Nowhere to cast!

[troy_mclure]

I recently moved into a 2 bedroom duplex. I have no casting bench, and now I also cannot cast in the parking lot as some former residents made a mess with oil and the management made a "no working in the parking lot" policy.
I can could cast in the side yard, which is kinda angled, but better than nothing.

Anybody else have issues with no good areas to cast?

[cajun shooter]

If you have room for a furnance and a small table then you have a place to cast. The men of the 17oo's and 1800's did it while squatting by a camp fire. Use the ground with a board for your table if you have to.

[youngda9]

Card table, fan, open window, power outlet. Your apartment has a window, right ?

[Wayne Smith]

Card table, fan, open window, power outlet. Your apartment has a window, right ?

I would want something a little more stable than a card table, but you are essentially right.

Unless you are melting ww's and are dealing with the stink I would say you are safe. Get a large flat pan to put everything on and catch the inevitable spills. You would just have to completely clean up after yourself if you have a partner or child living with you. I think I would limit myself to a bottom pour pot and clean alloy from a source like RotoMetals in your situation. It is more expensive but still way less expensive than buying bullets.

You have absolutely no danger at normal boolit casting temps.

Reloading likewise. You need a table sturdy enough to mount a press, a board or something to protect the table top, and a couple of C clamps. I did it this way for years. Only reloaded for three calibers, everything but components fit in a old salesman's case that fit in a closet. There have been several posts here over the years of more permanent apartment setups, but what I described is minimal to my mind.

[WILCO]

I recently moved into a 2 bedroom duplex. I have no casting bench, and now I also cannot cast in the parking.......

Here's a link:

http://www.castbullet.com/reload/acast.htm

[dragonrider]

If one of those bedrooms is a spare, put a fan in a window blowing out. Use a drop cloth on the floor. Use a sturdy table.

[WILCO]

http://smith-wessonforum.com/reloading/73778-bullet-casting-apartment-dwellers.html

[Bullet Caster]

Well, my wife has finally kicked me out of the bedroom with my reloading bench. She wants a bed in the bedroom. When we moved to TN from GA we inherited a lot of "stuff" and needed a place to store it so we got one of the largest out buildings we could find to sit on our property. As of now she won't let me mount a flourescent light in the bedroom over my bench--said that the bench and I would be regulated to the out building. Now she's got to clean out the out building so I'll have room for my reloading bench along with 2 model railroad layouts--one massive HO scale and a smaller Lionel setup. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.

My reloading bench is somewhat unique. I mounted my press to a piece of 2x12" 4' in length so it would be portable. I could bring it into the living room when I wanted to deprime and other associated tasks while watching TV. That didn't work out too well as I didn't have enough clamps to clamp it to the coffee table I had constructed when we first got married. She dearly loves the coffee table I made and won't give it up for no reason.

I've since constructed a work bench out of scrap lumber I had, some were wooden pallets I had collected. So then I cut two more pieces of 2x12" to raise the press up to eyeball height and bolted my 2x12" press board to the bench. Now I've got enough room underneath the press for all my tools, loading blocks I'd made, etc. My press sits about 12" off the top of the table. Now I can sit on my stool and operate the press with my left hand and I don't tire as easily. Think I'm gonna have to have surgery on my right shoulder next trip to the VA in Atlanta. Just know that where there's a will there's a way. BC

[Jim]

..... She wants a bed in the bedroom. .....
BC

Silly girl. [smilie=1:

[I'll Make Mine]

Yep, one more to say, if you're buying your alloy as clean ingots (Rotometals is a site sponsor and sells this stuff at reasonable prices -- and free shipping if you make a decent buy), you can cast anywhere there's a surface sturdy enough to set up an electric melting pot and ventilation. Heck, I'm smelting wheel weights in my carport, but since you can't work in the parking lot, you could do that in the little yard and do your actual casting inside. Lots of folks cast in basements, too.

The main thing to watch is to put down some protection so you don't splash lead on the carpet, walls, lawn, etc. and make the landlord unhappy...

[geargnasher]

Buy clean alloy and you won't have to flux it, which is where most of the stink comes from. Use little bits of scented candles to reduce the oxide scum from time to time, light it off with a BBQ lighter when it starts to smoke, and be sure not to scorch your window doing it. In a pinch, just keep the oxides skimmed, or use a layer of Kitty Litter on top of the lead to keep the air away. I would never recommend Marvelux or any of the borate fluxes, even though they DO seal the surface of the melt and remove impurities.

