Safety Garb whatcha wearin' there boolit caster?

[Suo Gan]

Well here goes another mostly intuitive post I guess, but I could be missing something. Lead is pretty durn hot, and I was wondering what ya'all are wearing to protect you from the molten mishaps. As of now I am wearing a LS shirt, welding gloves, and a face mask (as in a plastic one), and a ball cap. Any other suggestions? Cloth type? This can be miserable work on a warm day.

I know you won't let me down, As always, SG

[Calamity Jake]

I cast in any shirt I am wearing at the time(but mainly old ones), blue jeans, use leather gloves(not welding) and I have to wear glasses so have eye protection.
When rendering WW I use the long welding gloove and a ball cap is the only change.
I guess I have been lucky, haven't had a bad burn yet, been doing it 27 years.

[monadnock#5]

No polyester/man made fibers, they melt. Cotton is the best. Long pants and leather shoes. I don't wear gloves personally, although I keep a pair handy. Your full face shield is excellent, but a pair of safety glasses with side shields works for me.

[Johnw...ski]

In the summer I wear a short sleve shirt shorts ans flip flops for everything including casting.

In cooler weather I wear whatever I have on.

John

[Springfield]

I wear long pants, safety glasses and a ballcap. I have had the splatter fly up on over the top of the glasses in the past, caught me right next to my eye. The bill on the ball cap eliminates this. Tried using a full face shield but it got too hot for me. I also cast wearing Ove' gloves, much more heat proof than leather gloves and more comfortable.

[Suo Gan]

I think John must have more juevos than I do. I can't imagine casting with flip flops on...

[Johnw...ski]

Hey it's an island thing, I've welded with em too.

John

[Heavy lead]

I've spent most of my life an HVAC contractor, solder boiler lines above your head all day, you get spattered all the time. I always cast in shorts and tee shirt in the basement (have a real good exhause system) Don't get me wrong, I do not recommend it, but I've got tough skin from doing pipe sweating, so what the heck. As far as flip flops, never wear them, I have mocassin type slippers for the basement, that way it traps the hot lead in them and I get a real good burn.:Fire:

[Meatco1]

Wranglers, Welding gloves, long sleeve cotton shirt, glasses, & Cowboy boots. I hadn't thought of a bill hat, might give that a try.

Richard

[imashooter2]

Long cotton pants, leather boots tall enough that the pant legs cover the ankle opening, long sleeve cotton shirt for smelting, short sleeves OK for casting, leather utility gloves.

When smelting, I like to load the pot with a long handled garden shovel. That way if something goes POP, I'm not standing right on top of it.

[cajun shooter]

Ditto on the shorts, t-shirt and my flops. That is what I wear almost all the time. Come to Louiaiana and see what I'm talking about. Went out to the casting shop and it was 85 by the thermometer at noon today. Came back inside to lube boolits in the AC. I do wear all the above when smelting also but do put on a pair of welding gloves as I wouldn't want to burn my pinky's." Children do as I say and not what I DO"

[Forester]

I do all my casting for the next year in a few months of winter. So I have a coat on, a ballcap and leather gloves. I have started wearing eye protection too.

When rendering WWs I use a pair of welding gloves as well depending on what I am doing.

[44man]

Been casting 54 years. I wear a "T" shirt, glasses to see with, no gloves, no hat, any work pants I have on and can't see the big fuss.
The only time I have dropped hot lead is when I grabbed a boolit too hot yet, no burn though, just too hot.
Some of you act like you are pouring steel!
Might be a good idea to learn HOW to cast. I don't make ANY mess or splatters.

[jawjaboy]

If ya smelt in warm weather, a pair of welders sleeves might be ya cup of tea. Wear your short sleeved shirt all you want, then when you get down to bidness, just slip these on reak quick. Easy on, easy off. Plus the elastic wrist cuff will slip over your leather gloves cuffs, avoiding the old trapped lead in the glove cuff syndrome. $6.24 per pair.

Jes a suggestion. YMMV.

http://www.tuffrhino.com/Welders_Clothing_s/61.htm?Click=20&source=google&segment=productpage&paidKeyword=welders%20sleeves&adVariation=1&gclid=CLDnhauI35YCFRJxxwodFCk8wQ



http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g194/jawjaboy/IMG_0097.jpg

[Bret4207]

Well thank goodness there are some other guys here that don't wear a complete firefighter outfit just to cast! I thought I was the only one. I TRY to remember to wear glasses. Beyond that it's whatever I have on. The only burns I ever get are on my hands and I get worse ones welding so no biggie. I have a great big jar of "Udder Butter" which I use as a general first aid cream. If it works on chapped cow teats it oughta work on anything! I also don't go crazy worrying aobut the mythical "steam explosion" from water dropping ONTO my mix. I read an internet tale of a guy who claimed a June Bug entered his mix and exploded. My bs meter pegged on that one.

