Indoor casting,exhaust fan.

[Cleve Branch]

Been thinking of using a kitchen range exhaust vent above my work bench in the garage so I can cast in cold weather. Any one here use one or is there enough vapors to worry about?

[John Boy]

Cleve - I cast all my bullets in the basement. The basement has smoke/fire alarms, one about 10 feet from where I cast.
When I cast, here's the drill:
* Open 2 windows
* Turn a floor fan on and point it towards one of the windows
* When I flux, hit the flux with a match to ignite the flux into a flame - not smoking
* Run the fan until finished casting
So - no smoke - no fumes of any kind and plenty of ventilation
Your exhaust fan will pull the smoke out and 'any smells'. As for vapors, unless your temperature borders 1000F - there are none
PS: I have my blood tested for lead every 2 years - have been below the magic number of 12

[Pb Burner]

I've been considering the same thing, but for my basement "loading" room. I have a like new range hood with fan from a remodel. I am planning on venting to outside like a clothes dryer. I'm not sure the hood will move enough air. I cast outside using pickup tailgate as a bench now. I also want to do some casting in the winter months, but too cold outside.
I will be watching this thread with much interest, I hope you get a lot of answers, advice, and suggestions.

[berksglh]

I have a shower style exhaust fan ducted with 3" dryer tube from my basement 12x12 room into the abandoned chimney. I don't light my flux smoke, and some of it escapes the room. As long as i keep fluxing to a minimum, The wife doesn't notice.

I believe a good range hood would help capture the fumes better, or even adding a 6" dropped boarder 2' square around my shower fan may do the trick.

Been casting like that for about 2 - 3 years.

[FLHTC]

I've been casting indoors for over 30 years. I do my smelting in the garage but my casting in the basement. I flux with a tiny bit of bees wax but very seldom. No fans or open windows. Fumes are only produced at much higher temperatures than any of us cast at.

[DxieLandMan]

I cast in the garage as well and use a box fan to blow the fumes out.

[runfiverun]

the only thing I worry about is fluxing/reducing.
the smoke will fill the garage.
so I don't flux all that often I just squish the oxides against the side of the pot and scrape them out and save them for when I smelt my next batch of ww's.
when I do reduce I just open the door and turn on a fan at the door and one behind me to get rid of the smoke.
lighting the oxide reducer [wax] on fire gets rid of most of the smoke.

[mdi]

The problem would be smoke, not vapors. I crack the door a few inches (6' away on my left) and put a 10" fan set on low 4'-5' to my right. The fan keeps smoke outta my face and blows it towards the door. Been doin' it this way for the last 6 years here in Oregon, and to a lesser extent 10 years prior to that. I don't put my face over my melting pot and do deep breathing exercises, so I've never needed any more than good ventilation (open doors or windows)...

Installation of a range hood w/exhaust fan would be great and really easy to use/cast under, but in my mind a bit of overkill...

[NavyVet1959]

Notice that the OP just said "vapors", not "lead vapors". The fluxes that we use would produce vapors when heated and possibly smoke ir lighted. I suspect that he might be talking about anything you could smell or could be potentially harmful when he uses the term "vapors", even if the chemical composition of it doesn't technically meet the definition of "vapor" from a physics standpoint.

I would suggest the OP research "fume hoods".

Simple enough that even a teenage boy can do it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXNN9UhSdes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDM75bv6U1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmo4jDNC_fw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jggLgps-n2Y

[Cleve Branch]

Thanks for the input. I was mostly worried about lead vapors, I didn't know when casting the lead isn't hot enough.
Just thought it wouldn't take much to put in an older kitchen vent (cheap).
Thanks Again
Cleve

[454PB]

With much trepidation gained from previous posts..........Marvelux.I've been casting indoors without ventilation for 40 years. I've had several blood lead tests and was always far below the levels that are cause for concern.

[jsizemore]

A member reported using lead wipes in the casting area and finding evidence of lead even at normal casting temps. Some use an exhaust fan, others don't. Some like to hazmat. YMMV. It can't hurt to insure vapor removal from your casting area. I do use a 2 speed exhaust fan with the intake 10" from my lead pot. I flux so I don't have a flare up even though all my ducting is steel.

[swmass]

I cast in an attached garage. The window is a good couple feet from me but I open it up and point a decent power fan at it that sits on the corner of my work bench. Sometimes I'll open the garage door just for good measure. When I flux I'll hit it with a grill ligher to make sure it doesnt smoke... this is a must because if you dont you'll smoke yourself and the whole room out... ask me how I know.

As far as lead exposure goes, its just melted lead so it isnt evaporating and you arent breathing it in... I'd say crank any fans you got, do your best to vent out for any fumes from fluxing and go for it.