If you're interested in the borate fluxes, member 454PB does all his casting indoors using that stuff, I'm sure he would be willing to give you some pointers if you pm'd him.

Gear

[woody2]

I started casting in the kitchen. Fortunately my wife is very understanding and supportive. I cut a piece of plywood about 2'X3', put an old towel on it to cushion the bullets when they dropped, and placed it over the sink. Melted the lead on the stove in a Lyman cast iron pot. Did that for several years until we got a place with a garage.

[bearstopper]

I sold my house and currently live in a condo and I cast out on my terrace. As far as the neighbors know, I am spending hours on end at my gas grill doing who knows what! If I were in your situation I would get a fan set up at your back door and a fold up table with a piece plywood covering and go to town inside the house. However, my wife really doesn't know better so I would get away with it.

[troy_mclure]

I cast inside the garage at my last place, and my gf hated the smell of the hot lead(even with scented candle flux) so casting inside is out.

I'll have to figure out a place right next to the house to cast, a concern is the sidewalk(right next to the only flat spot) for the other duplex runs to the casting area.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

It might be time for an upgrade in the GF area. I have been married to the same woman for more than 22 years, we agreed before we ever got engaged that we do not deliver ultimatums to each other. If she dislikes the smell with the accommodations you made you might suggest she go outside and wash the car while you cast.

Good Luck with your future...

Rich
healing

[gray wolf]

[QUOTE]dislikes the smell with the accommodations you made you might suggest she go outside and wash the car while you cast. Dig earth worms, gather fire wood, check for good deals at the gun store, change the oil in the truck, cut the grass, look for WW, rake the yard, call your friends and tell them your busy casting and you will get back to them, run a patch through your guns, plenty a things a woman can do. Just sayin.
But start her off slow, one or two things at a time. Don't want to overwhelm anyone.

[jdgabbard]

I've had to cast on my patio in an apartment in the past. However, now I don't have that luxury. Last time I needed to, I cast on the stove with the vent on (using my lee furnace). I hope to soon find a rent house where I can do the casting in the back yard. But until then, I'll probably use the current method.

[fcvan]

My current setup is compact for use on a small back patio/porch pad, about 3x4. That gives me just enough room for the setup and a chair. I use a 'workmate' type portable workbench, the kind with 'jaws' that open and close. I made a top out of plywood measuring 18" x 24" with lips on the underside. When I open the jaws the surface is locked into place. I actually made 2, one for the reloading press and a spare I'm using for casting. The surface is stable and sturdy enough for casting.

I place my Lee 10lb pot onto a cookie sheet which aids in keeping any spatter from making a mess. When seated, the spigot is slightly lower than shoulder height but easy to view while casting.

I use a wooden TV tray with a folded towel on the top to empty the boolits onto. The TV tray nestles between the workbench legs so the top surface overlaps the TV tray surface, and the chair fits between the legs of the TV tray. I don't have to over reach to fill the mold. When emptying the molds my forearms are parallel to the work surface. Not only is this setup compact it also leaves me less fatigued after prolonged casting sessions.

I wear gloves, long sleeves, safety glasses, long pants, boots, and a denim apron. I have never a lead pot turn over but if it did my lap is covered by the TV tray surface. The folded towel may stop some of the molten metal but not all. I have had lead spill onto my pants before and heavy denim is a lifesaver. I am going to start using a leather apron when I get one.

The workbench is portable. I use it for casting because I can. I built it so I could reload at the range. Most of the time I use it to stamp gas checks or de-prime brass while watching tv. Frank

[Wayne Smith]

I cast inside the garage at my last place, and my gf hated the smell of the hot lead(even with scented candle flux) so casting inside is out.

I'll have to figure out a place right next to the house to cast, a concern is the sidewalk(right next to the only flat spot) for the other duplex runs to the casting area.

Have you any really good friends who own houses??

[lesharris]

Had the same problem myself. Solution was a Coleman propane cookstove supported on the top of a discarded microwave cabinet with wheels that locked up. Neighbors thought I was cooking. I was just not food but plenty of boolits. Oh a TV cabinet on wheels works also.
The one I use now has a drawer and 2 doors to hide my stored items for casting.

[Wolfer]

Years ago I was in a similar situation. My casting setup at the time was a Coleman stove and a two quart saucepan. There was some public land nearby and I would drive my truck out there and set up on the tailgate.

