Neighbors and smelting...

[*Paladin*]

Anybody ever have any issues with neighbors when it comes to smelting/casting? I'm not well liked in my neighborhood as it is, and every time I'm out in the driveway smelting they walk by gawking at me. Maybe they think I am cooking meth or something...

[Wayne Smith]

I have no problem, maybe because I smelt and cast on the back porch rather than in front of the house.

[RP]

Real lucky here we all get along real well and know if one needs help all they have to do is ask. But smelting in a area where you not in plane few may be a better ideal.

[arjacobson]

I have some pretty good neighbors but when I smelted in the driveway I got some looks... So in order to keep the snoops at bay I smelted between the garage and house. Try to do it when the wind is in your favor and keep the flux lit. Works pretty good for me until I tried to smelt solder drippings in town..that is a no go. Good luck.

[*Paladin*]

Yeah, I'll end up moving the operation out back once things warm up. I've been smelting out in the driveway because I have the protection of the garage from the never-ending wind here. But yeah, I think I may need to operate a little more discretely before I get some **** from the homeowners association...

[Hastings]

This is funny, because I spent the entire day turning two 5 gallon buckets into ingots in my suburban driveway today just in front of the garage. It's the only place on my property that's not covered in 2 feet of snow. My neighbors are good, and when one caught me casting boolits a few weeks ago, he showed up with lead to add to my collection (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=105371)! Today a few ladies walking their dogs waved and stared real hard. One asked me if I were having a BBQ. I said "not quite" and she smiled and kept on walking. The police didn't come. :cool:

Hey, at least I wasn't in the front with my infamous chainsaw again!

[c3d4b2]

One benefit of living in the country is the smelting smells are not as bad as the "other odoriferous" smells. :wink: Of course the other benefit is the neighbors are far enough away they generally do not pay attention to what you are doing.

[kelbro]

I smelt early in the morning, in the backyard, when it's windy. My neighbors aren't early risers and once called the fire department when I fired up my smoker. Man, I miss Texas!

[Bulltipper]

I'm so far out in the sticks my neighbors can barely hear the 444, much less smell the smelt...

[*Paladin*]

I'm so far out in the sticks my neighbors can barely hear the 444, much less smell the smelt...

I've only got two more years 'til I retire from the military and be a civilian again! I can't wait until the day I can choose where I live. I am already looking... :drinks:

[Flip]

My neighbors already think I'm nuts so smelting isn't anything out the ordinary.

[fredj338]

I have no problem, maybe because I smelt and cast on the back porch rather than in front of the house.
Yeah, me too, & I try to do it mid day during the week when most are at work. I just don't need the hassles.[smilie=f:

[Von Gruff]

I am lucky enough to be able to di it any time I get the urge, and fortunate in that I have an enclosed courtyard with a covered areawhere I used to park my motorcycles. Complete privacy ensured and the closest house is far enough away that the smells are irrelevant.

Von Gruff.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

I smelt during the very cold mornings on the weekends. As soon as the sun's up Sat. morning I go out and melt my lead in the driveway where the neighbors can't see. It's worked so far. I won't be melting any scrap in the warm months when people have windows open. I wouldn't like that myself.

[GrumpyFinn]

So happens, I usually smelt in the back yard but, lately "I had to" move to the front per SWMBO's orders. One of the houses on our street just went up for sale and the prospects were not to my wife's nor anybody else's liking so the order came from high above, "take the dogs, smelting, and all the other gun related operations to the front of the house, make much noise and call your buddies to join you" she even brought few cases of beverages just to make everybody feel comfortable. The new buyers came with the bank inspector,,, and left, there was about 20-30 guys, bikes, old cars, dogs and bbq's etc parked all over the street, my other neighbors even joined us in the afternoons, this lasted about two weeks. Needless to say, the house is now sold to a couple who didn't mind, but actually came and introduced themselves to everybody, I think we'll get along just fine...... and I can go back to where I usually do my stuff.

[crawfobj]

I do my smelting behind the house and mostly after dark. I'm sure at least some of my neighbors think I'm nuts, but what the heck - this is Texas and I really could not care less.

That said, I do it that way to avoid unnecessary hassles or attention.

[Von Gruff]

GrumpyFinn,
we are about to have a change of neighbours ourselves and it can make one a bit anxious wondering who will buy into "our" street - road - area.
We are in the semi rural end of a small country town (about 500 families) and usually there is next to no traffic, and no noise from the neighbours and has been that way for many years, although nearly 20years ago there was one lot that had a habbit of loud music but fortunately that was only for a couple of months before they mooved on.

Von Gruff.

[bumpo628]

So happens, I usually smelt in the back yard but, lately "I had to" move to the front per SWMBO's orders. One of the houses on our street just went up for sale and the prospects were not to my wife's nor anybody else's liking so the order came from high above, "take the dogs, smelting, and all the other gun related operations to the front of the house, make much noise and call your buddies to join you" she even brought few cases of beverages just to make everybody feel comfortable. The new buyers came with the bank inspector,,, and left, there was about 20-30 guys, bikes, old cars, dogs and bbq's etc parked all over the street, my other neighbors even joined us in the afternoons, this lasted about two weeks. Needless to say, the house is now sold to a couple who didn't mind, but actually came and introduced themselves to everybody, I think we'll get along just fine...... and I can go back to where I usually do my stuff.

That is a great way to pre-screen the new neighbors.
:drinks:

[b money]

first I want to say the closest I have come to casting so far has been colecting lead. But I've always thought it was best to smelt in the summer because of the whole ice/snow/water dilemma, but after reading this thread I see many of you are smelting/casting in such conditions. Should I start smelting now as well?

