tinsel fairy doesnt care

[Lloyd Smale]

how old or experienced you are. just saying:killingpc

[Rick Hodges]

Hah!!!! Hope you are at least safe and relatively unscathed by the experience....even if a little embarrassed.

[osteodoc08]

I’ve heard her rumblings but haven’t had a run in.......yet.

Hope you went unscathed.

[Springfield]

No, she doesn't. She especially hates it when you get in a hurry. I'm just about done picking lead off the wall. Saw it coming so I am fine, been tinseled before.

[richhodg66]

Glad you're OK.

Been casting a long time, had a few minor mishaps over the years but never anything serious (knock on wood). It certainly pays to be careful.

[Conditor22]

aloe vera works wonders. I hope you didn't get bit. A description of what happened would be helpful so newbies and oldies get refreshed on what to avoid.
With age and experience, we become complacent, unless you've had a serious mishap you tend to become lax.

I would strongly recommend eye protection ANYTIME you smelt/cast/reload. I'm glad I have to wear glasses. if not for my glasses I would be less 1 eye right now.

[Hossfly]

I was visiting old friend whom use to pour his own and seen evidence of lead on carport ceiling. I asked about it and he said some WW got wet and he dropped them in the pot of melt. Ask about meeting the tinsel fairy, he never heard that term, but he didn’t do that again. Glad I’ve read about it here first, and can learn from the experts, with more experance than I got.

[Markopolo]

I once was melting range bullets, and somehow a live round got into the mix... thank god I use a heavy cast iron lid and was not standing next to it... it flung lead everywhere but the lid contained a lot of it... I got very lucky... it was an eye opening experience.. I believe it was a 22.. at the time I had a shaker box setup and was getting bullets by the bucket load.. I would load a bunch into the propane cooker with the Dutch oven and lid, then walk back to the berm and shake another pail full, while the previous pailful was melting. that seems to be a problem when we start going for production instead of being careful... a visit was inevitable....

Marko

[mold maker]

It seems many shooters use the berm as a way to dispose of duds. I had the same experience with a 9mm in the range scrap. It took lots longer to clean up the evidence than to collect the scrap.

[wv109323]

My run in with the tinsel fairy came in melting some reclaimed shot a guy came me. It was in a windshield washer jug. I paid no attention and poured some of it onto the top of my smelting lead. Luckily I was 8-10 feet from the pot went the first fairy visited. It was as loud as a pistol shot. I thought it was a live round in the smelt. The second fairly was not as rude as the first. At that point I figured it out and backed away from the smelter. There was three or four more juvenile fairies that visited.
I poured the shot out of the jug and it was soaking wet on the bottom. I let it dry in the bucket. When the shot dried out it was a whole different color.

[country gent]

There are ways to slow the tinsel fairy's visits down a lot.

1 always start with a cold empty pot. this allows moisture to boil off before any molten lead is there.

2 If you must add to a hot molten pot se an intermediate pot and hold it for 5-6 mins in the melt to cook off any moisture that might be there. I use my big 6lb smelting ladle. fill it with scrap and hold the bowl in the melted above the surface for 5-6 mins heating and boiling moisture off before dumping into pot

3 filling the pot or ladle with a small shovel or spoon raking shaking the lead in slowly so you can see whats going into the pot.

4 a heavy cover and shield around pot to protect against spatters and pops.

I have had few visits from the tinsel fairy over the years but it as happened ( we even had one visit at work in die cast area) Proper safety measures and protective clothing saved me any injuries, several times holding the ladle in the melt I heard the tell tale sizzle of dampness. Hopefully nobody gets injured by these visits a metal burn is nasty to deal with and is a big risk of infections.

Be safe wear the protective clothing and gear as needed. Pay attention to what your doing leave an escape route if something does happen ( running is smart). One safety item I have in my pocket or very close is my cell phone if things go wrong I can get help.

[tinhorn97062]

I got dusted the other day, casting some Lee 358-158’s. I’ve got a battle wound on my hand.

[Lloyd Smale]

it was a stupid move. Bunch of spruce cuts and fragments of lead made it to the floor and I swept them up (its winter and the floor was wet from snow melting off my shoes) and poured it slowly into the pot. It went fine. I was sizzling and drying fine. the sizzling stopped and I figure all the moisture was gone so I took my stiring stick and went to stir it in and bang! Got a couple tiny burns on my nose and neck. My right eye lower skin is pretty puffed up this morning from a burn there. Got my eye lid a touch on that side too. Oh well all and all I was very lucky. Wish I would have had as fast of reaction time that my eyes have to close to launch at the drag track back in the day. I would have been unbeatable. Had it happen a couple times early in my casting career but haven't had one in over 20 years mostly when smelting . thought I was to smart for that stupidity anymore.