[Petrol & Powder]

Can't speak to the casting issue much but I had a co-worker that addressed his lack of a reloading bench by using the kitchen table. He simply purchased an extra leaf for the table and bolted his press to the spare table leaf. When he reloaded he inserted the spare leaf and went to work. He had an old drop cloth with a hole cut in it for the press. I'd pick a solid hardwood table, not one made from particle board. If you drill holes in the leaf and press T-nuts in from the bottom, you can configure the top so that several tools may be mounted to the leaf. If you can solve your casting issue (maybe casting some other place) all of the other operations can be done in an apartment. Another solution I saw once involved a small bench with a platform on the floor that extendedout a few feet. The operator places his chair on the platform and the weight helped hold the bench steady. It looked like a computer desk with a platform on the bottom and it was remarkably solid.

[Mooseman]

I cast on the kitchen stove with the blower going and a sheet of plywood , or cardboard.
I use a low hubcap for a catch /drip pan with a moist towel to drop boolits on.
I am also Single !!! LOL

[rodsvet]

If I cast in the kitchen, I would be single and probably speaking in a higher octave within an hour of starting. Rod

[troy_mclure]

Have you any really good friends who own houses??

An hour and half away. Lol

[troy_mclure]

It might be time for an upgrade in the GF area. I have been married to the same woman for more than 22 years, we agreed before we ever got engaged that we do not deliver ultimatums to each other. If she dislikes the smell with the accommodations you made you might suggest she go outside and wash the car while you cast.

Good Luck with your future...



Rich
healing

She doesn't get a cat and I don't cast inside, fair trade. Lol

[trixter]

When the rains came, I needed a covered place to cast. I normally cast on a big table in the back yard under the apple tree for shade. I have an RCBS 20 lb pot and it gets pretty heavy. My hot tub is under a patio cover and so I took a piece of plywood 18X48 and set it on the edge of the hot tub cover (after placing a large piece of cardboard on it for protection), and that is my "Foul Weather" casting area. It works great. L to R, multi plug, hot plate, lead pot, old towles for dropping boolits on. In 45 degree weather it does not take very long to cool the boolits. You do what you gotta do.

[captain-03]

Silly girl. [smilie=1:

She would not be doing that in MY house .... unless ...

[madsenshooter]

I used to cast in the kitchen of my rental house. Hot lead makes a mess of the carpet in a hurry with a drippy Lee pot! No deposit return from that place! What idiot puts carpet in the kitchen anyway? Now I have a little room with a concrete floor. I should have been making like Wolfer, weather permitting.

[Round ball]

I also recently moved to an apartment from a house. There is a small covered balcony. Roof is 10 feet tall.

When setting up my casting table I noticed a fire sprinkler mounted high on the wall about 5 feet away.

My concern is will the heat be enough to activate the sprinkler ? It has the red filament which is supposed to activate at 300 degrees.

Might go to the park and cast on the picnic benches ? Hopefully won't attract any attention. I've been using a coleman stove, saucer pan, and 20lb propane bottle for a while.

[Ben]

troy_mclure

Sounds like you might be a candidate for something like this that you'll see below in the photos :

While you could cast inside,the smoke, fumes, etc. are a real problem. You can set up fans, work with a hood above the pot, but you're trying to deal with a problem that you wouldn't have if you were outside.

I much prefer to be outside when I'm casting.

You mentioned you had a small area outside to cast. This small area would allow you to use this portable table. It is intended to serve as a portable shooting bench, but will offer double duty as a casting table also for you.

My friend Bryan was interested in a portable shooting bench. He is a south - paw, but his son is right handed.

He asked " Can we build a portable bench that a right hand AND left hand shooter could use ? "

My answer was " YES " ! !

So we went to work. Notice that it has 3 legs and sits steady with no wobble even on uneven ground.

The legs fold and retract , making for easy storage.
Before you ask for plans, there are none....We just started measuring and cutting and making the bench to fit his own individual needs for height, etc.

However, if you'd like to make one and have some rudimentary wood working skills, you can look at the photos and easily copy it and make it to suit your own individual needs. The bench is made of pressure treated 2 X 4's and 5/8 " thick plywood decking. Attaching screws for the 29 " long legs are 3/8 " dia. X 4 " long bolts with washers and wing nuts at all points. Plated deck screws were used exclusively to put everything together with. If you'd like to add a little " over - kill " , you could also add some construction adhesive. That would make it " gorilla proof ".

Notice that when you sit at the bench and slide your knees under the bench, they don't hit any of the legs.

