend J. Hartwig convinced me to convert my Lyman mag. 20 to a dimmer switch set up. You can't buy a 1000 watt dimmer switch at Home Depot. Amazon has them for about $30.00. My Moss 25 cal. mould will cast bullets with in 0.1 of a grain all day long. The temp. of my alloy will never deviate. You appreciate an electric pot over an turkey fryer on a day like we're having today-107 degrees.   
Rich

I hear the $350 pots actually cast the bullets for you.  They run Windows 10 so you just ask Cortana to cast a few hundred bullets of any type she can find on the internet using a Bing search. ( may only find two or three) The bullets look good on the surface, but require $100/lb Microsoftlube and they will infect your rifle with lead-borne toxic mold and viruses.  Hackers may take control of your rifle during a match and throw a few out into the 22 ring just because they can.


Jack

A picture is worth a 1000 words.  Thanks.  Now if I can find a virus checker for a falling blocks works rifle I might look into the pot that casts them for you so I can watch Roadrunner cartoons.  Whoops I forgot they are too violent.