Casting Table Top

[ProblemChild]

I’m thinking my great idea wasn’t such a great idea . I built my casting cabinet so that I could use a Stainless back splash on the cabinet top and it would fit perfectly. Everything worked out great but the stainless seems cold . I’m kinda worried the Tinsel Fairy might visit me if I drop hot lead on it.


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[Rich/WIS]

I cast on a used office desk with a formica top, put a large piece of cardboard down on top to protect the formica from burns.

[country gent]

Nice top and spills shouldn't stick to it. As long as its dry you shouldn't have any problems. If your worried while the pot is heating up slightly warm it with a blow drier or heat gun. Even a old heat lamp on it would do.

The one thing I would do is move those cords to a more protected area, a spill might burn insulation off and a short. On that stainless top you might get a zap.

[OS OK]

You won't have any problems...lead will freeze instantly as it hits that metal top at any ambient temperature.

[Hossfly]

Good looking set up. You can set the entire pot inside a large shallow cookie sheet to catch run away pot dump.

[ProblemChild]

Nice top and spills shouldn't stick to it. As long as its dry you shouldn't have any problems. If your worried while the pot is heating up slightly warm it with a blow drier or heat gun. Even a old heat lamp on it would do.

The one thing I would do is move those cords to a more protected area, a spill might burn insulation off and a short. On that stainless top you might get a zap.

Good thinking on the cords. I’m going to go pick up a roll of this corrugated sheathing used on Automobiles.


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[Winger Ed.]

You won't have any problems...lead will freeze instantly as it hits that metal top at any ambient temperature.

^^^this^^^^

Mine is a 1/4" Aluminum deck.
Never had a problem.

The tinsel fairy lives inside your pot, waiting for a molecule of water to release it.

[onelight]

Good looking set up. You can set the entire pot inside a large shallow cookie sheet to catch run away pot dump.

I use one of the large metal shallow pans they sell to put under your car . It's handy for a lot of things besides setting my casting pot on , keeps cases and bullets from rolling off the bench it also requires me to keep my bench top cleaned off

[FLINTNFIRE]

Moisture and cold items going into molten metal are the issue with tinsel fairy , as in a steam explosion , table top non event

[derek45]

Good looking set up. You can set the entire pot inside a large shallow cookie sheet to catch run away pot dump.

this is exactly what I do

it will contain a pot that malfunctions and leaks

[tdoor4570]

I have a 36x80 inch steel fire door that I got from a hospt. remodel. It doubles as a work bench, casting bench, powder coating bench, also have one end drilled for my decapping press and any other thing that I need a bench for. The only problem is the shop is not heated using a propane radiant heater for now.

[onelight]

That is a beautiful casting bench top you did good.

[JimB..]

I have a stainless steel top. Just started using colored sharpie to make notes on it, find it very convenient.

[Conditor22]

the tinsel fairy won't visit unless you get water under the surface of molten lead. you can cast in the rain without problems, old-time plumbers did this when sealing pipes with lead.

[Chihuahua Floyd]

I use my table saw. Cast iron surface. Plenty strong.

[StuBach]

I’ve built two casting tables out of Stainless (used counters from closed convenience stores) and both were phenomenal. Never had any issues, lead just hits it and cools instantly, no tinsel fairy issues ever. Everything just wiped off.

[jlm223]

Looks real nice, just try it out and make adjustments.

[AndyC]

That looks super cool

[David2011]

For the past 12-15 years I’ve used a garage floor drip pan over a sheet of 1/2” drywall. Functionally the same as your stainless.

Lead freezes instantly if dripped on it and it doesn’t stick. The drywall is there to protect a nicely finished oak bench top but wouldn’t be necessary for a bare plywood top.

[kevin c]

I'd like to have a casting area big enough for a drip pan. I use half sized sheet pan (18"x13") with a 1" lip, big enough to contain twice the lead in both my bottom pour and the feeder pot above it. Of course, that's only good for something like jammed open valves, not a catastrophic spill, and isn't big enough for all the other stuff I use casting, so a table top with what amounts to a replaceable sacrificial plywood surface is what the pan sits on, with tools, hot plate etc., squeezed in all around.