Water and lead

[nueces5]

Yesterday a drop of water inside a pipe lead, left me a nice new decoration in my reloading room.
I just have to regret a couple of minor burns.
I'm going to start buying lead ingots, even if they're worth a little more money.

[georgerkahn]

Thanks for post, a "double" for me. To wit, the first is my happiness for you in not sustaining more than "a couple of minor burns"! And secondly -- the "double" -- a great reminder on the necessity of wearing eye protection (goggles!) while casting. In four or five decades (knock wood) I've had a few sputters from most likely foreign material, buut (knock wood again) have yet to be visited by the tinsel fairy.
In thought, way back when, is what prompted me to buy the single-burner propane unit, get a pot from David Crockett on this site, and -- with welding gloves, long sleeved shirt, and the goggles on, do ALL my initial melting into ingots OUTSIDE. I reckon these initial-fluxed ingots are a much safer way to enjoy our hobby!
Again, glad you didn't sustain significant burning!
geo

[jsizemore]

Glad that it was "minor". Start with a cold empty smelting pot and/or a lid or cover for the pot.

[Rich/WIS]

At one point I was given some lead pipe by a contractor I was working with, local salvage yard did not take non-ferrous metal. Got it home and used an old axe to chop it to lengths that would fit in my pot. First batch hissed and squealed as water evaporated and made me realize there could be problems. Made sure to check that both ends of the pieces were open and then stood them on end in the cold smelting pot, fired it up and left for about 20-30 minutes. Despite that still found a few splashes around the pot when I got back. The contractor had said he had a "small" pile when he gave them to me, ended up with 580 pounds. Wondered what his definition of a large pile would be.

[country gent]

When I was reclaiming scrap lead the pot was fired full of lead from cold this allowed any moisture t burn off before molten was there. Aftr the start up all lead was heated for 10-15 mins on the top of the pot before being added to the pot. Again this allowed any moisture to be cooked off before added.

Working with ingots does lower the risk but dosnt completely remove it as inclusions wrinkles can hold moisture and introduce it to the pot. Pre heating is the best way ingot heated to 300* on a hot plate or top of pot will be moisture free

[Sig556r]

Glad you're OK, molten lead splash go deep under the skin...

[stubshaft]

I've had a visit from the Tinsel Fairy too.

[Walks]

I had my Tinsel Fairy visit a bit differently. I heated a full 20lb pot of Lead from Cold. Didn't put an inverted ingot mold on top of the pot.

Heating element is it the bottom. So the pot "Geyser'd". Glad I wasn't standing near when it happened.

[Conditor22]

Glad you weren't badly hurt.

1ST rule of smelting = Never add material to molten lead, always start with an empty pot

My rule with casting = never add ingots I didn't cast and store to molten lead unless I've stored them for several months.

[mdi]

Yep, any moisture that gets under the surface of molten lead will quickly turn to steam and expand 1600 times. BTDT. I use wooden shims that are perfect for stirring (I found some rough cut shims that are about 2"x10" and one end about 3/8" tapering to a point). Occasionally one will be a bit damp and when I stir with it I can feel/see the moisture boiling out of the wood. Not enough for an eruption, just kinds unsettling...

[RED BEAR]

Glad you weren't hurt worse. I get a visit by the tinsel fairy every so often as i am not the most graceful or careful. I am saved by my casting outfit long sleeve shirt long lose pants long shop apron face shield and safety glasses . Also welding gloves. With all this i still managed to get burnt every time i cast. Mainly just little spot burns.

[nueces5]

Thanks for the good wishes, in my case I think that only once it reaches. I work with my hands, so I'm very careful with them.
On the internet I found a company that offers lead with the alloy-hardness that you indicate. I think it's worth the extra money.

[mdi]

I use Roto Metals when I want a specific alloy (pure). My last purchase was some 20-1 alloy, but for much of my casting I use my "mystery metal" and just check the hardness...

[kevin c]

Glad you weren't hurt worse. I get a visit by the tinsel fairy every so often as i am not the most graceful or careful. I am saved by my casting outfit long sleeve shirt long lose pants long shop apron face shield and safety glasses . Also welding gloves. With all this i still managed to get burnt every time i cast. Mainly just little spot burns.
So easy to get burned when dealing with hot molten metal.

