Never, never, ever melt lead without eye protection and welding gloves

[292]

Did some smelting this morning. Dumped a coffee can full of wheel weights in my dutch oven and fired up the turkey burner. In the past when I scoop out the clips there has been alloy on them, so I tried fluxing before scooping. It worked so good that I got excited and screwed up. Instead of placing more wheel weights in a few at a time, I dumped directly from the coffee can. I've had lightweight visits from the tinsel fairey but this was more like the tinsel bombadeer. That's right, water in the coffee can. Thanks to my safety gear I was able to finish smelting and then do some casting.

[btroj]

I always wear glasses but never gloves.

Just proves my point when I say the most important piece of safety equipment lies between the ears.

[smokemjoe]

You know when you get heavy smoke comming off it may be a good idea to wear on them them face mask, It may save lung cancer from starting, After 50 years of smelting down alot of highly smoke alloys it makes me think now how I got it, Joe

[dragonrider]

It is strange that the tinsel fairy never knocks first. Glad your ok.

[725]

Bringing the pot to temp seems to boil off any water drops that might be clinging to WW's. Dumping them in when water is present results in a steam explosion and a visit from the tinsel fairy. Happened to me ONCE. Fell right off my chair! Glad I was wearing an apron, gloves and glasses.

[Jammer Six]

Off topic, meant to start a new thread, now I've done so. :D

[zuke]

I leave mine in the sun for a couple day's then spread them all out on a tarp to make sure their dry.Make's it easier to find the valve's and valve cap's also.

[gbrown]

See "Poll: Gloves or no gloves" on "Casting Equipment" good info--various points of view.

[white eagle]

You know when you get heavy smoke comming off it may be a good idea to wear on them them face mask, It may save lung cancer from starting, After 50 years of smelting down alot of highly smoke alloys it makes me think now how I got it, Joe

ya know that is a good point Joe
I have,at my wife's insistence,started using a mask and although its just something else to do
I never really notice it when I get going :lovebooli

[Lefty SRH]

what kind of mask should you use? What fumes are you trying to avoid? My wife said something today with my 1st smelting success.

[a.squibload]

Paint, epoxy, grease, dirt, dog pee, anything that could be on a WW.
At around 600º most stuff won't be completely burned up, the resulting
smoke is probably not too good for us.

[zuke]

Paint, epoxy, grease, dirt, dog pee, anything that could be on a WW.
At around 600º most stuff won't be completely burned up, the resulting
smoke is probably not too good for us.

Then don't stand downwind.
I load up my pot then when I see the clip's start to shift around I move in and start to work them around to melt quicker.Take off most of the clip's then put another handful of WW in,work it around then another handful till the pot's full.
If it get's too smoky I just go sit down for awhile.

[Jim]

I've been mining a gun range. I smelt 8 qt. cast iron dutch oven pot fulls at a time. I fill the pot, put the top on and then cover that with a wind screen and top. I fire the pot and smelt it.

After skimming and cleaning, the resulting smelt is given a half hour to cool. That gets dumped and then I start over again with an empty pot. I NEVER add to the pot!

[nanuk]

I did add to a hot pot when I first started

I no longer do that.... just 'cause...

[dragonrider]

Jim that's the way I do it also. Empty the pot let it cool some then start again. Met the fairy once, when smelting and once when casting, never again.

[44fanatic]

On my second deployment to Iraq, the Division Surgeon gave us an inbrief on PPE (personal protective equipment). He stated that he could not fix eyes or hands, anything else he could fix...He was trying to say wear your eye protection and your gloves.

I have been visited by the tinsel fairy a couple of times, and never from a steam explosion (yet). Dropped an ingot in the pot and had lead reach the ceiling, had a HP in my 4lb pot shoot lead about 5ft and a few others that dont seem to come to mind at the moment.

The bottom line is that once you loose your vision or damage your hands bad enough, you aint getting them back. Gloves and eye protection are essential as you never know when or why/how the tinsel fairy is going to come and visit you.

[kenyerian]

I never add to the pot when I'm smelting.

[Blue Hill]

what kind of mask should you use? What fumes are you trying to avoid? My wife said something today with my 1st smelting success.

Good quality non disposable cartridge respirator. 3M makes a good one, but any name brand, made in USA. P100 filters. I'm not a fan of the paper masks. It's been said on this forum that you don't get much for actual lead fumes at casting temperatures. P100 is a particulate filter. Smoke is a particle. It ill also protect you from metal fumes etc. By the way, if you have much in the way of facial hair, no respirator will do you a whole lot of good. Check out respiratory protection products on the 3M website. Your best bet by far is to eliminate the hazard entirely by melting outside if you can and try to stay upwind. I'm fortunate in that I'm able to melt on my blacksmiths forge. My hood design is such, that my pot can sit almost completely under the chimney and everything goes straight up.
Blue

[a.squibload]

Then don't stand downwind.
I load up my pot then when I see the clip's start to shift around I move in and start to work them around to melt quicker.Take off most of the clip's then put another handful of WW in,work it around then another handful till the pot's full.
If it get's too smoky I just go sit down for awhile.

Zuke, that's about what I do, Lefty was asking what kind of fumes and I
wanted to make the point that paint fumes and smoke are the main concern,
won't be any lead fumes unless you're using an afterburner!
I don't use a filter either (hairy face - bad seal anyway),
only smelt on breezy days.

[292]

Maybe I should rethink my technique.

[letsmeltlead2693]

Never had a visit from the TF. I wear face shield and gloves even when making sinker with my 4lb capacity hot pot II. I am careful not to put wet stuff in my pot. The lead I use and all of my lead is stored in the garage. I have a 3M P100 respirator but wear it only when melting WW or dirty lead and I ALWAYS melt outside.