Fresh air

[jforwel]

Now that my WW ingots are made I would like to start my attempt at casting. It will be much easier and I would do it more often if I do it at my reloading bench indoors. My question is can I use a small fan to blow fumes away from me without a window open? There is no window in my room. Will the fumes just dissipate in the house and be harmless or will they be a danger throughout the house too?

[monadnock#5]

Everything will go fine until you flux the melt, then be prepared for all hell to break lose. I cast in the cellar, and my wife has told me, "no exhaust fan, no casting, no excuses". And yea, by the look in her eye, she was serious, and I don't want to find out what the penalty is. :shock:

[Jim]

Yeah, that's not gonna be user or domestic relations friendly. Is there any possible chance you can install a hood and exhaust fan over you casting area and flue it outside? That would really be the best scenario.

[bbs70]

I've always cast in my garage to keep the lead fumes away from my wife and kids.

I worked at a copper smelter and they smelted lead also.
We were told constantly to wear respirators, and make sure we washed our hands and faces before we ate to make sure we didn't have any lead contamination on us.

OSHA even made the company supply us with work clothes so when we showered after work (which was mandatory) we wouldn't take our work clothes home and expose our families to the lead dust.

Lead blood tests were performed about every other month, and some of us that had elevated levels of lead were tested monthly.

True we poured tons of lead everyday and I cast with only a 20 lb pot of lead, but still I don't want to take the chance of contaminating any of my family.
So I do all my casting outside, I just don't want to take the chance.

[Bret4207]

A simple range hood works well. It's the fluxing that causes problems domestically. As for the lead itself- it's been shown again and again that at our temps and small quantities the chances for problems is small. Still, a range hood would be a good answer if your casting inside your home. We're all probably in more danger from not washing our hands after handling lead and primers than from airborne particles.

[Cooter]

I'm the new guy, but years ago it was mandated that I take a lead class for my job.

My advice based on what I remember from that, and having been around lead abatement jobs etc. is do your melting/smelting/fluxing/casting outside, or in the garage with a fan sucking ALL the fumes OUT of the room. It's not worth contaminating your family, etc.

Also take a cold/cool (so as to not open the pores) shower afterwards and soap up good. Clean the tub out before someone else gets in and uses it.

Wash your clothing separate from everyone elses, and run an empty load thru the machine afterwards to wash out anything left.

and yeah I know.. it's a wonder that Albert Einstein and the other great minds of his time and on up didn't ride the short bus with all the lead they were exposed to in their day to day environments.

Or most of us growing up biting split shot on and off the line while fishing with our teeth, or holding them in our mouth while rigging our lines, etc.

Indoor shooting ranges with poor ventilation...

Anyhow.. that's what "They" told me, and I figure it's a small inconvenience so why bother with the risks?

The 3 paths through which lead enters the body:
Absorption
Ingestion
Inhalation

4 technically... self defense ;-)

[Boerrancher]

If you want to avoid any smoke/smell in the house that will cause the wife to throw a fit, you can use a small amount of ashes. I like to smoke every once in a while, and I save the ashes from my ash tray to use a flux. I toss in a pinch of ash, and stir when all of the Dross floats to the top I start mashing it against the side of the pot. In a few short moments I have a the same pinch of ashes I started with, along with any dirt that may have been there, and all of my tin and antimony are back where they belong in the alloy. Any ashes will do. If you don't smoke and have a fire place those will work well also. It is carbon that serves as a flux, not the making of the carbon, so any old carbon will do. Once a given material has been converted to carbon there is no longer any smoke to speak of.

Hope this helps and keeps you out of trouble

Joe

[monadnock#5]

Yes indeed, we have wood ashes and creosote in abundance. Thanks Joe, I'll try it.

[jdgabbard]

jforwel, I understand the reasons why it would be convenient cast inside your home. The apartment that I spend most of my time at is where I do my loading and it would only make sense to do my casting there too. The winters are just cold enough that the mold's don't stay in the cast temp range if you set them down for more then just a few minutes. And a garage is just out of the question, as I said I live in an apartment for the most part. So I feel your pain.

However, with that said I would tell you now that risks involved with casting indoors, especially inside the home, comes with a great amount of risk to yourself as well as others that live in your household.