[crabo]

I just cast in whatever I have on. No big deal. I wear glasses and make anyone who wants to cast wear safety glasses.

[HORNET]

Long sleeve shirt, jeans, tennies or boots(whatever I have on), my reading glassessoI can check them as I go,and cotton workgloves. I tried shorts and cowboy boots but had a sprue go into one boot and changed that idea.
IIRC, it was claimed that Buckshot does his casting in huarache sandles and a thong (there's a mental picture that'll haunt ya!)......LOL

[Kraschenbirn]

Jeans, long-sleeved pullover top, a pair of old leather court shoes, and a plain ol' brown cotton glove on my left (mould) hand for casting; bare right hand holds the cut-down hickory hammer handle I use for a "knocker." For smelting, same basic outfit with a leather work glove on the left hand and an Ove' Glove on the right. For eye protection, I wear my regular glasses (Lexan lenses) with clip-on side shields any time I've got lead a meltin'.

Bill

[NoDakJak]

Bret Try dropping a nice size grasshopper in your pot. You better be wearing be wearing long sleeves because you will be wearing silver ornaments. An inquiring mind will certainly find out the hard way. Neil

[Chunky Monkey]

Bret Try dropping a nice size grasshopper in your pot. You better be wearing be wearing long sleeves because you will be wearing silver ornaments. An inquiring mind will certainly find out the hard way. Neil

Don't know about grasshoppers but I do know that yellow jackets don't do any harm! :-D

[Bret4207]

How in the world can a grasshopper or any other critter get under the melt? Unless you stir that sucker under the melt I can't understand how it could happen. I've had things steam up and roil a bit when I PUSHED a cold ingot under the melt, but nothing with a specific gravity lighter than the lead alloy is going to sink under the melt.

[44man]

We get millions of box elder bugs and stink bugs. I have grabbed a few from the bench and tossed them in the pot. Made good flux! :mrgreen:
They cook off so fast all that's left is carbon. Just can't get them under the surface until they dry.

[waksupi]

There is no bug big enough to get beneath the surface of lead to cause a steam explosion. Maybe if you use a pair of pliers to force it under the surface. You must do something else stupid to get moisture in there. Wet ingot, or stirring stick, or dipper.

[dakotashooter2]

I have a heavy 3/4 length canvas apron. After that anything else is optional. [smilie=w:

[STP22]

Cotton garments for sure. I`ve made my share of "tinsel", and learned real quick that when I`m casting Bismuth cores to put on the 3/4 length denim shop apron and have something on my feet in the summer. That stuff splashes like water...even farther at times with the Lee "drip-o-matic"...Yikes!:shock:

[DLCTEX]

I wear whatever I happen to have on. Of course that will be Wramglers (even if I just came from church) and a cotton shirt. If it's summer. it will be a pocket tee. Glasses provide eye protection (and boolits aren't real fuzzy with them). and Red Wing pull on boots will be on my feet (Tony Lama boots are too expensive to cast in, and a ball cap protects my bald spot. I'm too much of a tenderfoot to cast in flops. Ouch! DALE

[1Shirt]

Wear what ever I have on, but will always cast with long pants shoes and socks.
I did wear flip flops once this year (first and last time), and got a splatter between my little toe and the one next to it. Immediately put my foot in the bucket of water that I drop boolits in and only ended up with a little blister, and the air full of a whole whoop of cussin! I wear glasses, and have never worn gloves.
1Shirt!:coffeecom:coffeecom

[EchoSixMike]

I wear leather boots all year round, a set of carrhart carpenter pants, and usually a long sleeve shirt(cotton or flannel) or my canvas work coat if it's below about 40. Leather gloves and I wear glasses.

Yeah, synthetics are to be avoided. S/F.....Ken M

[Geraldo]

My normal daily attire is shorts, t-shirt, sandals, and Oakley sunglasses. I add a ballcap and work gloves when casting. I cannot imagine wearing a lot more when casting in the 90+ degrees and 60% humidity of Florida summers.

