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cf5757
04-22-2013, 08:52 PM
Sine I am new to casting, I thought a few notes might prevent having to relearn lessons over and over. . . ( this remains to be seen)

Note to self:

1. Lead stays hot a lot longer than it looks. ( index finger will recover from minor burn, boolit wil not recover from dent received after being hurriedly dropped to the hard concrete floor)

2. Spruce plate gets REALLY hot! Maybe gloves are a good idea!

3. Sawdust is a great flux. Smells like a campfire and smokes like one too. Smoke always finds your eyes. Safety glasses don't block smoke. Smoke detectors can sense sawdust smoking in the melting pot. This annoying noise will make the dog bark, which will irritate the wife. (See #4)

4. Wife does not appreciate the conversion of kitchen implements into casting implements. Take wife shopping for new kitchenware. (This should not count against casting budget.)

5. Did I mention that everything gets really hot?

6. Not all wrinkles are caused by age.

Muddydogs
04-22-2013, 09:12 PM
Thanks for the laugh.

mikemc
04-22-2013, 09:18 PM
That about sums it up!

Nose Dive
04-22-2013, 09:41 PM
Read the STICKIES here bro...there are more rats in the wood pile that can eat the cheese....

"it ain't fun if your hurtin'

Nose Dive

Cheap, fast, Good. Kindly pick two.

tg32-20
04-22-2013, 09:50 PM
That is a great post, everyone new to casting should read it!

it is so so true!

Tom

BACKTOSHOOTING
04-22-2013, 09:57 PM
[smilie=l: You have a casting budget [smilie=l:

cf5757
04-22-2013, 10:01 PM
Not me. Her. She has a very limited amount in mind. I just work around it. ;-)

Sweetpea
04-22-2013, 10:19 PM
Not me. Her. She has a very limited amount in mind. I just work around it. ;-)

BUT...BUT...BUT...

The more you cast the more you save!

[smilie=w:

cf5757
04-22-2013, 10:22 PM
Good point! I will use that argument next time she catches me. ;-)

btroj
04-22-2013, 10:31 PM
The stays really hot for a long time is a lesson we all learn. The hard way.....

Buck-N-Rut
04-22-2013, 10:58 PM
Flip flops are a bad idea.

RoyEllis
04-22-2013, 11:05 PM
Flip flops are a bad idea.
So are shorts, and also any kind of polyester fabric involved in construction of any pc of clothing, never tell yer buddy "hold my beer & watch this" or "you ain't gonna believe what happens when I do this"........Oh yeah, and never anger or tempt the tinsel fairy, she's a vindictive lil biscuit!

DrCaveman
04-23-2013, 12:00 AM
Hey, some issues that i can (kinda) answer!

1. Yes it does. Larger boolits (say 500 gr 45-70 spitzers) will make this true for an even longer time. Ive found it prudent to do other things for a bunch of minutes...usually mess with lube heating/recipes, maybe inventory existing unlubed boolits to decide which mold to heat up next...anything other than handling the boolits or preparing dinner.

2. Yeah gloves. I can run without them while getting things up to temp. Then, if the mold is proper temp the gloved thumb is the best sprue breaker available. I think that a properly heated mold would turn an un-gloved thumb into 3rd degree burn pretty quick.

3. Sawdust is great. I also find 'other things to do' when it is smoking like mad. Again, lube melting and boolit inventory or mold lapping/polishing are great uses during this time. Then you come back to charcoal, stir it good, and remove dross or dont, cast some clean alloy

4. Yeah dude. I trashed one stainless saucepan and another small cast iron pot before realizing this. Hit the thrift stores, buy up their beat-to-hell pans in stainless and cast iron. Should come pretty cheap if you are discriminating, and the kitchen stays fully stocked with 'her' tools

5. Haha i am nursing several hand blisters right now, pretty much always have a few. Try melting ivory soap properly into mineral oil (actually, dont!) and you see some serious heat that will splash and stick to you like tar. Like you said, gloves are a good thing!

6. Yeah well put. In this world they are caused by cold mold or oil in cavities but i think you knew that.

Good post and thread! I could have used it when i was a few months into this awesome hobby.

GaryN
04-23-2013, 12:02 AM
So things get pretty hot? Everytime I hear that I think of this thread. What a hoot!!

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?40238-Can-you-top-this&highlight=top