Apartment said no casting

[warren5421]

Apartment complex manager was knocking on my door at 8:00 A.M. He informed me that someone complained about me casting on the deck. The complaint was "Why can he cast on his deck and I can't Bar-Bee-Que". So where do I go now to cast? Moving is not possible for 8 months. I had bought several molds for my .32 ACP: Acc. 31-077B, Acc. 31-087T, Acc. 31-090B from a guy who got them after reading some of Ed Harris's writings. I bought all his reload and casting items. I carry a 1903 .32 ACP so was going to cast and not buy lead from someone. I see Outpost75 likes the Accurate's 31-087T mold, so the question is are there any retail casters selling bullets from that mold

[Winger Ed.]

Put a fan in the window blowing out, and do it inside.

[jaysouth]

Put a fan in the window blowing out, and do it inside.

What he said.

If anyone complains, tell them that you are doing stained glass, and to mind their own business.

[roadie]

Put a fan in the window blowing out, and do it inside.

Exactly what I would do. Neighbors can be so petty.

I'd also move out as quick as possible.

[slim1836]

Ask him where in your lease does it state no casting? You rented and signed a lease. If he continues to not allow casting, he is breaking the lease, not you. He too is bound to the lease agreement and cannot make up rules as he so desires.

Slim

[sutherpride59]

Better to just cast inside with cleaned up ingots that have already been fluxed, use a wooden stick to stir and that will flux what little oxidation is there. Will also give a pleasant smoked wood smell or you can find what the least smelly flux is and try that, maybe borax or something like that. For fluxing and melting dirty stuff to make clean ingots I would borrow a friends backyard for an afternoon or buy a cheap gas stove and find a place in the woods, or in a fire pit at a park. A lot of Gus make clean ingots from a wood fire and a cast iron pot. Nothing suspicious in a park about cooking over an open flame with a Dutch oven. Of course you can always turn a camping trip into a bullet casting trip over an open flame with a ladle as well but you get the idea. If you do it inside and have flooring that needs to be protected they sell fiberglass “blankets” at Home Depot for welding in sensitive areas and that would work perfectly. Throw down a few cotton towels, plastic tarp and fiber glass blanket over it and even a small spill could be dealt with pretty easily with little or no damage or fire hazard. If I casted inside though I might consider bolting the pot to my casting table just to mitigate as much risk as possible. I’m lucky my apartment balcony faces outside and I have a small waist high wall that conceals my operations lol.

[muskeg13]

What are you using for flux? Casting in an apartment, or indoors, calls for a low/non-smoke producing flux with little smell. While others may not like it, I've always had very good results with Marvelux. During my time in the military, with relocation moves every few years, I was forced to cast in apartment type settings several times. I usually set up casting on the kitchen stove range top, under a hood ventilator that assisted in keeping the occasional light smoke and smells to a minumum.

[Texas by God]

I'd wager that some of our high volume caster members here would trade boolits for alloy or whatever (for 8 months) till you get out of there. No BBQ? WTH....

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[Bazoo]

You're a bit far from me, but maybe someone else would offer you to cast on their farm or in their shop. I would.

[Ed_Shot]

Put a fan in the window blowing out, and do it inside.

Been there done that 50 years ago.....didn't own a fan either.

[murf205]

Warren, I've been there brother and I know what you are up against. Do you shoot at an outdoor range? That might be a place to cast IF they have a place to plug your furnace in. I new a guy who rented a small storage unit that had 1 120v light in it and he screwed an adapter in the socket to plug a short extension cord into. He left the door open and went to work. He built a 2'x2' wooden table just high enough to stand and work. Some units have lights and some don't. Good luck

The world thinks we are doing something terrible when in fact, if we were making stained glass, we would be called artist! Go figure.

[Rcmaveric]

I too live in an apartment. I make lead ingots in the parking lot using my truck tail gate as a table.

I have a little casting station set up on an old in table in the dinning room that I don't use as a dining room.

We also have a no BBq policy on the back porch. I have casted off the padio with an extension cord.

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[2wheelDuke]

Your best bet would be friends nearby. Or maybe rent a warehouse space if it's got power. Some of my first casting sessions were in a rented unit that my brother was using as a motorcycle shop.

