Casting inside...

[whitewolf68]

Just curious, with the weather starting to turn colder now how many if any cast inside the house. I do not have any other place to setup shop for casting when the weather turns, other then my basement.

Anyone else? What are the safety concerns other then fire of course.

[onondaga]

I have had a lot larger casting setups than I have now in my apartment, I am 61 and casting boolits since age 7. In good weather I cast on the small balcony open porch of my apartment. I cast in my kitchen in cold or rainy weather. Look at the photo and see the double fan in my kitchen window with my casting setup directly below. This blows fluxing smoke right out and my apartment does not get stinky from casting.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c338/rhymeswithwhat/CastingBench.jpg

I keep it simple. My alloy ingots, scale, other melting pots and mold collection are stored in my hobby cabinet 2 rooms away. This casting stuff goes in a Rubbermaid Tote and the utility table has a table cloth and plants on it in another room when I am not casting.


Gary

[Judan_454]

Back in the 80's I use to cast in my basement I had over head oven vent fan that I used to vent the smoke and the smell outside. I would not do any smelting inside because that can be pretty smoky and stinky.

[zomby woof]

For me, this is casting season. It's still a little warm out. I prefer it in the 60's to cast.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

although I am fairly new to casting...18 months so far.
I cast inside year round.
I own a 90 year old duplex, this is the upstairs Kitchen...now casting room.
I plan to install a kitchen range hood/fan/vent
as this is near the range electrical outlet,
so it should have that anyway.

Right now, with the small fan and window cracked,
I get most of the flux smoke out and
I avoid smelly fluxes, mostly I use a wooden stick
and Patmarlin's CFF... BTW, I was skeptical of CFF when I first heard of it,
But Pat sent my Checkmaker Dies packed in a free sample of CFF...now I'm hooked.
also, I try to only use alloys that I know have been
well fluxed during outdoor smelting.
Jon
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/100_1641.jpg

[725]

I found a stove/rangetop hooded fan & light fixture at a yard sale. Built a three sided enclosure to hold it just above my Lee pot. Fiddled with the height so my eye level worked and ran a vent tube outside. Works like a champ. The added light right at my work area was a bonus. It's rather like an old chemical hood.

[jonk]

Other than smoke from the flux or dirt on the lead, don't worry about it. If you're worrying about 'lead fumes' that is. The temp you need to get lead to to have it start giving off gas is above what you're likely to be casting at.

That said, when cutting the sprue small amounts of lead dust might become airborn, so the fan is a good idea.

[bobthenailer]

I do my casting indoors in the basement in month of Febuary , i have a squirrel cage fan in a cast aluminum housing with a flexable exhaust pipe attached to the fan housing inlet , a hood made by a furnance installer buddy to fit over the pot. area . the assy is mounted to a piece of plywood to fit the window opening . This has worked excellent for me . for over 30 years and with well over 300,000 bullets made . and every few years i get my blood checked for lead and im allways good .

[whitewolf68]

WOW, I love all the responses. I guess I will have to setup shop in the basement so I can keep going. My only issue is now how to vent. I have glass block windows, I guess I'll have to see what I can come up with.

Makes me feel a lot better knowing that I a in good company here.

Thank you all.

Wolfie

[Ziptar]

My only issue is now how to vent. I have glass block windows, I guess I'll have to see what I can come up with.

Wolfie

Can you cut in a clothes dryer vent through the wall and duct it up to a fan?

[whitewolf68]

Can you cut in a clothes dryer vent through the wall and duct it up to a fan?

That I doubt. It is a brick house. I might be able to connect in with the clothes dryer vent in the other room if I have too...

[Lizard333]

I cast in my enclosed garage year round. I have a kitchen exhaust fan above my casting area, to remove smoke form the fluxing. Does an OK enough job. Don't do melting of WW's becuase the fumes are just way to bad. Especially the Stick ons..... Do that with a nice breeze going. You only have to concern yourself with lead fumes as most pots don't produce the 3000 plus degrees F that are need to vaporize the lead. Been casting indoors for close to a year and my Doctor just tested my lead levels, 3.8, said anything below 10 is normal. More than anything, get something together you can use to get the smell and smoke out to keep the wife happy.

[mdi]

I cast in my "shed" year round. I have two fans I use; one 6" clip on is aimed across the top (about 6" above) of the pot, right to left, to divert any smoke, etc from my face. When I flux and get too much smoke I'll turn on my 12" that sits to the left of the pot and direct the smoke out the door...

[35isit]

I cast in an 8ft x 8ft shed. It is the same shed I reload and clean guns in. I do all my casting and lubrsizing from the first of October to the end of February. I have a bathroom fan mounted with a vent ouside the shed. It pulls all the smoke and smell outside. The build ing has just enough cracks in it to let in enough fresh air yet stay warm enough to get my jobs done.

[colt 357]

Ive been casting infront of my garage all summer a little to a lot at a time. now I have about 2,000 rds of .40 and a 1,000 rds of 9mm. I well cast till it gets cold then I should have anuff to go through the winter months. I dont shoot as much in the winter.

[dragonrider]

I cast in my garage, my casting setup is in my shop, shop is ac'd for summer and wood burner for winter.

