RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

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Kurt
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Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by Kurt »

You guys just don't cast enough to have them last that long LOL.
Michael the coil gave out again like the others. The stat is good so I'm getting a Wattco band heater and put that in. That will give the pot a more even heat from top to bottom.
Maybe it will last three years :D
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Michael Johnson

Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by Michael Johnson »

Nothing personal Kurt! I am just saying that sometimes it is something simple like the poster with the burnt wire posted. I don't cast as much as Kenny, but I have had zero problems. My experience with Waage has been good. Maybe Kenny and I got the pots made on Wednesday (old General Motors joke).
Kurt
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Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by Kurt »

Nothing personal taken Michael.
No the Coil is open I checked it.

From the looks on these pots with the jacket off they look like they were made on Friday :lol:
The reason a dog has so many friends is because he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"Winston Churchill
Michael Johnson

Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by Michael Johnson »

Can you replace the coil?
Kurt
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2005 10:28 pm
Location: Not Far enough NW in Illinois

Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by Kurt »

Yes I will use a band heater and I will put a PID control on it.
It costs less than getting a new one by a long way or I might build one. I have some 6" SST Schedule 40 pipe pups in the iron pile and I can weld a plate on the bottom and get a 6" 1500 watt band heater or even a lesser 900 watt and a $40. PID and it would be a fine pot either way.
https://www.automationdirect.com/adc/sh ... 673abe6af1
The reason a dog has so many friends is because he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"Winston Churchill
Michael Johnson

Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by Michael Johnson »

Thanks Kurt! I am just thinking proacively when my Waage develops a problem.
bohemianway
Posts: 161
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2019 3:58 pm

Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by bohemianway »

The primary consideration is that it is 240VAC RMS ( root mean square) and it is the same for 50hz and 60hz. Since the heater coil is a simple resistive load (no Capacitive or inductive elements) it does not care (motors care). The only concern is if the control system is more that a simplistic bimetal switch but even then they are usually powered from the AC line through a passive rectifier which results in the same DC voltage in the control.

Charles
Kurt
Posts: 8428
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2005 10:28 pm
Location: Not Far enough NW in Illinois

Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by Kurt »

Charles,

The RCBS pot is in USPS on it's way back.
Brownell send me a return label. Fine people with very good customer service that will answer your questions like Shiloh and MVA.
The reason a dog has so many friends is because he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"Winston Churchill
Aviator
Posts: 427
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:06 pm

Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by Aviator »

Kurt:
A question regarding the PID controller you linked to:
Wouldn't you want one with a relay output, rather than one with a 4-20 mA DC current output?

Steve
Kurt
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2005 10:28 pm
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Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by Kurt »

Steve,
I really cant say. The only experience I have with controllers were with boilers. High and low limits with the probe in a well.

Personally I don't think a PID is even necessary for a lead pot casting bullets. Heck as much as I used a cast iron pot on a gas fired burner in the past I got along just fine keeping the bullet weight less than 1 grain variance.

When it comes to digital stuff I'm still in the vacuum tube age and klickerly clack relays. :D
The reason a dog has so many friends is because he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"Winston Churchill
mdeland
Posts: 11708
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2006 1:47 pm

Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by mdeland »

I've really like my Lee Pro 4-20 20lbs melter with 700 watts which isn't much power any more but it has been going strong for about 20 years now. I cast a lot of balls for muzzle loaders as well as bullets for clang and bang guns now days more than the big .45 cal bullets for midrange shooting that dried up in AK.
The Lee allowed 530 graln PJ Creedmoor bullets to be cast at +/- .75 grains with great regularity. Never could get it down to the .5 grain +/- that so me folks report.
As a side note I once weighted some Sierra match kings in 30 cal at 165 grains and they were lucky to stay within three whole grains of each other.
bobw
Posts: 3841
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 12:52 pm

Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by bobw »

A PID controller on my Lee Magnum dipper pot sure narrowed up the bell curve on big slugs for me. Both my RCBS pro melts are still going strong. Good luck Kurt . Bobw
bobw
kwilliams
Posts: 284
Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2019 8:42 am
Location: Wyoming

Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by kwilliams »

I have been using my easy melt 2-3 times a week since it arrived 3 months ago. I love the thing, I retired my Lyman and Saeco furnaces for bpcr and they will be for muzzle loader bullets. The pid controller works great, and the pot melts a full load fast.
kw
Aviator
Posts: 427
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:06 pm

Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by Aviator »

Kurt:
Well, I'll put my two cents in!

If you decide to go down the PID road, I think you definitely do want one that uses a relay for the output, rather than 4-20 mA output. The 4-20 mA output is used to drive proportional items, such as a valve, and would not drive a heater the way we need.

They make a version of that same controller that has a relay output (it has an "R" suffix).

Another detail you would want to know: The relay output of a small controller will probably not have a rating any higher than 5 amps, which is not likely to be enough to drive a casting pot heater reliably.
So, you would use the controller ouput relay to drive a separate relay which has a higher output rating. I would likely choose a solid state relay, which has no moving mechanical parts, for long life.

It would not be a difficult project for a guy as sharp as you. Let me know if I could help further.

By the way, I currently use an RCBS Easy-Melt with a PID controller, and I like being able to let it take care of the temperature control.

The only thing I don't like about the Easy-Melt is that it didn't have a switch on it to disable the heater, but they want you to let the pot cool down below 160 F before turning off the power to the internal fan. Without the fan running, I suspect the controller would get cooked eventually. I dis-liked having to change the setpoint on the controller to accomplish this cooldown.

So, I added two switches to mine. One for main power, and one to disable the heater. After a casting session, I disable the heater, but leave the fan run several hours (or overnight) to keep the controller cool. When ready for the next casting session, I can just turn on the switches, and the controller is already set for my desired temperature.
Kurt
Posts: 8428
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2005 10:28 pm
Location: Not Far enough NW in Illinois

Re: RCBS Easy Melt Furnace??????

Post by Kurt »

Tnx. Steve.
I printed this out and I will follow your advice. I haven't yet decided what I will do for temp control. I might just end up putting the band on the pot and used the thermostat that is on the pot.
But I will build my own pot with the SST pipe I have large enough for 30-35 lbs and put a drain on the bottom.
This will be next winters project. Summer time is for traveling to matches and Fishing. :D

Thanks again Steve.

Kurt
The reason a dog has so many friends is because he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"Winston Churchill
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