[Gunslinger1911]

Been there, done that. had a year of appt life (never more !!)haha

Get some BIG cookie sheets to catch all the "crumbs". Fan in window. Cast away. Get some of the lead cleanup wipes if paranoid of residue.

[dverna]

Too bad you are not on the top floor

BTW, if I lived above you, I would complain too. Not pleasant to have those fumes coming up if the renter above you is on their balcony or wants their window open if you are using a smokey or smelly flux.

[Chill Wills]

Ask him where in your lease does it state no casting? You rented and signed a lease. If he continues to not allow casting, he is breaking the lease, not you. He too is bound to the lease agreement and cannot make up rules as he so desires.

Slim

^^^^^^^^^^^
Correct.
Stick up for yourself.

However, for some people less belligerent about wrong(ing) our rights than me, the confrontation is not worth demanding our rights.
We are all different.

[Boolit_Head]

Sad thing is there are fire laws that prevent open flames on porches like that. But I doubt they cover a casting pot since it is electric. Manager is just not able to see the difference or really cares less and would rather appease your complainer.

[reddog81]

What type of casting furnace are you using? Something with open flame? Using the typical Lee melter or something similar isn’t really comparable to cooking with an open flame.

I tried casting in the basement once but soon realized it wasn’t really worth the mess. Do they have garages that you can rent?

[sutherpride59]

Ask him where in your lease does it state no casting? You rented and signed a lease. If he continues to not allow casting, he is breaking the lease, not you. He too is bound to the lease agreement and cannot make up rules as he so desires.

Slim

He has a really good point actually, spend some time reading through local ordnance and see if there is anything in the language that prohibits heating elements on the porch. If it’s clean alloy you can’t call it hazardous material as you won’t have lead dust to deal with. If there is nothing then your lease doesn’t cover it. It would be well working reason to sit down with the manager and explain that there is nothing in lease banning it, nothing in local ordnance, or in any fire safety codes that prohibit you from operating an electric stove on your patio. Just explain that it isn’t damaging, isn’t hazardous and he can’t actually evict you for not violating the lease unless he wants to cost the management company a lot of money in a lawsuit they can’t win for a lease violation that didn’t occur. A reasonable person could understand that it isn’t in the contract you signed and that you are free to heat up metal on your porch. If your neighbor is still jealous he can cook chicken on an electric stove on his porch too.

[David2011]

A galvanized garage oil drip pan makes an excellent tray for casting. They’re about 25”x48” and lead won’t stick to the galvanized surface. You can get drywall repair sheets 2’ square and put 2 of them under the drip pan to insulate whatever it’s sitting on.

[Jack Stanley]

I'd look at the fan over the kitchen range . If it vents to the outside then keep the smoke so that little fan can handle it . If it doesn't .................. maybe look for other casters in your area and make friends and bullets .

Jack

[elmacgyver0]

I would just buy ready made bullets for a while.
Right now you are on the radar.
Wait till things cool down, then keep a low profile. You need to play by their rules, or be sneaky.
When you get a place of your own just make sure it doesn't have a "HOA".

[justashooter]

oak stick for stirring lead acts as a fluxing agent to some degree as it chars. almost no smoke.

[Walks]

I lived in a apt. from 1975-1982, cast on My semi-patio. Used beeswax for flux and had an oscillating fan on high behind me.
Never heard a word of complaint.

I did my "smelting" out back in the alley with a Coleman stove. Cast 1,000's of ingots
that way.
So I only cast with double fluxed ingots.

[Patrick L]

Yeah, I remember about 25 years ago I cast indoors (using clean ingots) in our first apartment. My wife worked nights,so I would cast for a few hours when she left. I would also size during the day while she slept, since sizing is a relatively quiet operation. I would set things up on a Black and Decker Work Mate. I specifically remember when we had snow days I would set up to size in the living room and watch classic movies 😁

[warren5421]

I looked at my paperwork and it reads "no gas or charcoal grills, no electrical heat units per city ordinance XXXX on wood floored decks which our balcony is. The flux is what I got with all the reloading and casting things. It is in a coffee can but looks a lot like borax. The pot is a Lee bottom pour.