[Ricochet]

I try not to cast in sandals (which I wear much of the time in warmer weather), but I'll bet if I did and got lead on my foot I'd have it in the quench bucket in a flash! :shock:

[BlackRifleShooter]

I wear whatever I happen to have on. Of course that will be Wramglers (even if I just came from church) and a cotton shirt. If it's summer. it will be a pocket tee. Glasses provide eye protection (and boolits aren't real fuzzy with them). and Red Wing pull on boots will be on my feet (Tony Lama boots are too expensive to cast in, and a ball cap protects my bald spot. I'm too much of a tenderfoot to cast in flops. Ouch! DALE



Your bald "SPOT"? Oh you mean your head! :mrgreen:

[Suo Gan]

Tried to upload a picture of a firefighter and a fat guy at the beach in a speedo. Probably better that did'nt work out. Anyone the posts so far have been good for a smile, and I liked the photos too. I was wondering since I do this outside under a shade tree, maybe yee old robin flying over might poop in the mix and do what robins do? Nah, What are the odds?

SG

[cohutt]

You can laugh about this stuff if you want; protect your eyes at a minimum, the rest will heal but it isn't any fun.

I wasn't too worried about tinsel fairies- after all, with 3000lbs successfully smelted all I had experienced was a couple of light duty pops that had run me away from the smelting pot without damage.

The evening of September 19th I did a quick smelt of 40 or so lbs of berm diggings. Finished, took off my protective canvas chaps, started breaking down the gear to put it up and POW.

Result: Severely burned foot that I am still dealing with 6 weeks later.

I've corresponded with 45nut and as soon as the burn treatment has run its course, I'll submit a graphically documented account of what happened that night along with a timeline of photos and descriptions of the very slow road to recovery. I narrowly avoided having to receive skin grafts from my groin to my instep, but for 3 weeks it looked like that was where I was headed.



Still want to play around with this stuff? Don't press your luck, it isn't worth it.

Take a look at the results of a single moment of carelessness can do.

This was 36 hours after the accident and it got worse before it got better, believe me. Google "debridement" for kicks.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/burns/footburn921c.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/burns/footburn921d.jpg

[Pitmaster]

When Cohutt posts about safety I'll read, retain, and practice safety.

If anyone is diabetic and gets a burn from the groin down get to the doctor or ER immediately. Burns are notoriously easy to get infected. Debridement would be a breeze compared to amputation.

[Bret4207]

Cohutt- Any idea what the cause was?

[mold maker]

Those that scoff at others safety are flirting with a disaster that can effect the rest of their life and even shorten it.
It's your body and your decision. Just be darn sure you take those chances ALONE, and keep a phone within reach.
Those that don't think a juicy bug on top of the melt CAN cause a visit from the tensile fairy, have just been lucky. It doesn't have to be UNDER the melt to empty the pot. A drop of sweat falling on a shiny clean melt will either dance like an ice skater or turn into a cherry bomb.
Do you really want to bet your eyes and skin on it?
I've smelted and cast for over 40 years and been extremely careful. I always cover totally with cotton clothes, a billed hat, safety glasses, high top shoes, and welders gloves. Even so I have still had to run like he!! to avoid 750- 800* rain.
Yes it's uncomfortable in the Summer.
Yes it is safer, to cast with pre heated ingots.
But No, the money we save casting isn't worth loosing the eyes we use to aim with, or scaring the fingers we hold and shoot with, and these are the simplest to protect.
There is nothing macho about being brave (spelled STUPID) and tempting fate.
Just wearing your regular eye glasses isn't good enough, besides molten lead WILL ruin the lenses even if it keeps it off your eyes.
I wont hold a target for a shooter, no matter how good he is, and I wont take dumb chances with the same lead at slower speeds. Both can alter the rest of your life, or end it, but it IS your life.

[cohutt]

Cohutt- Any idea what the cause was?

Water of course.

I'll post the whole saga in a couple weeks, just figured it was pertinent to this discussion to preview it.

[Bret4207]

I should have made the distiction between casting and smelting I suppose. Smelting I am a lot more careful since I do it outside and with unknown raw material. Since finding 4 live 410 shells in my last haul I'm even more careful.

As for the water dropping on a melt and exploding the melt- sorry, I've been at this 30+ years and have never seen or known of it to happen without a reason for the water to get under te melt. Yes, I have seen it happen when a cold damp ladle was forced under the melt, but for the life of me can't see how it can happen otherwise. I'm not saying don't be careful, I applaud those who are. I just haven;t ever seen it, haven't heard of it before this and can't figure out how it can happen with some sort of vessel to carry the water under the melt.

Cohutt- I wait with baited breath. I igured maybe a 22 lr. snuck it's way in.

