Nowhere to cast!

[troy_mclure]

I recently moved into a 2 bedroom duplex. I have no casting bench, and now I also cannot cast in the parking lot as some former residents made a mess with oil and the management made a "no working in the parking lot" policy.
I can could cast in the side yard, which is kinda angled, but better than nothing.

Anybody else have issues with no good areas to cast?

[cajun shooter]

If you have room for a furnance and a small table then you have a place to cast. The men of the 17oo's and 1800's did it while squatting by a camp fire. Use the ground with a board for your table if you have to.

[youngda9]

Card table, fan, open window, power outlet. Your apartment has a window, right ?

[Wayne Smith]

Card table, fan, open window, power outlet. Your apartment has a window, right ?

I would want something a little more stable than a card table, but you are essentially right.

Unless you are melting ww's and are dealing with the stink I would say you are safe. Get a large flat pan to put everything on and catch the inevitable spills. You would just have to completely clean up after yourself if you have a partner or child living with you. I think I would limit myself to a bottom pour pot and clean alloy from a source like RotoMetals in your situation. It is more expensive but still way less expensive than buying bullets.

You have absolutely no danger at normal boolit casting temps.

Reloading likewise. You need a table sturdy enough to mount a press, a board or something to protect the table top, and a couple of C clamps. I did it this way for years. Only reloaded for three calibers, everything but components fit in a old salesman's case that fit in a closet. There have been several posts here over the years of more permanent apartment setups, but what I described is minimal to my mind.

[WILCO]

I recently moved into a 2 bedroom duplex. I have no casting bench, and now I also cannot cast in the parking.......

Here's a link:

http://www.castbullet.com/reload/acast.htm

[dragonrider]

If one of those bedrooms is a spare, put a fan in a window blowing out. Use a drop cloth on the floor. Use a sturdy table.

[WILCO]

http://smith-wessonforum.com/reloadi...-dwellers.html

[Bullet Caster]

Well, my wife has finally kicked me out of the bedroom with my reloading bench. She wants a bed in the bedroom. When we moved to TN from GA we inherited a lot of "stuff" and needed a place to store it so we got one of the largest out buildings we could find to sit on our property. As of now she won't let me mount a flourescent light in the bedroom over my bench--said that the bench and I would be regulated to the out building. Now she's got to clean out the out building so I'll have room for my reloading bench along with 2 model railroad layouts--one massive HO scale and a smaller Lionel setup. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.

My reloading bench is somewhat unique. I mounted my press to a piece of 2x12" 4' in length so it would be portable. I could bring it into the living room when I wanted to deprime and other associated tasks while watching TV. That didn't work out too well as I didn't have enough clamps to clamp it to the coffee table I had constructed when we first got married. She dearly loves the coffee table I made and won't give it up for no reason.

I've since constructed a work bench out of scrap lumber I had, some were wooden pallets I had collected. So then I cut two more pieces of 2x12" to raise the press up to eyeball height and bolted my 2x12" press board to the bench. Now I've got enough room underneath the press for all my tools, loading blocks I'd made, etc. My press sits about 12" off the top of the table. Now I can sit on my stool and operate the press with my left hand and I don't tire as easily. Think I'm gonna have to have surgery on my right shoulder next trip to the VA in Atlanta. Just know that where there's a will there's a way. BC

[Jim]

..... She wants a bed in the bedroom. .....
BC

Silly girl.

[I'll Make Mine]

Yep, one more to say, if you're buying your alloy as clean ingots (Rotometals is a site sponsor and sells this stuff at reasonable prices -- and free shipping if you make a decent buy), you can cast anywhere there's a surface sturdy enough to set up an electric melting pot and ventilation. Heck, I'm smelting wheel weights in my carport, but since you can't work in the parking lot, you could do that in the little yard and do your actual casting inside. Lots of folks cast in basements, too.

The main thing to watch is to put down some protection so you don't splash lead on the carpet, walls, lawn, etc. and make the landlord unhappy...

[geargnasher]

Buy clean alloy and you won't have to flux it, which is where most of the stink comes from. Use little bits of scented candles to reduce the oxide scum from time to time, light it off with a BBQ lighter when it starts to smoke, and be sure not to scorch your window doing it. In a pinch, just keep the oxides skimmed, or use a layer of Kitty Litter on top of the lead to keep the air away. I would never recommend Marvelux or any of the borate fluxes, even though they DO seal the surface of the melt and remove impurities.