[4rdwhln]

I smelt outdoors and blend alloys. I always cast over the stove inside. I have a piece of plywood cut to cover the top. I put a folded over towel on the wood and my pot in the center. I always leave an ingot mold under the spout of my bottom pour. Flux Inside the house is bee's wax. Usually a piece the size of a small pea works wonders. I torch it off with a bbq lighter when it starts to melt and really have very little fumes. I used to put the towel to the side to catch my warm boolits. But then I figured out it would catch the little droplets and fine dust and made cleanup easier. I never leave my pot unattended And in 30 years have never had a problem. Open windows to create a breeze.

[bedbugbilly]

Like a pancake, there are two sides to this. While I sympathize with your plight - you also have to realize that the manager is responsible to the owner of the apartments - and they are pretty much governed by their insurance carrier as to what can and can't be done on the premises as well as local fire codes. YOU may not see why it's a big deal - but you aren't dealing with heir insurance company either in terms of fire and liability. While you are checking the wording of your lease - you might also check with your renter;s insurance carrier and see what they have to say about it as far as your coverage - if you have renters insurance - if you don't, you should. If you are casting on your balcony and for some reason the tinsel fairy visits or your pot tips over, what about those below you if they are on their balcony?

Unfortunately, in this day and age, insurance companies pretty much dictate what cn nd can't be done - does it spell out casting specifically? Perhaps not but it can be viewed many different ways - not just in terms fo fire loss but in liability as well. Casting at a range or somebody's commercial property? Perhaps you could find a place that would allow it - but then it becomes a liability to them as well as they may not be covered for liability or fire if there is a loss such as an accident, burn due to a splatter to you or someone watching you cast - and if there were a claim for injury or fire, their insurance company would not cover you and would probably cancel their insurance on the spot. While it may not seem fair to you - that's lifer and as a person who has suffered a major loss in the past due to a tenant that caused a fire from lack of common sense and stupidity, I have had to deal with such things. Think of it this way - if you had a nice fancy car that you owned, would you let someone set up a lead pot on the hood of it and proceed to cast? If the person spattered lead on the hood or spilled the pot all over it - do you think your car insurance would be liable for the damages and pay to have it repaired? What do you think the chances would be of them canceling your insurance immediately for you allowing someone to cast on your car and then want them to pay for the damages caused by the person doing the casting?

For the time being while you are there - try and find another place to cast or perhaps a member or vendor could supply you with the boolits you want. You have received one warning about the casting - if you continue to do it on the premises, you run the risk of having an eviction notice served on you - lease or no lease - then you will have the hassle of having to find another place to live and having to move - I'm guessing that it would be easier and cheaper to buy your boolits until you live somewhere that allows casting on the premises. Not easy, I know - but that's there way lifer works. Good luck to you.

[slim1836]

I looked at my paperwork and it reads "no gas or charcoal grills, no electrical heat units per city ordinance XXXX on wood floored decks which our balcony is. The flux is what I got with all the reloading and casting things. It is in a coffee can but looks a lot like borax. The pot is a Lee bottom pour.

I would say you are pretty much screwed by that description.

Find somewhere else less restrictive.

Slim

[Rcmaveric]

Yeah they got you. No casting on Harwood floors. Tile floors seem good to go though.

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[NyFirefighter357]

A galvanized garage oil drip pan makes an excellent tray for casting. They’re about 25”x48” and lead won’t stick to the galvanized surface. You can get drywall repair sheets 2’ square and put 2 of them under the drip pan to insulate whatever it’s sitting on.

I use one of these outside my garage when smelting & making ingots.

[kevin c]

I would think that the drip pan would dissipate the heat of a few drops of molten alloy with getting so hot as to scorch what it's on top of. Of course, a dump of a full pot is another story.

I tried the fiberglass welding blanket; it's a no go. Any lead spatters get stuck in the weave permanently. The drip pan or a lipped hotel sheet cake pan are better bets.

Crummy luck, Warren5421. But what does it say about inside?

If it doesn't work out where you are, maybe you can hook up with another caster to share resources, equipment and a casting area. Or you can move, of course.

[Thumbcocker]

I would advise not getting into a urination competition with the manager or neighbors. I cast many boolits in the living room of an apartment by putting down a half sheet of plywood and using clean ingots. Open window and a box fan. I cast during daylight so as not to bother the neighbors and all was well. There are regular ads in the swapping and selling area for clean ingots ready to cast.