I use face mask, long sleeve shirt with a short sleeve over that, long pants with long socks, boots, cotton inner gloves under welders gloves, with a leather apron to boot. So, where did the spatter get me? The top of my head the one time I didn't wear a cap.

[nueces5]

They say sailor. "What can go wrong, will go wrong"

[Drm50]

I know a couple guys who were casting .50 cal RB in their garage. They had lead pipe salvaged from an old house. They were using an axe on a block to cut up into 5" length. The axe cut was crimpiming pipe shut and even though it had been stored for several months in the garage the moisture caused a blow out in the pot. Both suffered some nasty burns.

[lightman]

Glad you were not seriously hurt. Like the others have said, be very cautious when adding material to a pot of lead. I would not quit smelting because of this, I would learn from it and continue on.

[john.k]

I learned the hard way.......melt pipe from cold,never put into melt.......even wet mud in the pipe will caused a large blast,as I found out.....And mud wont drain out.......Simple cure,melt pipe from a cold pot........bit of steam ,all quiet on the western front.

[Toymaker]

You do everything you can and whatever can go wrong, will. Expect the unexpected.

Mine was a bird that flew through the carport where I was casting. It pooped as it flew over, a perfect bombing run. The poop landed dead center in the melting pot and hot lead was flying every where. Fortunately the bird scared the p1ss out of me and I had come off the stool backwards and was moving away quickly so I avoided everything. Except the stink. And the clean up. Boy, did that stuff stink.

[GregLaROCHE]

Been there. Done that. Glad you’re OK. I was sure the piece of pipe I was adding was dry, but there is often crud in old pipes that holds moisture. Now I only melt pipes or anything else suspect, starting in a cold pot.

[nueces5]

I learned the hard way
.
it seems that it is the kind of learning that is not forgotten ...

[Crowkiller]

I was smelting recently and pouring into a muffin tins ingot pan. Third batch, so it was already hot. Something must have dropped into the muffin tins because I got a pop and tinsel. It reminded me why I wear the protective gear!

[gwpercle]

Had a visit from the Tinsel Fairy did we ? Your first ?
It's amazing what one drop of water will do to a pot of molten lead ... watch the sweat off your brow also, one drop in the pot and Tinsel Time .
Keeping water out is one thing that it's OK to be as anal and ocd about as you want .
I still melt scrap but I make darn sure everything going in the pot is DRY ! DRY ! DRY !
Don't like the Tinsel Fairy visits ,
Gary

[gwpercle]

I was smelting recently and pouring into a muffin tins ingot pan. Third batch, so it was already hot. Something must have dropped into the muffin tins because I got a pop and tinsel. It reminded me why I wear the protective gear!

SWEAT ...falls right off the brow and into places you don't want it to be .

[john.k]

There is the tinsel fairy,and there is the tinsel B52.....tinsel fairy is a wet bullet dumped in the pot ,the B52 is when a piece of 1" gas pipe erupts the whole 20 lb .....I think the blast was so violent,all the lead was "tinselized",and I hardly got a burn that blistered.Did get a shiny metal ceiling out of it,and yes ,lead does stick to window glass.....My overalls were stiff with lead,but I quickly got rid of them before 'er indoors found the evidence.Fortunately it was a cold wet day,and I had plenty of thick clothing .In the summer heat ,I would be melting outdoors in my jocks and safety thongs.Anyway,if you've ever hobby cast bronze or iron,then you know what heat is.I had a tiny blob of iron burn through leather spats,cloth ,heavy boot,and wool sock.....to barbecue my instep down the the tendon......And it does smell just like a barbecue.

[kevin c]

I've read and seen videos of folks who feel safe melting lead in the rain, based on the fact that raindrops on top of the melt just steams off. My thought has always been that I'm melting that lead to put into something else that isn't at seven hundred degrees. Maybe a heated mold with its tiny sprue plate holes isn't much of a a risk, but I won't pour ingots in the rain, because the pour is into a bread pan mold made of thin sheet steel that doesn't retain enough heat to evaporate raindrops.

[john.k]

water takes away so much heat,I doubt you could melt in even light rain without a covered area.......a scotch mist maybe,thats all.