Note to self

[kyswede]

I will remember in the future to clean the tumble lube off boolits before throwing them in my pot to remelt. I didn't realize how much smoke it would make. My reloading/casting room is in my basement. I threw about 2 pounds of tumble lubed bullets in my clean pot to recast. Had to open door and turn fan on. After casting 30 boolits I turned everything off and went upstairs. The whole house smelled like burnt lube. I now have 2 windows open and 2 fans blowing. BTW it is 35° outside. Lesson learned. And I need to install an exhaust fan in my reloading/casting room. I do all my "smelting" outside my detached garage.

[tazman]

If you use a match or lighter to set the smoke/oil on fire on top of the lead pot, the smell and smoke will be greatly reduced. The flame will not be very tall or dangerous but will burn off most of the grease/oil. Unfortunately it won't eliminate all of it.

[Mk42gunner]

One time I bought approximately a gallon of tumble lubed boolits from a scrap yard. They were well covered with mule snot, to about a 1/32" thickness. When I put them in the smelting pot and finally got everything melted there was a nasty black goo on top that took what seemed like forever to burn off.

Robert

[Texas by God]

That's too much flux. Been there done that!

[NavyVet1959]

I guess if we used bacon lard for bullet lube, it would smell better.

Powder coated bullets tossed back in the pot don't smell that great either.

You might want to seriously consider building yourself a "fume hood" for around your casting pot.

[runfiverun]

One time I bought approximately a gallon of tumble lubed boolits from a scrap yard. They were well covered with mule snot, to about a 1/32" thickness. When I put them in the smelting pot and finally got everything melted there was a nasty black goo on top that took what seemed like forever to burn off.

Robert

bet it does the same thing in your barrel too.

[tazman]

I tumble lube with White Label Alox for my handguns. I have had people ask if I was using black powder since my loads were smoking so much.
There is quite a bit of smoke shooting alox coated boolits.

[jeepyj]

One of the few reasons I installed a exhaust fan. Wife is kinda funny when I smoke out the house.

[zubrato]

Btdt, LLA reeks up a storm and the smell lasts for hours on hours. If I have to remelt 45:45/10 boolits i wash them in OMS 1-2 times before letting them air dry in the sun for a day or too.

Doesn't even work well as flux just stinks the place up..


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[Yodogsandman]

One of the few reasons I installed a exhaust fan. Wife is kinda funny when I smoke out the house.

Where did you find that nice plenum? I could use one like that too!

[jeepyj]

Where did you find that nice plenum? I could use one like that too!

It's a dust collection hood from powertec. I found it on amazon for around $10.00, Part number 70151. The hose is also dust collection hose from the same mfr. It goes to the attic to a fantech fan with a 3 speed switch it works wonderfully well.

[Yodogsandman]

It's a dust collection hood from powertec. I found it on amazon for around $10.00, Part number 70151. The hose is also dust collection hose from the same mfr. It goes to the attic to a fantech fan with a 3 speed switch it works wonderfully well.

Thanks for the tip! Looked around for Powertec parts on Amazon and ended up ordering the Mini Gulp Hood #70169 ($13), it was just a little bigger (13"x7 1/2"). Going to try using a salvaged bouncy house fan motor to run the exhaust to the outside. Hope it doesn't suck the lead right out of the pot!

[NavyVet1959]

Going to try using a salvaged bouncy house fan motor to run the exhaust to the outside. Hope it doesn't suck the lead right out of the pot!

There's a big assortment in sizes of those fans. The ones that they use at the party rental places might be a bit large, but there are ones that are used for the small inflatable decorations that are 1/8 HP and only 120 CFM which would be about right.

Some people use the inline duct fans.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/SUNCOURT-In...0-0000053ca19f

https://www.amazon.com/VenTech-VT-DF...YBW41PXC52MEXT

[Yodogsandman]

There's a big assortment in sizes of those fans. The ones that they use at the party rental places might be a bit large, but there are ones that are used for the small inflatable decorations that are 1/8 HP and only 120 CFM which would be about right.

Some people use the inline duct fans.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/SUNCOURT-In...0-0000053ca19f


https://www.amazon.com/VenTech-VT-DF...YBW41PXC52MEXT

Thanks! That might solve my other problem....the noise from the big rental type bouncy house fan motor. When I tried it, it blew stuff all over my barn with gusto, think leaf blower on steroids! Was trying to figure how to put it outside or in the cellar to reduce the sound.

Edit: Ordered this on Amazon, just in case.
https://www.amazon.com/VenTech-VT-DF...-4+DF4Duct+Fan

[NavyVet1959]

Thanks! That might solve my other problem....the noise from the big rental type bouncy house fan motor. When I tried it, it blew stuff all over my barn with gusto, think leaf blower on steroids! Was trying to figure how to put it outside or in the cellar to reduce the sound.

Edit: Ordered this on Amazon, just in case.
https://www.amazon.com/VenTech-VT-DF...-4+DF4Duct+Fan

That should probably work a lot better for you. The "bouncy house" fan sounds like it's a bit too extreme for your needs. You would end up wasting a lot of air-conditioning or heat being vented to the outside. A quick search for the commercial blowers shows that they can be up to 1800 CFM. That's a 225 sq-ft room with 8 ft ceilings emptied ever minute. That would exchange the air inside your house with the air outside of it every 13-ish minutes for a 3000 sq-ft house. I doubt our a-c or heating could keep up with that.

[jeepyj]

Thanks! That might solve my other problem....the noise from the big rental type bouncy house fan motor. When I tried it, it blew stuff all over my barn with gusto, think leaf blower on steroids! Was trying to figure how to put it outside or in the cellar to reduce the sound.

Edit: Ordered this on Amazon, just in case.
https://www.amazon.com/VenTech-VT-DF...-4+DF4Duct+Fan

That fan should work. That was my first choice but I came across the fantec from a friend for zero $$. You should be able to install a three speed ceiling fan switch. I've got mine now so while it's running it basically can't be heard. I located the fan unit above the ceiling. I also installed a pulley system so it can be retracted up out of the way when not in use during the off season.

[Yodogsandman]

I cast in an unheated, no AC, open barn. I can get away with less refinement. Your set up looks very nice! Since moving my casting bench (metal desk), I seem to have less natural air movement. When using a wax or old lube to reduce oxides back into the melt, the smoke seems to "hang" longer. I still take a short break afterwards to let it "air out" but, it stays longer now. Reduction of noise will be a big plus, too.

Still working on better lighting, too.

[runfiverun]

I hang 4' fluorescent lights around my work areas.
generally right overhead [about 18" when standing] and a little bit to my back side works best.

[Yodogsandman]

I hang 4' fluorescent lights around my work areas.
generally right overhead [about 18" when standing] and a little bit to my back side works best.

I had it like that but, there was some problem in the winter cold that kept the fluorescent lights from fully turning on. They would be like half way on. I have so many clip on lights, desk lights and overhead strip lights now, it looks dangerous with all the cords. I had to mount an outlet strip in the overhead for them all.

[NavyVet1959]

I had it like that but, there was some problem in the winter cold that kept the fluorescent lights from fully turning on. They would be like half way on. I have so many clip on lights, desk lights and overhead strip lights now, it looks dangerous with all the cords. I had to mount an outlet strip in the overhead for them all.

You're up north where it gets cold, so fluorescent lighting in an unheated area will have a problem. They make the 4 ft LED shop lights these days, so that might be an option for you. On the other hand, maybe you might want to consider a lot of incandescent lights since they would add *warmth* to your area.