It would be easy to sit at the front of the bench and use it as a casting table. Fold the table up when you are finished and put it in storage. It could also be pressed into service as a reloading table by putting a small Lee C press on it held with bolts and wing nuts, again removable when the reloading is completed and put the press into storage also.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/90045-600x600.jpg

Thanks for looking,

Ben

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Photo0375.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Photo0376.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Photo0377.jpg

Here is my friend Brian and his new portable shooting bench ( when you're finished using it, the table will fold up and can easily be stored under your bed ) :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Photo0380.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Photo0374.jpg

[MtGun44]

I started in the spare bedroom over a camp stove. As said, fluxing is the big stinker - so either don't flux indoors
or do it right by a window with a fan blowing out. Also, Marvelux flux is not very smelly compared to the sawdust,
wax and other hydrocarbons commonly used. It has it's disadvantages (hard residue that can be corrosive to the
pot) but is not very smelly. I normally cast in my basement today with Marvelux.

Bill

[mdi]

When I was doing a lot of fishing I cast sinkers on the kitchen stove. The range hood took care of fumes/odors. It would be easy to place a sheet of plywood over the top of the stove and set the casting pot and assorted stuff there. No fumes, no odor, no mess on her stove...

[454PB]

I'll add that I do my "rendering" outdoors or with the windows and doors open during fair weather and use more traditional fluxing methods. My ingots are therefore very clean, and while casting, I use Marvelux. There is very little odor and smoke produced by Marvelux, and the hydrophobic nature is easily controlled by preheating all dipping and stirring tools. But, I preheat those tools when rendering, too. I live where humidity is naturally low, and have never had a problem with rust. My oldest Lee pot is 40 years old and functioning perfectly.

[dudel]

I'm sure there are plenty of options if you think outside the box. Got any friends who shoot? Trade them boolits for space. Get creative.

[DRNurse1]

I'm sure there are plenty of options if you think outside the box. Got any friends show shoot? Trade them boolits for space. Get creative.

Not to put a damper on the thread since there are a lot of really good ideas here, but I work in a tertiary center with a burn unit and we get lots of 'Meth-stakes' from indoor activities. Some in apartments, some from 'half doubles' (a sort of town-house arrangement for two families), some from free standing homes in towns and in the country. If these ne'er do wells can manage to cook their junk pretty much anywhere, how is it that we cannot come up with a safe and portable casting solution?

A safe area--protect the surroundings--vent appropriately--control output...I cast in my garage with a fan behind me out in the country so I cannot completely identify with the nature of the problems. This thinking outside the box is a good thing, and if you can put your stuff inside a box when you are done, so much the better.

[bedbugbilly]

Not to be a wet blanket here . . . . but somewhere common sense has to enter in to the picture. If you are renting or leasing, you are bound by the rules of the landlord. I can assure you that if I caught a tenant melting lead and casting inside property that I owned, an eviction notice would be in quick order. No landlord is going to risk the danger of a fire or the risk of having his fire/liability insurance cancelled by allowing a tenant to melt lead and cast on the premises he owns. (Not if he has a brain). This is not a "normal" function within a residence and would be considered as a "high risk" activity by the insurance company. Accidents happen and no matter how careful a person is, a fire could result . . and . . . if a fire resulted . . the insurance company would come after you to get a judgment and collect any loss. . . . a judgement that could take many years for you to pay off. In a duplex, apartment or townhouse setting, you also put your neighbors at risk. People are going to "continue to do what they do" - and I can understand the frustration of not having a good place to cast . . . but use some common sense. Just because you lease or rent property doesn't give a person the right to conduct activities on or in that property that the property owner considers unsafe or a risk. Try putting an ad in the paper and see if you can't make a connection with another caster that has a good place to cast that might like to have a "casting and shooting buddy".

[sthwestvictoria]

Here's a link:

http://www.castbullet.com/reload/acast.htm

I was going to suggest exactly the same thing.

Dean Grennell in his edition of the ABC of Reloading also describes casting thousands while on the road as a travelling salesman, taking advantage of hotel room power to melt and cast.

[David2011]

Could you cast at an outdoor shooting range?

David

[Lefty Red]

Card table, fan, open window, power outlet. Your apartment has a window, right ?

I do that, when its too cold outside. Add a mask as well. I only used cleaned ingots though.

