Casting bullets in a subdivision

[Alferd Packer]

Cast late at night in garage.
Or on weekends late at night in garage.
Don't light up the whole garage.
Use task lighting to only lite up area where casting and use a few sheets of 4×8 1/4 inch plywood standing up to block direct line of sight to the street.
Set a box fan blowing out a side window with air intake from under garage door raised six inches.
A range hood with fan blowing out a side window over a work bench for casting apparatus.
Mate shouldn't object to that one.
.

[Krag1902]

I don't know if this has been offered or not. When I need to smelt I head out to one of the state recreation areas nearby (10-15 miles) and use a state provided fire pit at one of their campsites. Go during the week and off season and you won't see another soul. For fuel I get free wood pallets ( oak is the best) , saw them up with a Skil saw and head out to the lake. Have a couple of buckets of water handy and ready to put out the fire when you leave.

[bedbugbilly]

In Michigan we now live in a condo and I do all of my reloading/casting in the garage. I leave the door open - never had an issue at all. Here in AZ, I do the same. We live in a 55 plus community - houses are close and plenty of tree huggers and stump suckers. Doesn't bother me when folks ask what I'm doing. As far as the "left leaners" - it will be a cold day in Hades before I "sneak" about anything I'm doing. Nothing that I am doing is illegal. What I do on my property is my business and what they do on their property is there business. I'm a free American and I don't bother my neighbors so they'd better not come bothering me.

If you're smelting - clean the scrap well and et it dry COMPLETELY before you start smelting. Water and hot lead don't mix.

[richhodg66]

I don't know if this has been offered or not. When I need to smelt I head out to one of the state recreation areas nearby (10-15 miles) and use a state provided fire pit at one of their campsites. Go during the week and off season and you won't see another soul. For fuel I get free wood pallets ( oak is the best) , saw them up with a Skil saw and head out to the lake. Have a couple of buckets of water handy and ready to put out the fire when you leave.

This is what I'd do if I was in your position.

Most of the places I've lived, I haven't had any problems with neighbors. For a while, I was doing the geographic bachelor thing while stationed at Fort Sill. I was living in a low rent house in a kind of bad neighborhood with my dog and a lot of time in the evenings on my hands. I used to cast in the back porch doorway with a fan at my back. Next door was an apartment complex and another house next door, nobody ever even noticed as far as I know, but I always wondered about fluxing and strange smoke and smells, someone could have very rationally concluded I had a meth cooking operation going based on where it was.

I live out on 18 acres of woods now, nearest neighbors are more than a half mile away. I use wood fire to render down range salvage and use old oil to help out with it. Kind of nice to have unlimited fuel and a place no one will notice (and here, no one would care even if they did). I've lived in very small towns and now rural for ling enough now, I don't think I could adapt to ever living in an urban setting again.

[fredj338]

I have an even smaller lot. I smelt in my garage with the door open a bit. I try to keep the smoke a minimum. I cast in my garage too. With clean alloy, no smoke or residual smells.

[grayscale]

I live in the suburbs, I smelt on the driveway and cast in the garage with the door open. Nobody has ever asked what I was doing,
but then I have skinned deer hanging from the front yard tree and clean ducks on the tailgate. Maybe they're afraid to ask?

[Eddie Southgate]

Never cared a bit what my neighbors thought about my casting or smelting activities . On my property I do what I want as long as it is not illegal . Show them the property line and explain which side of it they control.

[centershot]

I have neighbors all around me so I only smelt in the winter when everyone's inside with the windows shut. I cast year-round though, inside my garden shed (6x8'). I leave the door open in summer, use a propane heater in winter. No complaints, wouldn't give a **** if they did, not doing anything illegal!

[MrWolf]

House before my current one I smelted on the side of the house - right next to Mrs Kravitz (tv show type). My setup does have a grill lid to keep smoke down. Neighbors knew to leave me alone. If you needed help, ask but don't bother me. Was cutting front lawn one day and neighbors dog across the street comes over and takes a dump where I am cutting. Guy saw the look on my face and ran over with his bare hands grabbed the poop and went back to his yard. Told my wife, now ex, what kind of reputation did I have around there beings I never said a word to those idiots?

[Went2kck]

Tell them your making sinkers to sell and go fishing.

[Finster101]

You don't have to tell them anything other than to mind their own business. I have found that fences make good neighbors. I tried like hell and finally got out of the city lot setting and on to two acres. Best thing I ever did.

[white eagle]

I've wanted to cast bullets for a LONG time and now am running critically low.

I live in a neighborhood, lot size 0.27 acre, too many left leaning neighbors. I don't like answering questions; when I go to the range I sneak my guns in the car.

I have four 5 gallon buckets of lead wheel weights. From these, I need to make ingots and then cast. I need to buy a turkey fryer but have everything else.