PS didnt mean to hijack your thread.

[*Paladin*]

first I want to say the closest I have come to casting so far has been colecting lead. But I've always thought it was best to smelt in the summer because of the whole ice/snow/water dilemma, but after reading this thread I see many of you are smelting/casting in such conditions. Should I start smelting now as well?

PS didnt mean to hijack your thread.

No problem with the "hijack"! I'd rather stand over a hot pot of lead on a blazing fryer in the winter than in the summer. I hate the heat in the summer as it is! But yes, you do want to be careful of the possibility of water. I just smelt on days w/ clear skies and no water dripping over my smelting area.

[thegreatdane]

My neighbor is a state trooper. One time he saw me smelting and came over to see what was going on. After my explanation, he smiled and said, "Cool!"

[sargenv]

I live on a hill between two other houses with houses all around me in a suburban developement. That being said my neighbors to the rear are 150+ ft away over the back fence, and up a small hill (the back fence is about 20 ft higher than my house slab). I have heighbors on either side of me, one above (his slab sits about 6 ft higher than mine) and one below (their slab is about 10 ft lower than mine). The lower neighbor has what could be described as a home mechanic's shop. I tend to do my smelting in the backyard and try to keep the smoke to a minimum by keeping the flux burning as much as possible.. California flake flux is nice smelling stuff :) I have had no issues with anyone asking what I was up to and I tend to not smelt on "spare the air" days so as not to attract attention. Spare the air days are those days when some local agency asks us not to burn fires or otherwise put more crud into the air..

[Dman4321]

I always smelt in the front portion of my garage, with the truck parked in front of me, and the doors hanging open to get the breeze. My neighbors come over all the time, and always comment on "how i'm always having the fun", ask what I am up to, and after an explanation, they usually hang around and B.S for a bit before heading back home. Or, if one of them has P!$$#d me off lately, I just fire up the smelting pot after work (Get home after dark!) and then dont have to deal with anyone being awake!

[bumpo628]

I tend to not smelt on "spare the air" days so as not to attract attention. Spare the air days are those days when some local agency asks us not to burn fires or otherwise put more crud into the air..

Oh yeah, those programs always work. :roll:
People just do extra on the day before and after.

[clodhopper]

I smelt at the garage door, the moulten lead, table that holds the stove and ingots, and the propane botle outside protected by the roof overhang, Most everything else inside. The door faces south with the road to the west about 25 feet, no sidewalks in my neighborhood.
I like to smelt on cool days, some neighbors stop by and say melting lead again hunhh? others tend to stare while driving/walking/jogging by. One lady jogger asked what I was cooking and I told her bullets, she just kept going. There is a KOA campground just two blocks away so we do get some weirdos jogging around.
I live in Montana's first subdivision platted 1914, no covenets, and no homeowners association, the lots are almost an acre so there is some room. We have some issues with property lines, lost survey stakes and and buildings on property lines so banks are very leery of being involved. So most of us have been here quite a while. Thirty two years for me.
Another bullet caster lives just up the road he smelts and casts in his driveway just a little farther from the road than I.
Some years back we had a new resident who wanted to "fix" our subdivision and start a home owners association, write up convents and who knows what else.
We had a neighborhood meeting in his garage. When my turn to speak came I said "I bought this lot and built my home here because there were no covenents.
If I could not stand my neighbor then I was going to get some pigs."
The newbie's place was just one lot away, downwind.
He sold out about three months later.
I dont mind the guy across the street having a firewood business, log trucks, buzz saw, conveyer. Don't complain about another's mule "HEEHAWW HEEHAWWW" if a stray dog bothers me I give him a firecracker. We get along pretty good here.

[deepwater]

In a town/suburban environment it would be best to be as discrete as possible.
However, I agree with Hastings that neighbors and random passersby that look may actually be interested in the process and it may be a productive time to create a positive NRA image. Talk alloys, casting, etc. that extends to industry like the engine block in their car. I have thought of getting a lead ornament or cowboy mold just for this purpose.

Not getting along with your neighbors is a terrible situation. Being afraid of your neighbors knowing about your legal and creative hobby is not good either.

[buyobuyo]

I smelt in my back yard. I almost never see my neighbors when I'm smelting, and only one has ever asked what I was up to.

When I'm sorting wheel weights, I dump them out on the front walk and sit on the porch steps while I sort.

[Mumblypeg]

No problem here. I shoot and pee off the back porch, nobody cares. They do it too.:redneck:

[theinfamouselguapo]

Never had a problem so far. I'm positive the smell winds it's way to more than a couple backyards when the wind is right. Got a couple reloaders in the neighborhood but nobody else casts.

We're all pretty big boys with pretty big toys at my house. I think our neighbors all sort of got used to that after a while. At first they sort of kept their distance but I think once they realized with did remodeling work and had all of the cool tools they sort of warmed up to the idea and the big toys didn't look quite so bad anymore :)

[exile]

Seems to me that anyone who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan (and anywhere else for that matter) has earned the right to smelt wherever he pleases. Thanks for your service and good luck with the neighbors.

exile

[wiljen]

I have the same issue of neighbors gawking when I'm out smelting. Several of the more high-society types desperately wish I would move, but nothing in the home owners association stuff says you can't smelt in your driveway so no chance of them running me out. As long as their cat can use MY yard as a litter box, I am not gonna worry what they think of what I do in MY OWN yard.