Clean or not to clean

[TES]

What lengths do you go to after running lead at your bench?

[454PB]

Do you mean cleaning the bench?

[TES]

No like wet vacuuming your floor. What do you use to clean the lead off your bench and so on. I might be over doing it a bit but just dont want to contaminate the yard or inside of the house with a child.

[gray wolf]

I have a smoke and ask Julie what's for dinner.
BUT For a child that can crawl around and gobble up just about anything you do what you need to do.

[Love Life]

Unplug the pot, walk away, done. I am not in the habit of letting small kids play in my garage.

[472x1B/A]

^^^^ There ya go, that just about sums it up.

[snuffy]

Nothing! Whats there stays there. I have no idea how much lead is in my loading room, a spare bedroom in my house. I have no kids, live alone seldom get young visitors. If I did have a carpet crawler visit, I can close and lock the door.

Lead contamination is vastly over blown. I have lots more to worry about.

[DLCTEX]

Mine has a plywood floor and I vacuum it occasionally with a shop vac with a high efficiency bag in it to catch any dust and gun powder. Grandson doesn't go in there.

[Janoosh]

+1 on Lead contamination vastly overblown. If you are concerned, create an area that is "OFF LIMITS". I understand the PICA problem with children, there are Products available that can show where and how much is contaminated. Now, if you're concerned about tracking lead everywhere on your shoes, create a "changing area" and keep those shoes separate. IF you feel the need to go to that far. I just pull the plugs and close the lights.

[TES]

Unplug the pot, walk away, done. I am not in the habit of letting small kids play in my garage.

I don't let my kid any where near the garage. I and don't do any lead washing / smelting in the drive way either. I was concerned with what comes in on your feet and hands occasionally. Just wondering about other peoples cleaning habits and what they do to keep down the chances of contamination from the bench to the house. But yes if you were stupid enough to let your kid in the garage you shouldn't be doing this.

[dmclark523]

Generally just sweep the floor now and then. I generally don't cast in the same place that I load. I load inside, and cast outside generally. Lets me have more fresh air that way!

[fecmech]

The lead thing is way over blown. Think back prior to the 70's. All the homes were painted with lead based paint as were all the children's toys. Boys cast toy soldiers out of lead yet somehow grew up to be productive adults. One of the main problems was the tetraethyl lead in gasoline. Despite what alarmists would have you think the reloading bench is hardly a hazmat area!

[scottiemom]

I would recommend that you give your hands a scrubbing with a good soap - I like carbolic soap

[41 mag fan]

Wear my slippers to the shop, take slippers off in foyer, wash hands, and or take a shower, and go from there.

[waksupi]

I would recommend that you give your hands a scrubbing with a good soap - I like carbolic soap

I didn't know you could still buy carbolic soap. Got a brand name?

[gbrown]

I agree with other posts that lead contamination issue is overblown. Our Earth is contaminated with lead--an element, very common, that is in the ground all over the place. Where I cast/smelt is not a place that young people frequent/appear. The amount I may get on the ground is about 1/1000th the weight of a wheelweight being flung off a tire when someone hits a curb, accidently. It lies there, hit by numberous tires, ground into the asphalt/concrete and then the rain carries the dust to the gutter/storm sewer system. I keep my work area clean, as I have been taught, but it is not one of the things I get anal over!

[Jim]

THIS (http://generalmerchandisingcompanyofky.com/red-island-pride-carbolic-soap.html) is what I use. It'll get your hands clean down to the pink.

[Bzcraig]

I too believe the contamination danger is exaggerated. Personally, no kids at home, I like a clean work space, pick up what lead I see and throw in with my sprue pile, call it good.

[btroj]

I wash my hands well and get on with life.

[10-x]

Smelt and cast in the back garage, no "chilren" go out there. My 16 year old grandson may visit a couple of times a year but he's been "taught all the ropes", no problems. Try to sweep things up every month or so, no spring cleaning deal or acting like a maid.

[runfiverun]

I vacuum the carpet when it gets dirty.
I generally advise visitors to not lick the carpet or my casting bench.

[Love Life]

I vacuum the carpet when it gets dirty.
I generally advise visitors to not lick the carpet or my casting bench.

If I can't lick the casting bench, then I withdraw my offer to move in and mooch off of your lead stash. Even if there is AC and TV.

[GaryN]

I don't leave the pretty shiny boolits were little hands can get them. I'm the only one that goes in where the lead melts. I just wash my hands and go about my business.

[starmac]

I vacuum the carpet when it gets dirty.
I generally advise visitors to not lick the carpet or my casting bench.

I generally advise visitors that worry about it,not to be a visitor. lOL joking, but like others it is not something I am worried about.

[ffries61]

Same here, wash my hands and go back in the house, no kids here to worry about, and I already have the big C.

[PbHurler]

As far as personal hygene, I tried a bottle of D Lead soap (from Dillon). I figured it worked, so my wife bought me a gallon direct from the manufacturer for Christmas, A little goes a long way!

Link: http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1262

For my casting area, I occasionally shop vac the area, & wipe the bench off with Simple Green. Nothing special really.

[Mal Paso]

I use a shop vac with a disposable bag and secondary cartridge filter. HEPA replacement filters are available for many shop vacs. Lead is heavy and doesn't migrate but there are other nasties in the shop I don't want to breathe.

[mroliver77]

Using a vacuum scares me! Airborne lead oxides and oxides on the hands are the most common ways of getting lead in your body(if my info and understanding are correct). I dont know much about hepa filters but would be investigating before I use one. Your dross is probably the most dangerous (as far as lead contamination) thing in your casting area.

As a youngun we had a .22 Benjamin air rifle single shot. I kept extra lead balls in my mouth! Aside frome being a little crazy I grew up normal, my kids are normal(except a little crazy) and NONE of us has ever contracted Elephantiasis. Lead must inoculate one from it! :)

Just be sensible and use good hygiene and treat the dross as a moderately dangerous substance.
Jay

[TXGunNut]

I don't allow visiting youngsters in my loading room, biggest worry there is the dust from cleaning cases. I cast and smelt in my outdoor kitchen so it gets cleaned up between uses.

[freebullet]

Lead dust is the concern not so much chunks of lead(unless you eat them). HEPA vacuuming contains/removes it.

[DLCTEX]

A vac with a HEPA bag is probably the safest way to clean up IMHO. Lead and powder is contained in the bag and the powder has no exposure to the motor or impeller. It will contain drywall dust and that is really fine stuff.

[cat223]

I smelt and cast outside. The pieces that are big enough to pick up go back into the melting pot, the rest get ignored.