[whitewolf68]

Just got done casting a couple hundred boolits in the basement with no problems with fumes or the wife. Was much easier indoors and with a lee bottom pour pot. Wow did that ever make a difference.

During fluxing I just turn a small fan on to dissipate the smoke. =)

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

Worst Case Scenario: there are worse things to die from...

Rich

[LAH]

I cast in my enclosed garage year round.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Loading%20Room%20101/Casting%20Equipment/Picture517.jpg

[whitewolf68]

Worst Case Scenario: there are worse things to die from...

Rich

You trying to tell me something Rich??

[Tom W.]

I've been casting in the house in my "man cave" for many years. I don't think that I'll change, but if I ever get out to the shed and see what 's keepable and what isn't, I may move ..nah, never mind. It would cost too much to heat the shed...

[ColColt]

I cast in the attached garage regardless the season. It doesn't get all that cold here compared to the northern states but, I still try to get enough cast in advance so I won't have to do it the worse months-Jan-February. Even at 40 degrees with the garage door open, I freeze due to taking two different blood thinners so, by December I'm usually done till Spring because of it.

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Cast on my porch, or open room upstairs, 2 open walls, can't call it indoors.
CF

[whitewolf68]

I cast in the attached garage regardless the season. It doesn't get all that cold here compared to the northern states but, I still try to get enough cast in advance so I won't have to do it the worse months-Jan-February. Even at 40 degrees with the garage door open, I freeze due to taking two different blood thinners so, by December I'm usually done till Spring because of it.

40 Degrees huh? That is a heat wave from November to April here is NW Ohio.

[fredj338]

I have always cast indoors, but the garage is my casting home. My biggest concern is the tinsel fairy, that & the smoke from fluxing.

[whitewolf68]

I have always cast indoors, but the garage is my casting home. My biggest concern is the tinsel fairy, that & the smoke from fluxing.

Tinsel fairy?? Hmmm...

The smoke is minimal in my basement thus far. Any WW smelting will be done outside of course.

[1Shirt]

I cast in my garage year round. Have the luxury of being a potter and my kilns are in the garage as well. When I am fireing or when the kilns are cooling in the winter, is when I cast. I keep the garage door cracked at the bottom for about an inch and a fan at my back blowing from the kilns. Temps will usually run between 55-75, which works for me like a champ. If I didn't have kilns, would probably have some type of heater with a fan behind me in the garage w/the door cracked.
1Shirt!

[Jal5]

Like many of the people here I cast in the attached garage with the door slightly open, even in the dead of winter which gets pretty cold here in Ohio. All my casting is done in the winter months, then reloading and shooting during spring-fall. Melting ww or range scrap gets done outdoors, again in the fall.

Joe

[SSGOldfart]

this past summer I had 20 foot added to the Garage right now I'm in a 12x16 shed,but I've already moved most of my casting equipment to the garage. I also make fishing lures:cbpour::cbpour::idea:

[ku4hx]

Just curious, with the weather starting to turn colder now how many if any cast inside the house. I do not have any other place to setup shop for casting when the weather turns, other then my basement.

Anyone else? What are the safety concerns other then fire of course.

I cast only in the Winter, but then I live in the hot sunny South with its 100F+ temps. I've cast indoors and other "closed" spaces. Lead fuming is not an issue, but fluxing fumes and smoke are. As long as you have sufficient air exchange, and are prepared for all the little accidents that will eventually happen, indoors is fine. It just always made me nervous to do an inherently messy task in a finished interior.

[Buddy]

Definately casting time in my neck of the woods right now. Mid 40's at nite and mid 60's daytime temps. I don't have room to set up anything in the house. I cast in a 10'x16' barn type outdoorshed. I use an 18" fan at the west faceing window for exhaust and the same size fan in front of the open double doors pushing fresh air in. I rarely even get a whiff of lead fumes. Hopefully I can get time to catch up on casting this week. I shut it down when the temps get in the 30's 'cause rhe building is unheated. I've got 2 3burner propane wall heaters I might install.

[beex215]

i cast on the stove inside the kitchen.:holysheep

[Bret4207]

If my casting room was a 4'x4' closet I would be concerned with casting inside with no ventilation, for the fluxing fumes if nothing else. But I don't cast in a 4x4 closet and I've never seen anyone doing that. Use your best judgment and go with what YOU feel comfortable with.

[LAH]

this past summer I had 20 foot added to the Garage right now I'm in a 12x16 shed,but I've already moved most of my casting equipment to the garage. I also make fishing lures:cbpour::cbpour::idea:

Got to know more. PM inbound.

[Mk42gunner]

I smelt outside with a propane turkey fryer, I really don't waqnt to try to vent all the nasty fumes from the trash that accompanies wheel weights.

I cast in my utility room because everytime I do any work outside the barn cats try to help me. I really don't need one of them to try playing with the nice shiny boolits.

Robert

[mpmarty]

I have a 96' X 24' shop with a 45' x 20' covered breezeway on the north side. I do all my casting and smelting in the breezeway mostly in the fall and winter as long as the rain isn't blowing in on me.

[buyobuyo]

I do all of my casting inside. I built a small box out of some scrap wood and used a couple of fans that were going to get trashed at work. I run a length of metal dryer hose from the box to the window.