I have a wife whose olfactory senses are superb and can smell anything off.

What are my options? I really cannot do this outside because of prying neighbors and really cannot do inside because of smell even in the basement, or so I believe. Also, for safety reasons I would prefer to cast outside.

Any thoughts or ideas? The solution, of course, is a property with land, but that's a costly proposition around these parts.

Living in suburbia just plain stinks!

tell your neighbors to mind their own business
what you do is yours
or move

[fcvan]

I have 2 houses, 1 in N CA, 1 in CO. Neighbors in CA were LEOs like me, neighbors in CO know I am a retired LEO and I cast my own. The only question I ever had was 'can you cast me some sinkers?' I have cast at every home I've owned, but have never cast on my OR property, bare 5 acres of land. I may cast there after I build the cabin, likely over a wood fire and hand pour. For now, I can always just cast a bunch and load as needed with a hand press.

My Wife loves that I cast and load as she knows there will always be ammo for the various weapons we own. Her Grandfather's 32-40 still needs dies, and that rifle was set up for Shutzen competition. Otherwise, she knows I love what I do, she loves what I do as well. She always knows where to find me. She built me a shop for reloading and HAM Radio, and has supported these hobbies as well. And yes, she has had me put in flag poles at each of our houses. We will never live in an HOA where you pay NGOs to tell you can't plant that or paint your house a certain color. Proud to live in the Land of the Free, Because of the Brave.

[LabGuy]

I can’t imagine any problem with casting boolits. Rendering down various scrap, maybe. I have lived on a 1/4 acre lot for 30+ years in a subdivision with 113 houses, no one cares. Rendering wheel weights in the driveway, 2 neighbors knew what I was doing, the others thought I was cooking. Just moved to a 1 acre lot. Not worried about the range scrap i’m getting ready to render.

[AviatorTroy]

I unfortunately live in a neighborhood of plywood boxes with an HOA but I’m very lucky to live in a conservative town. We do still have a few liberal morons in our neighborhood but my Gadsden flag has always kept the annoying ones far, far away. I pretty much do whatever I want around here and I’m not interested in whether or not anyone else approves of it. I cast all the time, test run RC model engines in the driveway, my wife has chickens, but my neighbors on either side get a never ending supply of eggs and they are happy. My neighbors on one side are libs from Kali but they are nice and we get along great. I think they think I’m kind of a novelty.

Kill people with kindness, don’t feel like to have to hide or justify your hobbies to anyone, but don’t blatantly advertise what you are doing either.

[Rcmaveric]

Having experienced apartments and subdivision most people are pretty nice and curious. Everyone around me knows what I do. I will invite them and teach them. I dont do anything illegal. Its really hard to hide a gun safe and fire arm collection when moving in.

I take safety precautions. When the neighbor hood kids curious I tell them if they want to watch or learn they have to get a parent. Most often they come back with a guardian. Then after a quick safe brief I then I start teaching about science and chemistry. Hunting and fishing. Kids love watching the metals melt.

I am 100 percent sure that not all my neighbors have the same political views as me. But I beleive curiosity of science brings us together.

Neighbor hood kids also love my aquaponics set up. They are always coming over to feed the fish and watch them. The apartment lady's love my garden. So I guess I am all ready on their good sides before they find out what else I do for fun. Deer come home quartered and skined as to upset the neighbors. So I guess the respect is two way street.

The going joke is if the revolution or zombies come everyons coming to my house.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

[robg]

i live in a terraced house smelt and cast in my small 8x6 shed with the window open and a fan blowing the fumes out wearing a mask never had a problem.

[hickfu]

When I lived in SoCal I smelted and cast outside in the city and when I got hassled by liberals... I said in my best redneck voice "MERICA" while showing them the middle finger. I now live in Oregon but with my kids and grand kids so I smelt in the garage with the door open. When the neighborhood liberal bitty came by and asked what I was doing, I told her I was melting and making ingots of OLD WORLD PEWTER (lead-tin), she started to ask when I made but I told her that I sell it so she walked off without another word.

If I was in my own place again, it would be my redneck voice with the bird again..

[tankgunner59]

We don't live in a subdivision, but I have neighbors, don't know their political leaning and don't care. I smelt lead into ingots and cast in my backyard all the time. I've had one neighbor ask a long time ago what I was doing. I said I'm making bullets, no more questions, and I did find out he's a liberal. It's not illegal or immoral so let them think what they want. I don't melt or cast on real windy days, usually wind around 5 to 10 mph. I'll be both casting and melting this week in the back yard. This is my property, I own it I don't intrude on or invade anyone else's property and I expect the same respect.
I suggest you do the same, it's nobodies business but your own.