Lefty

[Lefty Red]

I have also casted at the picnic area at the local state park. Rangers are cool and talk about shooting if you keep it clean and look like you know what you are doing. :)

[gmsharps]

I have on several occasions over the years offered my casting shack to friends that did not have a place to cast or the equipment. We would have a smelting party from time to time to clean all of the lead we had scrounged over a period of time and it makes the time go faster when you have help also. Eventually as finances being better they usually moved to another place where they could cast.

gmsharps

[MaryB]

If you have space to store it maybe build a casting setup on top of one of these http://www.harborfreight.com/steel-mesh-deck-wagon-38137.html rol it out, do your casting, roll it away. Would be space to store everything under the casting table if built right

[Lefty Red]

My set up.

Second picture is a shelf in my tool closet that keeps all my casting items within reach and out of the way.
First picture is of my foldable bench that has my press mounted to a removable flat base. I have another smaller base made, but found out I really don't need it.

9678996791

[country gent]

I cast in my garage with the doors open and ussually invite a friend or two over to cast with me. We split the cost of the lead and gas. I have mobility issues due to MS and having another person there just in case is a plus. My turkey frier stand and dutch oven will allow 3 of us to sit around it and cast. My issue isnt a place to cast its the nosey neighbors, If they find out Im melting lead Ill be getting visits probably. Shes a real pain at times.So inside the garage out of sight of her. Having the friend there is a big plus to me as an accisdent can happen even being carefull and someone there to call for or help is a good thing. Im not sure on casting at a club It would depend on rules and whats allowed. The club I belong to has rules against open burning. Bet at a park or club youd get alot of "interested" people watching. Issue would be keeping the gawkers at a safe distance. A portable set up would need to be strong enough to hold the wieght and be stable, but could be set up almost anywhere.

[Lefty Red]

I cast in my garage with the doors open and ussually invite a friend or two over to cast with me. We split the cost of the lead and gas. I have mobility issues due to MS and having another person there just in case is a plus. My turkey frier stand and dutch oven will allow 3 of us to sit around it and cast. My issue isnt a place to cast its the nosey neighbors, If they find out Im melting lead Ill be getting visits probably. Shes a real pain at times.So inside the garage out of sight of her. Having the friend there is a big plus to me as an accisdent can happen even being carefull and someone there to call for or help is a good thing. Im not sure on casting at a club It would depend on rules and whats allowed. The club I belong to has rules against open burning. Bet at a park or club youd get alot of "interested" people watching. Issue would be keeping the gawkers at a safe distance. A portable set up would need to be strong enough to hold the wieght and be stable, but could be set up almost anywhere.

Yep, but if you take an extension cord and put your pot in the grill area, that is placed on the edge of the shelter, and use the area of the park that is not use much you can cast for an hour or more. I even take my Hand Press and go and sit and watch waves at the lake while sizing brass. You do what you can go where you can do it.

[lars1367]

I've cast with nothing more than a campfire and a long sturdy ladle. Don't need much space, and if anyone asks, tell them that you are making fishing sinkers in the shape of bullets.
-Lars1367

[another gsxr 1k]

I'm pretty much in the same boat. I'm in an apartment without a porch / balcony. My casting spot is a corner parking spot, on the tailgate of my truck, use a piece of scrap plywood and my Lee drippy pot, with an extension cord thrown out the window over the bushes.
My reloading set up looks like Lefty Reds. A harbor freight workbench and a piece of plywood. My presses sit on top of my safe.
You can make it work, use the side or backyard if you have them.

[fcvan]

I can remember casting in the carport on the tailgate of my mini pickup truck. I had a painters tarp and a folding chair. Flying sprues were a snap to clean up after casting. Nowadays, I use a modified Workmate type bench, a folding TV tray, and a standard chair. I built a table top for the Workmate that interconnects with the 'jaws' of the Workmate. The slots on the underside of the table top are locked by expanding the jaws out, very sturdy. I actually built two, one has the presses bolted on, the other is just for casting.

The Workmate is a good height for the Lee 10 lb pot. The wood TV tray is narrow enough to set between the legs of the Workmate and is about 4 inches lower than the Workmate. The TV tray has a folded towel for the boolits to land and I use metal bread loaf pans to store the cast boolits. Anyway, the Workmate fits in the doorway to the back of the garage and so I'm casting sort of outside. The weather generally blows from the south and the porch is on the north side. In a steady downpour I can cast with good protection from the elements and great airflow, even when fluxing.

I have a couple of great reloading benches that are stationary but the portable Workmate benches get more use. I frequently take my gear to friends houses to show them/help them reload their own cartridges. Plus, a portable reloading setup is the ticket for load development at the range. Having a portable casting setup makes it handy for teaching new casters and getting them into my favorite part of reloading, and that is casting. Oh ya, I also powder coat using the Workmate bench.