[beechbum444]

Safety glasses safety glasses safety glasses !!!

[OS OK]

it was a stupid move. Bunch of spruce cuts and fragments of lead made it to the floor and I swept them up (its winter and the floor was wet from snow melting off my shoes) and poured it slowly into the pot. It went fine. I was sizzling and drying fine. the sizzling stopped and I figure all the moisture was gone so I took my stiring stick and went to stir it in and bang! Got a couple tiny burns on my nose and neck. My right eye lower skin is pretty puffed up this morning from a burn there. Got my eye lid a touch on that side too. Oh well all and all I was very lucky. Wish I would have had as fast of reaction time that my eyes have to close to launch at the drag track back in the day. I would have been unbeatable. Had it happen a couple times early in my casting career but haven't had one in over 20 years mostly when smelting . thought I was to smart for that stupidity anymore.

heheheee...sometimes when the feces hits the fan it's too late to duck!

Glad your OK Lloyd...that Tinsel Fairy sure gives 'hot tips' huh?

[bikerbeans]

Live 209 primers and molten lead do not mix well either!

BB

[RED BEAR]

Its been a while since i got a visit but i still have the scar across the back of my hand to remind me. Also put up a sigh on wall behind pot in big bold letters DON'T BE STUPID! not sure it has helped but it has been a while. And i agree gloves and glasses.

[lightman]

I was waiting for "The rest of the Story". Glad you were not injured more seriously. Mistakes can happen to anyone, regardless of their experience.

The only time I will add lead to a pot containing molten lead is when I'm smelting and dump a mold too soon and have the ingots break or when I'm casting and dump the sprues and reject bullets back in while they are still hot. I never would have thought about something on the floor picking up moisture!

When I'm smelting I will fill the smelting pot up heaping full and after the wheel weights melt down and the clips get skimmed off I'll turn the heat down enough that the lead gets solid and add some more to it. It doesn't have to be cold, just not liquid.

My biggest problem around here is that the slag that builds up on my ladle, skimmer and stiring spoon will absorb moisture from the humidity. I pre heat them in the flame before using them. Some really humid days I have to pre heat them each time I use them during a smelt.

[Echo]

I was doing some smelting a couple of weeks ago. It had rained the night before, and the cookie sheet I set my ingot molds had maybe 1/4" of water. I decided to water-cool my molds, so just set them down in that little amount of H2O. When I started to ladle the alloy out of the dutch oven into the molds, they would hiss and boil the water under them - to the extent that some some little drops splashed into the next mold - and here came the fairy! Just little pops, and no damage done to anything, no real drama, but I won't do that again! Will use an old folded towel to contain the H2O, so no splashes...

[Lloyd Smale]

ya that wont work. to old school I guess. Cant see dawning safey glasses, gloves, a respirator and a hazmat suit to cast bullets. It might be smart but I never claimed to be.
Safety glasses safety glasses safety glasses !!!

[blackthorn]

I may be wrong but my understanding of the --- cool the mould using water --- is the mould is briefly touched against a wet pad of some kind, not having the mould sitting in water. It seems to me that sitting the mould in water (even very shallow water) invites water to seep upward, even into the cavities, between the mould halves. Not something I would think to be desirable.

[Conditor22]

Wet Cooling the mold: fill a shallow pan with old washcloths/rags or until they are above the sides of the pan, fill the pan with water, set hot mold on the washcloth the mold is closed tight and full of lead there is no way water can enter the mold and stay in it's liquid form unless you leave the mold on the rag long after it quits steaming. I have yet to damage a mold doing this?

Water on the surface of hot lead is not a problem, the tinsel fairy is caused by water trapped in lead or? submerged in molten lead.

[lightman]

I'm another that does not go full hazmat when casting. When I'm casting I wear glasses, long sleeve shirt, long pants and closed toe shoes. I'll wear about the same attire when smelting except I'll wear boots with the pants legs worn outside of the boot and gloves. My clothing is flame retardant, but only because I had clothing left over from the job after I retired.

When smelting I'll run the exhaust fan thats in the gable end of my shop and a large floor fan near the doorway. I'll stay up wind of the pot when I'm working.

