Preaching to the choir ,safety.

[spurgon]

I'm new here and don't want to offend anyone that knows these things. Here is a link to a metal working site that contains articles on safety.

http://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/

Scroll down to the article on lead casting. I figure everyone knows the in's and out's of working with lead but there are other interesting info on metal working.

By the way at what temperatue does lead vaporize and therefore present an

inhalation hazard? I'm guessing a thermometer might be in order. School me.

Great site by the way.

[NVcurmudgeon]

A lure making site I just checked said lead vaporizes at 1800 F. That's a lot hotter than we can reach with electric boolit furnaces or Coleman stoves. That temperature is for pure lead, not alloys. I would worry more about breathing fumes from tire valves, plastic tire labels, etc. After 40 years of casting my lead level is "normal." Wind is my friend.

[wiljen]

The inhalation risk is most present at indoor ranges, a reason most now require fully encapsulated bullets, and non-lead primer compounds. Most of the primers we fire use Basic Lead Styphanate as the main charge - while effective it does vaporize lead. When done outside it dissipates quickly and isn't a problem. Even when done inside occasionally, it doesn't cause problems - most patrons of indoor ranges have normal lead levels. Long term exposure to indoor environments though will do it.

I've known 3 gent's who had to go through chelation therapy due to lead exposure. 2 were proprietors of indoor ranges and smoked on the job.

The third was a home caster who tended to eat, drink, smoke etc while smelting and casting. Even after starting the therapy I remember him commenting that he "just wasn't sure how he'd got it". I'm pretty sure his was ingestion as he used to leave lunch on his bench while smelting. I guess the smell of all that burning crap just made him hungry.