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Thread: Casting precautions

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy gnappi's Avatar
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    Casting precautions

    I've been casting my entire adult life and have a system that works. Friends who have started were appalled at my precautions but that's literally no skin off my hands, feet or face.

    I wear long jeans, closed canvas or leather (not plastic or nylon) shoes or ankle / western boots, wear glasses, long sleeves, use a fan to blow fumes away (may cool the furnace a bit if aimed poorly) and if indoors use a lead rated mask. I've used gloves but have yet to find a pair made of leather or canvas that provide tactile usability so I stay glove-less. Also I make certain that any ingots, molds or ladle/spoon/scrapers I use are dry to prevent steam eruptions.

    Lastly if outdoors when (not if in south Florida) it rains, I STOP casting immediately and cover the crucible even though I cast under a 10 foot umbrella again to prevent lead eruptions should water droplets find their way into the lead pot. Oh, it goes without saying, I use only very sturdy table to cast.

    Anyone else have things I have not mentioned that you do to prevent accidents?
    Regards,

    Gary

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy Joe504's Avatar
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    I would never cast without gloves. I use nomex flight gloves.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy gnappi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joe504 View Post
    I would never cast without gloves. I use nomex flight gloves.
    Thanks for the tip yet another reason to use these pages, I never heard of them before.

    I looked them up on Ebay, they're very inexpensive! My problem is I have small hands and when buying gloves I get women's large (if available in something other than pink) gloves which do fit.

    I found a Nomex fitment chart their CM to inch chart (as well as other's I've seen) is whacked out, so I have no idea which is wrong, the inch or centimeters. In either case, as usual my hand falls between sizes.

    In your experience do the gloves stretch and take a set if not allowed to get wet? If they stretch, a small would likely be best on me.
    Regards,

    Gary

  4. #4
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    That's pretty much how I do it.

    I also have my pot higher than most of what I've seen, and have it close to the end of arm's reach.
    I don't want to ever be looking down into the pot if there is an eruption.
    That way, I won't be in a spot that might adversely affect my rugged good looks when I redecorate the ceiling.

    Of the few times its happened, I wanted the molten Lead moving away from me as it went up.
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  5. #5
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    these a great, lightweight gloves that give you good feel/control of what you're doing
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF SAFETY EQUIPMENT FOR ALL ASPECTS OF RELOADING AND SHOOTING IS=============== EYE PROTECTION

    Burnt skin heals eye's - no so much
    Last edited by Conditor22; 10-22-2020 at 03:59 PM.

  6. #6
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    JonB_in_Glencoe's Avatar
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    Tee shirt, Shorts, and sandals...but I do wear a leather glove on my right hand to open the sprue plate.
    Oh, I do wear safety glasses
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    “If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
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  7. #7
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    ↑↑↑ after I had the lead slide off a 6 cavity sprueplate and into my shoe I stick with long pants ↑↑↑

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy gnappi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Conditor22 View Post
    ↑↑↑ after I had the lead slide off a 6 cavity sprueplate and into my shoe I stick with long pants ↑↑↑
    Yup, Y'never know when an oops or senior moment can happen.

    Winger, another good point, "I also have my pot higher than most of what I've seen"

    My table is 37" tall, add the height of the furnace and on me that's sufficiently tall. Just the other day I opined to my son who was watching on the lack of a splash guard on furnaces. I'd "think" that was a good idea and selling point.
    Regards,

    Gary

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy Joe504's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gnappi View Post
    Thanks for the tip yet another reason to use these pages, I never heard of them before.

    I looked them up on Ebay, they're very inexpensive! My problem is I have small hands and when buying gloves I get women's large (if available in something other than pink) gloves which do fit.

    I found a Nomex fitment chart their CM to inch chart (as well as other's I've seen) is whacked out, so I have no idea which is wrong, the inch or centimeters. In either case, as usual my hand falls between sizes.

    In your experience do the gloves stretch and take a set if not allowed to get wet? If they stretch, a small would likely be best on me.
    They do tend to stretch, but not much. I dont think being wet will change much, as they are not mostly cotton.

    I have a few pair, I will give you the broken in measurments

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I use gloves doe skin leather work gloves. buy them to fit snugger than normal and work in neatsfoot oil or minks oil and wear them some they will stretch and be a form fit with good sensitivity.

    I add a denim shop apron also, Protects clothes and adds another layer. Safety glasses and a billed ball cap.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    I wear goggles, long sleeve shirt, long pants, base ball hat, leather gloves and tall boots for casting. Also have a canvas apron which I slip on if I remember it. I clean off the work bench before starting which can become an archaeological dig depending on my last project. Planning ahead will prevent most surprises and save the beer for after the casting session not during it.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eddie2002 View Post
    I wear goggles, long sleeve shirt, long pants, base ball hat, leather gloves and tall boots for casting. Also have a canvas apron which I slip on if I remember it. I clean off the work bench before starting which can become an archaeological dig depending on my last project. Planning ahead will prevent most surprises and save the beer for after the casting session not during it.
    Amen on the beer. Something to look forward to after casting.
    Britons shall never be slaves.

