pictures of your " Casting Station " ???

[LAKEMASTER]

my daughter is crawling around, trying to stand...........

ever since she was born, ive been paranoid about her safety and WORSE-CASE-SCENARIO situations.

last night i started mocking up my new " lead station " in the garage, its the area where my 1500 lbs of lead sits. i mounted my lee production Pot to a commercial size baking seet ( ruined by chemicals) and im going to screw it to my bench top

my goal is to never have the cord grabbed or tugged and the pot tip over.

before long, ill have my exhaust fan set up and take it for the first trst run.



anyway, do any of you have pictures of where you cast your boolits ?

[Mike W1]

[pete501]

Mike
The pot above the pot is genius. You can pre-melt ingots above and transfer molten lead to your casting pot below and never have to wait for remelt.

[454PB]

I suggest you place your casting station where she never has access. Kids are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning. Having a toddler walking/crawling on the floor below a casting pot is probably not a good idea.

[lightman]

I suggest you place your casting station where she never has access. Kids are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning. Having a toddler walking/crawling on the floor below a casting pot is probably not a good idea.

I'll second this. I would not let children around the bench or on the floor. I would never let them get near the pot full of melted lead. Just to much risk with really bad consequences.

[rancher1913]

mike you are a sick twisted fellow for that photo, puts my little rinky dink operation to shame.

[bessemer20]

This has been the project for this winter.

[rototerrier]

Not pretty, but gets the job done.

[LAKEMASTER]

I suggest you place your casting station where she never has access. Kids are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning. Having a toddler walking/crawling on the floor below a casting pot is probably not a good idea.

she never will.

i guess my real question refers to " how to you have your casting pots set up "

my reloading area wont be accessible nor will the lead itself be reachable

[OS OK]

Attachment 193164

It doesn't take a lot of room to cast, a place for sprue cuts and boolits in the pull out trays beneath the pots. A small pot for very soft and one for higher pressure Pb. Over on the corner my lube-sizer mtd on a heater on this metal table.
Under the top on the first shelf all my molds and temp. probes a box of parafin and a few extra trays.
Then on the floor below I stack all my various blended ingots. Not a large area but entirely adequate.
There is a large box fan I turn on and aim at the garage door to make a good draft without putting undue air directly on a pot.
My shop has to double duty as a wood shop, metal shop, handloading and casting shop...then general repairs too but all has an area and I can't allow one to overly encroach on the other or it quickly becomes chaos.
Basically it is 6 pounds of stuff in a 4 pound box.


Attachment 184888

[JWT]

OS OK, that nut on your hotplate is brilliant. I'm copying that one.

[454PB]

[Mike W1]

I'm always copying someone else's good idea but first I've got to know what the nut on the sawblade top of the hot plate does. Have not grasped that one yet.

[JWT]

I'm always copying someone else's good idea but first I've got to know what the nut on the sawblade top of the hot plate does. Have not grasped that one yet.

Allows for the removable hollow point pin for a Lyman mold to be heated.

[RogerDat]

First I thought meant nut on left hand pot, looked like there might be an oversized nut to add weight. Then I saw the hollow point pin on the hot plate (just as the post said hot plate, duh!)

I cast in garage and reload in basement.

Casting is on a steel welding table with angle iron legs. I sometimes set a pair of folding saw horses with a plywood top for a side table. Shelf behind it has electric melter on it. Along with a few ingot molds, box of clean shavings from planer for flux

I worry about the dog & hot lead or picking up lead so I try to block her from the area. I wouldn't want her licking an ingot and if she steps on any of the drips and spatter she will probably groom it off her feet with her tongue.

I removed the riser that made for lest stooping or bending and added a tall stool, so I can cast seated. Back is not happy with standing, stooping, or repeated bending.


The below is the clean version. I use a small C press on the right side for sizing or gas checks. Since the picture added ammo boxes on floor under bench for bulk cast bullet storage, moves up when being lubed or sized. Now days that shelf on the right and floor in front of it is only loaded ammo. Bulk plastic Plano ammo boxes, cheaper than steel and hold hundreds of rounds in baggies.



Old factory rat I guess. Brass on the far left, with powder and lead for assembly in the middle at work station and then it moves to the right as finished stuff

[runfiverun]

my bench top is about 46" off the floor.
I added 3/4" pieces of wood under the pots so that the casting part is just below eye level.
the cords run to the back of the bench and down through a hole right to the plug.

[lightman]

I guess I misunderstood the question. No pictures, but I cast on my shop table. My back likes for me to sit so I use an old stool. The top is 1/4 in steel plate on 2 X 2 sq tubing legs. I had the top broke, at a place that does that, so that there is a turndown on the front edge and a turn-up at the back. I used to use a metal gun cleaning case, opened up, with a folded towel across it for a landing zone. Bullets went on one side and sprues on the other side. I seem to have lost it so I built a shallow wooden box to use with the same towel arrangement. I heat my mold on the lip of the pot but will soon be using a hot plate.

[georgerkahn]

Here is what I put together. Two notes are: 1/ This was/is the "clean & new" set-up shortly after I put it together; and 2/ It is pretty much the same, now, only real changes being an inverted can sits atop the mould warming hot plate to create an oven effect; and, I added an office-type incandescent lamp to the table. I keep unit in garage, and roll it to just under door to cast, and specially, bion, on bright sunny days -- more light on what I'm doing on the "dark side of the bench" (contrast?) necessitated this lamp.

Works well for me....
geo

[OS OK]

I like this idea George...that's a 'casting console' for sure! Roll her out there where the air can circulate and get with it...

[Ickisrulz]

My lead melter is in a little tray that will contain a spill and allows the spruces to be collected. It is made from a 2x4 and plywood and lined with cement board. I drop bullets onto a towel. I use a ladle.

The power outlet is above the bench to prevent anyone from tangling in the cord and pulling it over.

Access is limited and I normally cast early on weekend mornings when the kids are still in bed.

The bench is extremely strong and cannot be knocked over or even disturbed if knocked.