If you're interested in the borate fluxes, member 454PB does all his casting indoors using that stuff, I'm sure he would be willing to give you some pointers if you pm'd him.

Gear

[woody2]

I started casting in the kitchen. Fortunately my wife is very understanding and supportive. I cut a piece of plywood about 2'X3', put an old towel on it to cushion the bullets when they dropped, and placed it over the sink. Melted the lead on the stove in a Lyman cast iron pot. Did that for several years until we got a place with a garage.

[bearstopper]

I sold my house and currently live in a condo and I cast out on my terrace. As far as the neighbors know, I am spending hours on end at my gas grill doing who knows what! If I were in your situation I would get a fan set up at your back door and a fold up table with a piece plywood covering and go to town inside the house. However, my wife really doesn't know better so I would get away with it.

[troy_mclure]

I cast inside the garage at my last place, and my gf hated the smell of the hot lead(even with scented candle flux) so casting inside is out.

I'll have to figure out a place right next to the house to cast, a concern is the sidewalk(right next to the only flat spot) for the other duplex runs to the casting area.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

It might be time for an upgrade in the GF area. I have been married to the same woman for more than 22 years, we agreed before we ever got engaged that we do not deliver ultimatums to each other. If she dislikes the smell with the accommodations you made you might suggest she go outside and wash the car while you cast.

Good Luck with your future...

Rich
healing

[gray wolf]

[QUOTE]dislikes the smell with the accommodations you made you might suggest she go outside and wash the car while you cast. Dig earth worms, gather fire wood, check for good deals at the gun store, change the oil in the truck, cut the grass, look for WW, rake the yard, call your friends and tell them your busy casting and you will get back to them, run a patch through your guns, plenty a things a woman can do. Just sayin.
But start her off slow, one or two things at a time. Don't want to overwhelm anyone.

[jdgabbard]

I've had to cast on my patio in an apartment in the past. However, now I don't have that luxury. Last time I needed to, I cast on the stove with the vent on (using my lee furnace). I hope to soon find a rent house where I can do the casting in the back yard. But until then, I'll probably use the current method.

[fcvan]

My current setup is compact for use on a small back patio/porch pad, about 3x4. That gives me just enough room for the setup and a chair. I use a 'workmate' type portable workbench, the kind with 'jaws' that open and close. I made a top out of plywood measuring 18" x 24" with lips on the underside. When I open the jaws the surface is locked into place. I actually made 2, one for the reloading press and a spare I'm using for casting. The surface is stable and sturdy enough for casting.

I place my Lee 10lb pot onto a cookie sheet which aids in keeping any spatter from making a mess. When seated, the spigot is slightly lower than shoulder height but easy to view while casting.

I use a wooden TV tray with a folded towel on the top to empty the boolits onto. The TV tray nestles between the workbench legs so the top surface overlaps the TV tray surface, and the chair fits between the legs of the TV tray. I don't have to over reach to fill the mold. When emptying the molds my forearms are parallel to the work surface. Not only is this setup compact it also leaves me less fatigued after prolonged casting sessions.

I wear gloves, long sleeves, safety glasses, long pants, boots, and a denim apron. I have never a lead pot turn over but if it did my lap is covered by the TV tray surface. The folded towel may stop some of the molten metal but not all. I have had lead spill onto my pants before and heavy denim is a lifesaver. I am going to start using a leather apron when I get one.

The workbench is portable. I use it for casting because I can. I built it so I could reload at the range. Most of the time I use it to stamp gas checks or de-prime brass while watching tv. Frank

[Wayne Smith]

I cast inside the garage at my last place, and my gf hated the smell of the hot lead(even with scented candle flux) so casting inside is out.

I'll have to figure out a place right next to the house to cast, a concern is the sidewalk(right next to the only flat spot) for the other duplex runs to the casting area.

Have you any really good friends who own houses??

[lesharris]

Had the same problem myself. Solution was a Coleman propane cookstove supported on the top of a discarded microwave cabinet with wheels that locked up. Neighbors thought I was cooking. I was just not food but plenty of boolits. Oh a TV cabinet on wheels works also.
The one I use now has a drawer and 2 doors to hide my stored items for casting.