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy
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    I also use an apron. I picked up a cheap welders apron from Harbor Freight. I sit when I cast. I don't tie the apron, simply hang it around my neck and keep it draped across my lap with my feet tucked under it. I've had a couple small splatters hit it and they just roll off. What got me started wearing one was looking at the Lee pot with 10# of molten lead hanging off the vertical by the heating element, with the vertical secured to the base by sheet metal screws into extruded aluminum. I'm sure the design is strong enough and has decades of proven reliability. I just feel safer with that layer of leather between my lap and the lead pot.

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master

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    The most important Safety Tool is that stuff between yer ears, and I ain't talking about bone. I started casting sinkers in my late teens (55 years ago) and bullets 30 years ago. I have had minor burns from a brain faux pas (one time I dropped a perfect 429421 from my mold and got excited and picked it up. Pain hurts). Many folks go overboard on their casting dress and methods, but that's personal (I got quite a laugh when I first saw a post warning about a drop of sweat, falling into the melting pot erupting it a shower of hot lead. Not a report of an occurrence, but a warning on what would happen). I wear jeans, shoes, depending on temperature a sweatshirt or a T shirt, and glasses (the only part of that that I have needed was glasses which prevented a pin head sized drop of molten lead from hitting my eye). Gloves make my casting unsafe, from loss of feel of the tools I'm using. Maybe I'm aware of the consequences of not paying attention but setting up and thinking about what I'm doing has kept me safe for several decades.

    BTW; I use a fan to blow smoke away from my face towards a slightly open door, no mask, no HEPA filtered hood. For the last 25 years I worked I had annual physicals and blood lead levels were in the normal range...
    My Anchor is holding fast!

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    I kinda approach it the same way as I do frying bacon. In other words I don’t do either one naked!
    Long, Wide, Deep, and Without Hesitation!

  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joe504 View Post
    I would never cast without gloves. I use nomex flight gloves.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
    Thanks for that, I'm still gearing up to get started casting and didn't even think about flight gloves. I still have a few pair packed up somewhere.
    Cargo

  17. #17
    Boolit Master

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    Standard wear for years has been blue jeans. I can attest to the fact thal molten lead can freeze and stick to jeans for years. I did not get burned when the lead hit my jeans. No, it was not the result of a tinsel fairy. I was running three or four wheel weight molding machines. Each pot had 6-7 hundred pounds of molten lead that was forced into molds under high pressure. Each mold had four blocks, a top and bottom for each end of the weight. Occasionally a bit of flash woud stick to one of the blocks and prevent complete closure of the blocks. Would love to have three or four pallets of the pigs we fed those pots. 62 or 84 pounds per pig, about 30-40 pigs per pallet. It was in 1972 so some of the details are a little hazy.
    Spell check doesn't work in Chrome, so if something is spelled wrong, it's just a typo that I missed.

  18. #18
    Boolit Bub



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    I can vouch for the TIG welding gloves. A good pair should be under $20, died white (but turn quickly from dirt), with long cuffs.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master

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    The best gloves I have used were nomex gloves that car race drivers wear. You can grab a 400 degree mold & open the sprue plate without any discomfort. Picking up individual bullets is easy. On the downside, they are very expensive ($100 or more) and you will quickly wear a hole in them if you open sprue plates by hand. So I ended up using the nomex glove on my right hand to pick up cull bullets & use a leather welders glove on the left hand to open sprue plates. Downside of leather is that once it gets hot it stays hot & continues to burn you even after you let go of a hot mold. Your dexterity is also limited. There is no perfect solution. We can never handle hot molds and hot bullets as easily as we would like. Each of us casts in a slightly different manner & our solutions will also be slightly different.

    Bob
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  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by BamaNapper View Post
    I also use an apron. I picked up a cheap welders apron from Harbor Freight. I sit when I cast. I don't tie the apron, simply hang it around my neck and keep it draped across my lap with my feet tucked under it. I've had a couple small splatters hit it and they just roll off. What got me started wearing one was looking at the Lee pot with 10# of molten lead hanging off the vertical by the heating element, with the vertical secured to the base by sheet metal screws into extruded aluminum. I'm sure the design is strong enough and has decades of proven reliability. I just feel safer with that layer of leather between my lap and the lead pot.
    "I picked up a cheap welders apron from Harbor Freight". Great idea. I have been wondering where in the cat hair I could get a leather apron. Thanks.
    Britons shall never be slaves.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check