In my personal opinion, a window open with a fan blowing the fumes towards the window is not enough. And to be honest I consider that just irresponsible to yourself and loved ones. At the very minimum, if you cast indoors, you should have a rangehood vented to the outside. The reason behind this is simple. When your lead is in molten state as well as when you flux you are putting off lead fumes. These fumes, if not properly vented outdoors, will eventually settle onto anything and everything in the home. And not to mention breathed in before hand. This is a major health risk. And its not just while you are casting. It is after your pot has be cold for days, weeks, months, ect.

Another point I should stress to you is if you MUST cast indoors, with or without a rangehood, please invest in a Lyman thermometer or an equivalent. And keep the temp in your pot (I believe this is the correct temp, correct me if I'm wrong) below 700 degrees. As this is the point at which lead is suspected to put off lead fumes. I believe in the form of lead oxide.

And lastly if you MUST cast inside try to do so in a room that is not occupied by other members of the family. I.e. not in your bedroom, kitchen, living room, ect. You really don't want to be responsible for serious health issues because of the casting you did on the kitchen counter next to the crock pot.

I hope you find a suitable place for this wonderful hobby. However, I stress the importance of safety over convenience. Its just not worth it.

[Cloudpeak]

I like to smoke every once in a while, and I save the ashes from my ash tray to use a flux.
Joe

I smoke handmade, maduro cigars. A few weeks ago when casting, I tried some shredded cigar on top of the melt. It smelled pretty good! Normally when casting, I stir the melt with a paint stirring stick.

Cloudpeak

[waksupi]

Claptrap. Lead pots get nowhere near the temperature that will put off lead fumes. This is a non-issue. The only issue you really have is where lead contacts surfaces, as the oxidation is what will rub off, making way for possible ingestion.
So don't lick you ingots.


jforwel, I understand the reasons why it would be convenient cast inside your home. The apartment that I spend most of my time at is where I do my loading and it would only make sense to do my casting there too. The winters are just cold enough that the mold's don't stay in the cast temp range if you set them down for more then just a few minutes. And a garage is just out of the question, as I said I live in an apartment for the most part. So I feel your pain.

However, with that said I would tell you now that risks involved with casting indoors, especially inside the home, comes with a great amount of risk to yourself as well as others that live in your household.

In my personal opinion, a window open with a fan blowing the fumes towards the window is not enough. And to be honest I consider that just irresponsible to yourself and loved ones. At the very minimum, if you cast indoors, you should have a rangehood vented to the outside. The reason behind this is simple. When your lead is in molten state as well as when you flux you are putting off lead fumes. These fumes, if not properly vented outdoors, will eventually settle onto anything and everything in the home. And not to mention breathed in before hand. This is a major health risk. And its not just while you are casting. It is after your pot has be cold for days, weeks, months, ect.

Another point I should stress to you is if you MUST cast indoors, with or without a rangehood, please invest in a Lyman thermometer or an equivalent. And keep the temp in your pot (I believe this is the correct temp, correct me if I'm wrong) below 700 degrees. As this is the point at which lead is suspected to put off lead fumes. I believe in the form of lead oxide.

And lastly if you MUST cast inside try to do so in a room that is not occupied by other members of the family. I.e. not in your bedroom, kitchen, living room, ect. You really don't want to be responsible for serious health issues because of the casting you did on the kitchen counter next to the crock pot.

I hope you find a suitable place for this wonderful hobby. However, I stress the importance of safety over convenience. Its just not worth it.

[blackthorn]

Lead will not "fume off" under 1000 degrees! (maybe higher). Any risk of contamination is from lead oxide, either air borne or direct transfer through handeling or other contact. Personel hygene and common sense are the order of the day, i.e.--if you have some badly oxidized chunks of lead (covered in white powder) it probably aint a great idea to blow them off with an air hose! Happy casting.

[454PB]

Use Marvelux or the Frankford Arsenal smokeless fluxing agent and you won't have to worry about smoke. I cast indoors (my shop) and do most of my casting in the winter. I use the Marvelux in those situations and Ivory soap when I can open the windows.

[jforwel]

Wow! I have been out for a couple of days and I see a ton or replies. Thanks to all, you have convinced me to forget about indoor casting.

[selmerfan]

Okay, I'm the idiot here. I cast indoors, but I use very clean ingots that I made myself, and flux rarely. When I do flux, I open the basement window directly above my pot. I haven't had any problems, but I've been doing it less than 6 months.
Selmerfan