Smelting accident: pot collapses

[emorris]

No need to bash the guy. Yea he made a bad decision, but who here never has?

[NavyVet1959]

No need to bash the guy. Yea he made a bad decision, but who here never has?

There's "bad" decisions ... and there's REALLY BAD decisions...

I just wish there had been a video of the incident posted on YouTube so that we could see how fast someone can move when a pot of molten lead is headed towards his foot.

The only way I would even consider wearing Crocks while smelting would be if I was standing in a couple of feet of water.

He definitely needs a wider base on that pot so that it would be less likely to tip over. Most burners do not have stands that are strong enough for that sort of weight, so separating issue of support for the pot and support for the burner would be highly advised. Concrete (cinder) blocks with solid metal bars across them work well for a pot support. The blocks are very strong in compression as long as you orient the holes in the blocks vertically and not horizontally.

[2wheelDuke]

In case you aren't aware. ABSOLUTELY NO SYNTHETIC MATERIALS SHOULD BE WORN WHEN WORKING W/ MOLTEN LEAD.

With the exception of Nomex maybe. I cast in Ove Glves, but use lined leather to smelt.

[Oreo]

You guys have it all wrong. Crocs are great for this because they allow the molten lead to flow through and out of the shoe unlike boots which would trap molten lead in next to the foot.

Kidding, of course.

Another forum I was on, a guy burned his foot this way and had to get a silver-dollar sized skin graft. Healing took months. Be careful out there folks.

[Hickory]

Somehow, I can't bring myself to feel sorry for him.

[NavyVet1959]

Somehow, I can't bring myself to feel sorry for him.

Well, maybe for having worn too tight of shoes in his youth such that it created such a case of hammer toes?

[dragon813gt]

With the exception of Nomex maybe. I cast in Ove Glves, but use lined leather to smelt.

People complain about having to pay for the smallest of items. I wasn't going to bring FR gear into the conversation. Everyone should have a pair of jeans and boots.

[NavyVet1959]

People complain about having to pay for the smallest of items. I wasn't going to bring FR gear into the conversation. Everyone should have a pair of jeans and boots.

Agreed... And if the jeans are loose fitting on the legs, that's all the better. And you definitely would want the legs of the jeans to go OVER the top of the boots (especially if they are the type you slip on instead of lace up).

I've been known to sometimes not wear protective gear when welding small tasks. Usually, I get away with it, but the t-shirt that I usually wear when welding has a lot of burn holes in it and at one time or another, there was a nice little burn scar on my torso corresponding to each of those holes. Luckily, my skin tends to heal without scarring, so they didn't leave much in the way of permanent marks. Even though molten lead is quite a bit cooler than molten steel, the potential for major damage with lead is greater in my opinion since we are working with such large quantities of it at any one time.

[lightman]

I commented on that thread also. I'm not going to beat the guy up, he made a mistake and he is going to suffer some because of it. I hope he recovers quickly. I'm sorry the guy got hurt, but by posting about things like this others may learn.

I don't go overboard on safety, but I wear loose jeans outside of leather boots (no Crocks here), a long sleeve shirt (FR because I have them), leather gloves and safety glasses. I smelt inside my shop but I run a large exhaust fan with the doors open. I also keep an ice chest near with some cold water and a towel, just in case I need to cool a burn off. My burner stand will hold the weight of the front of my tractor.

[SharpsShooter]

Some folks learn by reading, others learn by watching and that we have the last group that has to learn the hard way by peeing on the fence. There is an entire chain of events that could have been done differently and completely alleviate the danger. All of those require a bit of forethought which appears to be the element that is absent from this gentleman's project.

SS

[ioon44]

Having the pot set up in the building is not a good situation either.

Glad he was not hurt any worse.

[Smoke4320]

That's going to leave a mark !!
Should have know better on the shoes for sure ..
The pot unstable should have also been obvious

The weight of the lead verses the structural load bearing abilities ...Well DUH

accidents like this hopefully remind us all how easy it is to get hurt in our sport .. a couple thoughtless or rushed moments can spell real trouble

[1_Ogre]

If you are gonna cast, be sure your prepared. Open toed shoes definately are not on the list of required items to wear. Seems he had a mismatch on his smelting pot also, probably was on a plastic milk carton box

[waksupi]

Looks like a case of damn foolishness.

[Tackleberry41]

That whole set up was just an accident waiting to happen. You want to feel sorry for the guy, I know very well how bad burns can hurt, a helo crash. But when it comes to something like molten lead, there are some bare minimum safety precautions you need to take. Just like welding exposed skin is kept to a minimum. Sandels, shorts are just not what you wear when casting, yea its hot, but even a small drop will teach you a lesson pretty quick. Some only seem to learn the hard way.

[John Allen]

I commented in that thread. That guy is an idiot. There is no excuse for not wearing proper PPE. A minimum is a natural fiber long sleeve shirt, long pants and leather boots. You have to be a complete and utter moron to wear those type of shoes around molten metal. You should see the FR clothing I have to wear to work on anything greater than 50v in some plants. Better to be fully protected.

In case you aren't aware. ABSOLUTELY NO SYNTHETIC MATERIALS SHOULD BE WORN WHEN WORKING W/ MOLTEN LEAD.

When I am smelting I go all out. I wear leather and a welders cap along with an apron. I have seen to many people hurt themselves not to be careful. I would rather be sweaty than burnt.

[jeepyj]

Poor decision for sure but he'll have to live with that however I'm just hopping that he isn't training others his techniques.
Jeepyj

[Ole Joe Clarke]

Have to look at the bright side of things. Being burned by lead is better than being shot with it.

[Jtarm]

I'm just hopping that he isn't training others his techniques.
Jeepyj

Was "hopping" a Freudian slip? He'll be more than qualified to teach hopping after trying to get around with that foot for a while.

Give the man credit for not hiding his mistake. And sharing the pictures (I hope it was with his consent) for others to learn from.

[Elkins45]

Was "hopping" a Freudian slip? He'll be more than qualified to teach hopping after trying to get around with that foot for a while.

Give the man credit for not hiding his mistake. And sharing the pictures (I hope it was with his consent) for others to learn from.

Yeah. I'm betting smelting outfit 2.0 will be a significant improvement.