Schmelting safety Precautions & Warnings

[triggerhappy243]

long gauntlet all leather gloves, leather work/cowboy boots. eye protection and a hat. keep your work area "trip hazard free". Keep an escape path in mind at all times. never know when the neighbors cat will jump off a high perch into your pot. Stay on the upwind side of the pot if outdoors.

This is my smelting setup. 6 qt cast iron dutch oven and a turkey fryer burner. 65 pound batches,

[Mytmousemalibu]

I once schmelted down some old lead pipe gifted to me by a coworker. It was plumbing from a toilet!
Good lord! Stay upwind of that stuff as it burns off! That stench would gag a maggot! Made for some nice pure lead ingots after it simmered away for a little extra time and plenty of fluxing!

[Rickf1985]

Ok, I have to ask. The title, what is Schmelting? I think we all know by now that smelting is not totally accurate but it is accepted as the initial melting down of dirty lead into ingot to be used later for making boolits. ( misspelling intended) And Smelting IS an actual process. But now we have schmelting? And not just in the title, it is being used in the descriptions as well so is this something new?

[Charlie Horse]

Be more concerned with lead exposure from handling tumbling media than melting lead.

The tumbling media mixes with small particles of lead styphenate from the used primer, and when you shake the brass out, those particles become airborne.

This^^^. I refuse to tumble brass. It shoots fine with a "patina" on it.

I'm more concerned with lead ingestion than burns. My blood levels are between 5 and 10, with the new limit being 5. The limit was 10 not long ago. The average adult has about a 2.5 level.

I made this little set-up to smelt backstop lead in my Lee pot. Hey...Don't knock it. It works really well and it keeps me in free lead. I've processed some really dirty lead in there and it worked like a champ. My dross gets mixed with plaster of paris then it goes in the trash. I spoon lead from the bucket directly into the pot. The fan sucks out any dust. I've never had a problem with moisture.

When it warms up I'll move the operation outside.

[Charlie Horse]

When we flux, the vapors burst into flame. Maybe our molten lead doesn't get hot enough to vaporize, but those flames have to vaporize any lead in the dross. I am careful not to expose my self to the smoke and flames that come off the pot.

[Charlie Horse]

I have a plumbers pot, 100 pounds, to melt my alloy in. Never had a problem, until I did. One application of 100 pounds of 800 degree molten alloy, is a whole new learning experience, an event you sure do not want to repeat. An ounce of prevention, all that.
Had a NW FL type winter night, rain, freezing rain, hard freeze. Then it warmed up, when the sun came up. Good day to make up some alloy, I thought…..not.
Ever see a back yard, trees, brick, entire house, roof, etc, with a nice shiny lead covering. Not one ounce of alloy was left in the pot, it blew that mess all over the back yard, imbedded it in the brick, the tee bark, roof, my clothes, hair sticking out from under my hat, etc.
From then on, I always, cover my body parts, with heavy head to foot apron, heavy jacket, leather gloves, face shield, wide brim hat, leather boots.
Anything with moisture on it can cause a steam vaporization, which can be very violent.
Pre heat to dry off anything and everything you might even think about dropping into that molten metal. Best to stack the pot before you light it off, then let it heat up with the utensils on top. If it heats slowly, it will dry as it heats.
I make ingots outside and keep the ingots, stored inside, stacked and dry, in a controlled temperature, humidity, environment. Once in 60 years is a permanent memory.

I will take this to heart. Thanks for posting it.

[justindad]

Ok, I have to ask. The title, what is Schmelting?

I saw the term used in an old thread, where it was discussed whether or not melting wheel weights can truly be described as smelting by any self respecting human being. I like the word schmelting.
*
And thanks to everyone for your responses!

[triggerhappy243]

When we flux, the vapors burst into flame. Maybe our molten lead doesn't get hot enough to vaporize, but those flames have to vaporize any lead in the dross. I am careful not to expose my self to the smoke and flames that come off the pot.

when you flux, it is not the lead that is bursting into flame, but the flux material itself that is burning. lead does not go into vapor til well past 2000 deg.

[triggerhappy243]

Ok, I have to ask. The title, what is Schmelting? I think we all know by now that smelting is not totally accurate but it is accepted as the initial melting down of dirty lead into ingot to be used later for making boolits. ( misspelling intended) And Smelting IS an actual process. But now we have schmelting? And not just in the title, it is being used in the descriptions as well so is this something new?

schmelting, is a humorous play on words.

[kerplode]

Upwind with absolutely NO masks and respirators. That is my method for many MANY years! Those PPE BS things are for paranoid woke COVID warriors. You will NEVER have Pb fumes, since Pb boils at somewhere around 3,100 F. Just avoid the smoke from all the burning garbage and plastic in COWW's and SOWW's.

lol! OK, Boomer.

So I'm glad you're in perfect health and all that. Good for you.

For me, the winds here are variable and gusty so it's nearly impossible to stay upwind from the dust and smoke from all the burning garbage. So I wear a P100 respirator and go about my work. Guess I'm a paranoid woke COVID warrior now 'cause I don't want to breath burning oil and brake dust. Sweet...Thanks.

[kerplode]

Also, I think Schmelting is pretty funny. I'm gonna steal that!

(and yeah, I know it's not really smelting to melt wheel weights...)

[Charlie Horse]

Never mind.