[gwpercle]

You wouldn't believe how many boolits I've cast on the kitchen stove .
Before I had a Lee electric pot I cast with an old cooking pot and a Lyman ladle on the stove burner , to my right I placed an old cookie sheet pan to catch any drips . On the counter to the right of the sheet pan was a large flat cardboard box padded with old towel to drop the boolits into .
Turned on the stove hood vent fan and opened a door and/or window .....Worked exceptionally well .
Sheet pan kept the stove top clean . I cleaned up when done and the wife didn't mind at all .

Sometimes when you need to cast you have to do whatever it takes to get the job done .
There is NO law that says you have to cast outdoors ... I never have and never will .
Gary

[gwpercle]

I would advise not getting into a urination competition with the manager or neighbors. I cast many boolits in the living room of an apartment by putting down a half sheet of plywood and using clean ingots. Open window and a box fan. I cast during daylight so as not to bother the neighbors and all was well. There are regular ads in the swapping and selling area for clean ingots ready to cast.
LIKE !!!
I'm hitting our new like button .
Gary

[lightman]

My advice is to follow the rules. The manager has already talked with you and the next time may not be as pleasant. Yeah, I know it sucks. For safety reasons I would not be comfortable casting in my kitchen. I have, but I'm more careful now. When you move, if you do, check out any restrictions before moving in.

But for now, can you cast at a buddies house? At your rifle range? Maybe a small storage building with electricity? Maybe a campground with electricity for a weekend? Maybe at work after hours? I have a couple of buddies that come over to cast and we do it for the comaraderie, not because they don't have a place.

Its a little trouble loading up and unloading enough stuff to cast away from home but its doable with a little planning. This is where the small storage building would be nice. You could leave your stuff there. My buddies leave their all of their stuff except their molds at my house year around and bring lead as its needed.

[3006guns]

Does your apartment have a bathroom? Most do. Does the bathroom have an exhaust fan? Most do. That fan is ducted to the roof to expel any moisture and odors.......as such it will vent anything FAR up into the air, so as to be undetectable.

Just don't splatter any molten lead into the fiberglass tub. Makes getting your cleaning deposit back a little iffy.

[Dapaki]

NAVY for 8 years, always lived in an apartment while in, like others, cast over the tub with the exhaust fan on, plywood covering the tub. Cast in the kitchen if the hood vented outside, threw some crescent rolls into the oven, the smell overpowers anything you cast, just put 1 at a time in and set the timer. Again, plywood over the stove. I even cast in the Airframes shop when I had to be the PO on duty over Christmas weekend.

If you work, you will know people, share some boolits and I am sure you will find a casting buddy.

[El Bibliotecario]

If the most important thing to you is TO WIN! then by all means get into a battle with the landlord.
If it is more important to get bullets, avoid excessive stress, save legal fees, and not be forced to move, I would bite the bullet (pun intended) and consider some of the alternatives suggested.

Ages ago when I lived in an apartment I took two dining room chairs outside, put a board across them for a table, and cast on a Coleman stove. Today, before I would go through such for .32 bullets, I would simply buy a stock of inexpensive plated ones. But that's just me.

[mdi]

Arguing over an "Apartment rule" with the manager never works out for the good BTDT. But I would go inside and in front of a window that faces a parking lot or garage, (not another apartment) set up my casting table. A fan behind me and possibly a fan on the table blowing out, and use a flux that doesn't smoke much. The most "offensive" part of casting is the smoke from fluxing, otherwise no one would notice...

[Bazoo]

I cast inside my shop, in front of a window with a box fan in it pointing out. The fan would block any nosy onlookers.

[Outpost75]

Apartment managers tend to be covenant Nazis. You don't want to go to court or get evicted. Do not attract attention.

Buy a supply of 90-grain LRN bullets from Matt's to tide you over and suck it up. When you get to your own place cast in volume. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Not worth putting you on their radar.

[Rcmaveric]

Borax is a decent smoke and fume free flux.

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[willowbend]

If your a member of an outdoor range or club im sure you could find a shade tree in the parking lot. Good luck.

[clemje]

Yup, don't argue with them... they will always win.