[Old Ironsights]

Since I can't even lean over my Furnace, and there is no water anywhere nearby, my CASTING is based on whatever I'm wearing + safety Glasses

But when I'm outdoors smelting over the burner, I'm in jeans, boots & a cotton long sleeve shirt.

[NoDakJak]

cohutt: That is just about what my hand looked like. I am diabetic and it did get infected. I was casting outside the shop, under a huge Cottonwood tree. My Lyman pot was down about half way so I had put seven or eight warm ingots in and was performing other chores until it had come back up to temp. I had not learned about zinc contamination at that time and was running the pot very hot in order to cast any decent bullets. About ten minutes later I was walking by the pot when it erupted, It covered about 25% of the back of my hand and ran down between two knuckles. Bird poop? Maybe but I doubt it. The pot burped several pounds over the bench and me. There was probably several pounds of molten lead clinging to my shop apron and levis and another quarter pound on my hand. Simple deduction due to lack of any other obvious reason indicates that one of the multitude of huge grass hoppers that were eating the area up flew into the pot. About thirty years ago there was a report in the American Rifleman about the same thing happening with a Junebug so the problem is not unheard of. Just my bad luck I guess and I have wrinkly skin on the back of my hand to remind me. Neil

[Snapping Twig]

Safety glasses #1 on the runway. Long sleeve flannel shirt w/ undershirt, goat skin gloves (OSH < $20) long pants, socks and shoes.

Seen lead pop, don't want any part of an easily avoidable tragedy. Been casting since 82.

[Crash_Corrigan]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.....

This is a no brainer. Leather shoes, cotton or dungaree pants that cover down to the shoes, long sleeved flannel or corduroy shirt, saftey glasses and a Marine Corps Utility Cover when casting.

Smelting calls for leather gloves with gauntlets that run up the arm a bit and a cotton shop apron and all the above besides.

I cast with two Lee 4-20's. One is mounted on 2-6" about 18 inches above the other. I melt my ingots on the top one and run the melted alloy down a piece of channel iron into the bottom pot. This is the one I cast from.


My dog was sleeping on the porch and minding his own business when a coyote came busting though the yard chasing a rabbit. He woke up and began to chase the coyote. He miscalculated his leap and hit my casting table and kept on going.

I had two 20 lb pots full of 750 degree alloy flying all over the place. I bailed back as fast as I could but ended up with a coating of silver from my chest to my feet.

Not one burn of any kind. I ended up with a nasty clean up job but since I had put down scrap plywood on the ground to protect my concrete patio all I had to do was to scrape the layers of alloy off the wood and relmelt back into ingots in the smelting pot.

I have since then plied my hobby in a solo manner. No pets, no kids etc.

[Just Duke]

Those that scoff at others safety are flirting with a disaster that can effect the rest of their life and even shorten it.
It's your body and your decision. Just be darn sure you take those chances ALONE, and keep a phone within reach.
Those that don't think a juicy bug on top of the melt CAN cause a visit from the tensile fairy, have just been lucky. It doesn't have to be UNDER the melt to empty the pot. A drop of sweat falling on a shiny clean melt will either dance like an ice skater or turn into a cherry bomb.
Do you really want to bet your eyes and skin on it?
I've smelted and cast for over 40 years and been extremely careful. I always cover totally with cotton clothes, a billed hat, safety glasses, high top shoes, and welders gloves. Even so I have still had to run like he!! to avoid 750- 800* rain.
Yes it's uncomfortable in the Summer.
Yes it is safer, to cast with pre heated ingots.
But No, the money we save casting isn't worth loosing the eyes we use to aim with, or scaring the fingers we hold and shoot with, and these are the simplest to protect.
There is nothing macho about being brave (spelled STUPID) and tempting fate.
Just wearing your regular eye glasses isn't good enough, besides molten lead WILL ruin the lenses even if it keeps it off your eyes.
I wont hold a target for a shooter, no matter how good he is, and I wont take dumb chances with the same lead at slower speeds. Both can alter the rest of your life, or end it, but it IS your life.


I here that.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=27984&highlight=CHEAP
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=36200

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/LEVER%20ACTION%20SHOOTERS%20SOCIETY/005-1.jpg

[StanDahl]

I guess Buckshot hasn't seen this. I recall reading in my formative years on Shooters.com that casting while sitting on a plastic lawnchair wearing nothing but a campaign hat was the only way a real caster did it. The slats in the chair provided a place to tuck the boys to keep them out of harms way. (I've discovered that you have to stand up carefully or the chair will come up with you.) Times change, I guess. Stan