[mold maker]

I've worn glasses for over 70 years, not for protection but to see details. It aint that big a deal. When I weld, I wear a Darkening helmet. When I played football, I wore pads and a cup.
Why on earth would anyone casting not protect the eyes from perminate damage??????

[sureYnot]

I don't mind a few burns on my hands in exchange for dexterity (no gloves). I've had a drop or two hit my face as well. But I don't go anywhere near the pot without safety glasses. I can live with a little pain and maybe even disfigurement. But not blindness.

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[Kent Fowler]

Had a small visit myself a few weeks ago. I left some of Pat Marlins flake flux in a baggie out in the shop for a couple weeks after a casting session and when I added some to the pot this time the Fairy appeared. Not too bad but still made a pretty good pop. Took the rest of the flux inside and dried it out in the oven. Great flux by the way, just don't expose it too long to humidity.

[David2011]

When I cast I use sprue lube and open/close the sprue plate with my hand so gloves are important. I wear a cap to protect the nekkid top of my head, safety glasses, long sleeves (ALWAYS cotton only), long pants, shoes with socks and a cheap welder’s apron. I too upgrade to safety boots when smelting. If it’s hot I might trade long pants for knee length shorts but I still wear the leather apron. I don’t cast wearing shoes without socks.

I’ve been watching a YouTube series of a couple building a large boat, a 74 foot steel sailboat. It was interesting watching them pouring the ballast. They poured 5 tons into each of the twin keels. There was some trapped rainwater. With the size batches they were pouring it would get your attention but it didn’t explode. It did boil pretty vigorously though. The channel is SV Seeker if anyone is interested. They have been documenting the build for 6 years.

[Taylor]

Been pretty lucky myself. But, day before yesterday....it don't take long to look at a still hot ingot. Kinda short on finger prints for a while.

[Sig556r]

Even the smallest of splatters digs deep through skin, don't ask me how...ain't fun but tinsel fairy ain't gonna care for sure...

[Petander]

Yeah,those monotype letters had some moisture in them,having been stored in a plastic container... I added them to a hot WW dutch oven pot on a burner...

That was 10+ years ago,I left the splashes on the garage walls as stupidity reminders. Some of them splashes are scary big.

[Conditor22]

I don't mind a few burns on my hands in exchange for dexterity (no gloves). I've had a drop or two hit my face as well. But I don't go anywhere near the pot without safety glasses. I can live with a little pain and maybe even disfigurement. But not blindness.

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Casting boolits I use thin leather gloves with gauntlets meant for mig/tig wielding

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KG837TM/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I agree with the glasses statement. Like others, I always wear glasses to see so I don't have to worry about that.

I also "I can live with a little pain and maybe even disfigurement. But not blindness."

[RogerDat]

Safety glasses safety glasses safety glasses !!! This 100% If not a face shield. I'm ugly enough as it is and besides I have a mustache counting on me for protection.

No fairy but close. Forgot to properly pre-warm a cast iron ladle and got recoil and pot went "whump" pretty good when ladle went into the pot. That made a believer out of me that is for sure. Scary stuff.

Just recently I loaded a bunch of bar ingots into a cold partly full Lee 20# melter. The bars were all sticking straight up. The bottoms melted, the bars shifted and wedged and continued to lose more length off the bottom. Suddenly the bars that were all by this time wedged at least a couple of inches off the melt dropped in mass. What happens when a several pound blob of lead bars drop into a 3/4 full pot of molten lead? Just what you would expect SPLOOSH! over the sides of the pot and mostly on the table (steel) and the base of the pot. Learned something new I did, and was able to contemplate it as I cleaned up the splash and managed to free the melter from being stuck to the table.

[country gent]

A billed ball cap will not only protect the forehead but it will help keeps splatters from dropping in just over the glasses into the eyes. Unlike hot liquids molten metals when they come in contact with skin they stick right there and the mass holds heat longer burning longer and deeper.

When casting its a long sleeved shirt, glasses ball cap heavy shoes and gloves. When I smelted I added a leather apron to this.

[David2011]

In the early 80s casting mentor who lived a short distance from Galveston Bay was casting on a Saturday afternoon using borax for his flux. He continued the following morning and picked up his spoon which had some borax still on it from the previous day. When he pushed it down into the molten alloy moisture that the borax had absorbed overnight beckoned the tinsel fairy. Fortunately he had a full beard and moustache and was wearing aviator/motorcycle style glasses. He only got a couple of tiny burns with the facial hair and glasses catching the brunt of the spatter. I still have that spoon and think of his incident every time I pick it up. It is never put away with any residue on it lest I have the same experience with a poorer outcome.