Many years ago, I lived in an apartment complex where I had a reloading setup in a spare bedroom. I was out of town for two weeks and got a call from the landlord stating that they were installing smoke alarms in all the rooms and that they discovered all the "explosives" in the bedroom and that I needed to remove them immediately. I did not comply and ended up getting the local sheriff department involved. After much back and forth and despite having law enforcement on my side, the landlord decided to not renew my lease (it was up for renewal about 2 months before this all went down) and I essentially got evicted. I probably could have pursued legal action since nowhere in my rental agreement did it specifically call out reloading was not allowed but as a not-so-wealthy youngin, I played the smart hand, folded and found a better place to hang my hat.

Cast in extremely cautious stealth mode, find somewhere else or, don't cast at all.

[fredj338]

If its the smoke from fluxing, dont flux while casting. I flux making ingots. When I cast I just stir with a wooden paint stick, very little smoke.

[beechbum444]

Just curious if there is a fire place ????

[Drew P]

No bbq policy is likely about fire hazard.

[elmacgyver0]

Two choices, get sneaky or move.

[WILCO]

I remember Anne Frank.

[WILCO]

Yup, don't argue with them... they will always win.

Cast in extremely cautious stealth mode, find somewhere else or, don't cast at all.

Yup. Best advice.

[Eddie Southgate]

Do it innside . Use a fan if you feel the need but I never have . I have a shop to cast in but have moved so much of my dads stuff in that I cant access my setup so my last casting was done with a 10lb lee pot in the bathroom on the counter by the sink .

[curioushooter]

Ask him where in your lease does it state no casting? You rented and signed a lease. If he continues to not allow casting, he is breaking the lease, not you. He too is bound to the lease agreement and cannot make up rules as he so desires.

Former landlord here...good luck with this approach as a tenant. Almost every lease is going to contain a clause about storage of hazardous material, at least it is on every standard lease form I've ever read. This would include BOTH LEAD and POWDER and PRIMERS. So, going to war with the landlord on this will will probably get him not only out of casting, but OUT OF RELOADING. If he lives in certain states that landlord could have the ATF down his throat.

The landlord has the upper hand...always. Even if he can't stop him from casting, he will find a way to screw him somehow, someway. It's his turf.

Any landlord a big enough of a wet blanket to prohibit grilling is probably not someone you want to deal with. The only way to win this one is to vote with your feet.

As far as casting goes I cast for about 6 years in my father in law's garage only on the weekends or when my wife and I would go over. Ironically this was the time when I lived in a city and was a landlord!

I didn't even own my own pot...used his. I bought the lead and molds. It worked pretty well. Supplied me with enough boolits to do some pin matches and whatnot back when I cared about that.

[warren5421]

The no grilling is a city ordnance due to wood deck. I rented a storage shed and moved the items in a small shed to the new large one. I will cast there for now.

[remy3424]

I thought I was more "reckless" than most on this site, but I wouldn't even consider casting in the home where I live. And you guys doing it in your kitchens, really??? If you really do that, please don't encourge it, maybe keep that to yourselves and I really hope there are no children in the home. I do chuckle at set-ups in garages with overhead fans, shields and dressing-up in a hazmat suits, this it the opposite end of the caution scale. I would bake powder coat in my home waaaay before bringing lead into my home, on purpuse even....you should be try to lessen your exposure, that is what my small brain tells me. I am very surprised even somewhat shocked by the "advice" from members responses in this thread.

[gwpercle]

My Doctor told me the dangers of casting with lead alloy has been blown all out of proportions to the truth . He told me not to eat boolits and wash up when done ...I'll go with my Doctor's advice .
He told me I was more likely to die in an automobile accident than from casting boolits ... should I stop riding in cars and casting ...
No , just be careful .
Gary

[remy3424]

Gary, ask your doctor what he would think of you casting on your kitchen stove...guessing that qualifiies as "not being careful" on a couple levels. I don't think that the lead is not going to kill you, (unless it is coming out of the muzzle of a barrel) but it could create some less than desirable medical conditions. Use some common sense, keep it out of you home...or not.

[Shiloh]

Exactly what I would do. Neighbors can be so petty.

I'd also move out as quick as possible.

Absolutely!!!

Shiloh