[mdi]

Well, you can go ahead with your plans, making your casting area more pleasant, or let fear take over. The whole "lead poisoning scare" is way overblown. I got more toxic substances from just breathing L.A. air than I've ever got from shooting or casting. No offense to anyone, but a lot of folks overthink safety. Yep some bad results may occur if you cast everyday for 87 1/2 years in an un-ventilated cubbyhole and it's OK to err on the side of caution, but listening to some members you will end up wearing a full hazmat suit with self contained breathing apparatus, full welder's boots, asbestos apron (nope, can't do that, asbestos causes cancer), full face shield with safety glasses underneath, a fireproof skull cap, and full welder's gauntlets. And all that's fine, if you want to go that way. There are many, many casters that have been casting for decades and have no elevated lead levels in their blood, who have chosen to just use common sense. I began casting lead sinkers on Mom's stove when I was about 14 and none of her kids have lead poisoning. I have had more adverse effects from just breathing city air than any of my hobbies and my throat cancer was not from casting sinkers or lead (Doctors told me it was prolly a combination of smoking, L.A. air and genetics).
So use common sense, protect yourself from splashes (glasses, shoes not sandles or barefoot, etc.), don't chew on a freshly cast bullet when casting, don't do deep breathing exercises over the pot, wash your hands when done casting and you too can cast boolits for many, many years without worry of the dreaded, evil lead entering your body...

Jes a geezer's opinion/experiences.

[Geezer in NH]

My man cave has a casting station with a 36 inch stove hood fan with metal pipe to a basement window above it about 24 inches away.

I covered both sides of the hood fan to the bench with 1/8 inch Lexan. For the front I went with a piece of the same to 8 inches below the hood.

I have cast for over 25 years under it. My lead levels are below normal for someone raised in the 50's in a large city. [parents did not let me chew the woodwork] I played in the yards and came home covered in dirt and then had to take a bath before supper so I must not have ingested any of the rampart lead from the evil gasoline fumes of cars.

I never smoked when casting or drank or ate when casting. Nor do I wear masks or filters.

[gwpercle]

Not a bad idea to have some ventilation, smoke and fumes may not be hazardous but fresh air is good. A kitchen range exhaust hood would be excellent but make sure it is a VENTED hood. The contractor installed a new modern ventless hood in my kitchen and it's a joke. The smell and smoke go through a stainless steel mesh filter and right back out into your kitchen, just about even with your eyes. That vent is no vent at all.....biggest hoax ever put over on homeowners.
To do any good it MUST be vented, have a metal duct from the hood fan to the exterior of the building.
Another option is a kitchen or utility room wall vent. Its mounted in an exterior wall and sucks smoke and fumes out to the exterior.
Those work well also. Ventless hood....just say NO !
Gary

[NavyVet1959]

Not a bad idea to have some ventilation, smoke and fumes may not be hazardous but fresh air is good. A kitchen range exhaust hood would be excellent but make sure it is a VENTED hood. The contractor installed a new modern ventless hood in my kitchen and it's a joke. The smell and smoke go through a stainless steel mesh filter and right back out into your kitchen, just about even with your eyes. That vent is no vent at all.....biggest hoax ever put over on homeowners.
To do any good it MUST be vented, have a metal duct from the hood fan to the exterior of the building.
Another option is a kitchen or utility room wall vent. Its mounted in an exterior wall and sucks smoke and fumes out to the exterior.
Those work well also. Ventless hood....just say NO !
Gary

Another one of the hoaxes put over on homeowners are the bottom draft vents. Heat rises, so does the smell or smoke (e.g. blackened steak) from what you are cooking. The bottom draft vents on ranges don't work that great plus they actually end up robbing your pots of some of the heat from the flame.

The ventless ranges are basically just grease filters. Stir fry some hot peppers and you'll see how "well" they work.

[fredj338]

A member reported using lead wipes in the casting area and finding evidence of lead even at normal casting temps. Some use an exhaust fan, others don't. Some like to hazmat. YMMV. It can't hurt to insure vapor removal from your casting area. I do use a 2 speed exhaust fan with the intake 10" from my lead pot. I flux so I don't have a flare up even though all my ducting is steel.

This is from popping the spru plate open, not from actual melting the lead. Lead at normal melting temps, under 750deg, does not vaporize. I wear a particle mask because of that, but not worried about fumes.

[Mal Paso]

If you use a vent fan you need to open another window to make up the air you are venting. You don't need huge volume especially if you heat the replacement air. When it's cold I open a window on the other side of the wood stove from the casting room.

I use a $25 Home Depot Bath fan with 3" tube attached to a piece of wood that is trapped in the sliding window. A stick cut to length holds the window closed against the wood.

[41 mag fan]

Or if you build an overhead vent and pipe anything out you can hard wire an inline air duct fan. Bought mine at Menard for $28