Moving casting Indoors

[primerless]

I am looking at moving my casting indoors..... I live in southeast Texas, it rains allot and you have to pick your day's to cast.

I have a 12x10 room in my shop that I use for reloading. I was thinking I could set up in my gun shop.

I have seen photo's some were on this site that I would like to check out again, but cannot seem to find them.

Can some one direct me as to were I can find these photo's.

[fredj338]

I reload & cast in my garage. Just open the door for ventilation, you can also put a small fan next to the pot to draw any fumes off. There is little danger of lead fumes at normal casting temps. I even smelt in the garage but I live in a suburan area w/ neighbors close by.

[markinalpine]

...I even smelt in the garage but I live in a suburan area w/ neighbors close by.

After a few hour casting, I smelt too!:groner:

Ba-dump-dump-shhh:kidding:

Mark [smilie=1:

[SharpsShooter]

Buy a range hood and install it over where you plan to locate your pot. Vent to the outdoors of course and you are fine. The light on the hood is handy too.

SS

[wallenba]

I've got mine in the garage, but I'm working on making a vented area so I can do it in the winter with the door closed. I got a tool stand from harbor freight for $25, a bathroom exhaust fan and flexible duct kit at Home Depot for about $30. I cut out a piece of sheet aluminum to fit over the particle board top of the stand, and I plan to cut a hole in the side entry door and use the flapper cap that comes in the duct kit on the outside of the door. I'm making a 'swinging davit' out of 1'' threaded pipe, elbow, and flange and will hang the fan on it with 'U' bolts. That way it will swing out of the way when I need to get in the pot. Have'nt figured out how to stay warm yet.

[primerless]

my husband thanks ya'll for the replies. he's out there battling 9mm. his recipe was ww and 2 1/2% tin. the 45's poured fine, but he can't get the base to fill out right. his casting temp was 700 degrees. in other words, he's out there smeltering too.

[high standard 40]

Boy, that's cool. I wish my wife was interested enough to post on this forum.

[runfiverun]

tell him to work up his heat a bit.
and to cast when it is raining. high humidity days are the best for casting.

[primerless]

ok now he's up to 730 degrees. he says the base is wrinkling. he is getting frustrated. ya'll help.

ms. primerless

[geargnasher]

....And to wear a Fez with a propeller on top and Bullwinkle antlers like someone else we know.....[smilie=1:

Gear

PS tell him to check the vents on the mould near the boolit bases and run the sprue plate a little hotter may help, it's worth a try.

[geargnasher]

ok now he's up to 730 degrees. he says the base is wrinkling. he is getting frustrated. ya'll help.

ms. primerless

Sounds like oil contamination of the sprue plate, maybe? Is he using a Lee mould?

Gear

[Dennis Eugene]

Lot of rain huh? that must be terrible. :kidding: Dennis

[primerless]

he said not to say how he scrubbed the moulds, but they are looking better, oh yeah he has an rcbs. how do ya'll get rid of contaminants?

[HeavyMetal]

If he's running a Lee 2 banger or a Lyman 2 banger he can dip the edge of the sprue plate in the melt to heat up the plate itself.

This would be the portion of the sprue plate your supposed to strike with a mallet to open the mold. Once this is hot enough, and asumeing you have no oil residue, the base's should fill out just fine!

If he's working with a 4 or 6 banger he'll have to try another method of heating up the plate, suggest he pour hot alloy on the plate and let it set a minute.

This is why I made myself some heating plates to fit on an old hot plate by setting the big molds on the sides the handles fit between square "flanges" welded to the plate and balance the mold on its side. This keep the sprue plate against hot steel while I fill another mold and works very well at keeping the sprue plate up to temp!

[mooman76]

If he's ladle pouring leave a good size puddle. It helps the base fill out.

[primerless]

Thanks all......I did get the base to fill out by cleaning out the vent line. It has been a long night and just a little helped from you all sure helped. I had a few good boolits turn out then shut down for tonight. I will have a full pot tomorrow to start all over again.

[crabo]

I run my RCBS pot wide open, cooling the sprue plate on a wet rag. It will speed your production up.

[Patrick L]

Under "Reloading Equipment" there is a sticky thread called Loading Bench Pictures. Its a long one, about 15+ pages so far. Its mostly reloading benches, but I think there are a few casting setups in there as well.

Here's what I did
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/patrickl_01/Casting%20cabinet/GunStuff038.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/patrickl_01/Casting%20cabinet/GunStuff005.jpg

I built an enclosed cabinet and used an old range hood to vent it out a window. The cabinet keeps all of the casting stuff isolated, plus the plexiglass front serves as a safety shield and creates quite a draw/draft for the exhaust fan.

[softpoint]

I have an out building that I cast in that I also can shoot out of . Here in south-central Texas, it seemed like everyday I wanted to cast it was either rainy, or 100+ degrees. (this year,NO rain, just 100+ since May!) It's air conditioned and I just use a small fan . I open the door when I'm fluxing to let the smoke out. I don't smelt in there.

[Cherokee]

Here is my casting setup in the basement. I have been casting indoors since 1968.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/DCS44256/Reloading/Casting02.jpg

[primerless]

Patrick, thanks for the photo. That is the one I was looking for. I remember someone in the post asked if you ever use it, I thought I was going to fall out of my chair. How do you use the pot above the pot?
I started this thread looking for some photo's but since they did not come, I thought I would go ahead and cast some boolits....the ADHD kicked in. Then I ran into some trouble but the fine folks here helped me along.

I have a pot of lead waiting for me, so I guess the indoor casting bench will have to wait untill tomorrow.
Cherokee how do you get rid of the smoke when you flux the pot?

[Patrick L]

Thanks, primerless. I am actually quite proud of my setup. Prior to this, I used a setup in the garage that I had to set up/tear down for each use.

The upper pot is my old 10# pot. When I upgraded to a 20# pot, I saved the old one "just in case." Then when I built this setup, I decided to have a premelt pot. Fresh ingots, sprues, and reject boolits go into the top pot. It is mounted in such a way that the spout is directly over the lower, main casting pot. I fill the boolit molds out of the bottom pot. When the bottom pot is down to about half full, I just hit the lever on the top pot and I get preheated metal, and the temp of the lower pot doesn't drop. This was not my idea, I copied it from a few other setups I had seen.

The top pot is actually bolted to the back of the cabinet. It was a simple matter to remove the base from the top pot, drill holes for the mounting bolts, and cinch everything tight. I used jam nuts and washers to hold the top pot away from the wooden back of the cabinet, both for heat/safety (unfounded concern, the metal box doesn't get that hot) and to keep the spout out far enough to have a good shot at the lower pot.

Here are some detailed mounting pics
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/patrickl_01/Casting%20cabinet/GunStuff024.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/patrickl_01/Casting%20cabinet/GunStuff025.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/patrickl_01/Casting%20cabinet/GunStuff028.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/patrickl_01/Casting%20cabinet/GunStuff026.jpg

A couple of other points about the cabinet. The light in the vent hood is functional, and you'd be amazed how much easier it is to cast when you have a good light source.

The exhaust duct is mounted to a tight fitting piece of 3/4 inch plywood that replaces my basement window. There is a dryer vent cover/flapper on the outside to keep critters out. I put two 1/4-20 wing screws that lock the plywood in place into the window frame. Remove the screws and it comes right out, and the ductwork has a joint just below the bend. It is only in place when I cast, the rest of the time the window is in place.

There is a sliding plexiglass "garage door" type front to the cabinet. I don't know if you can see it in the picture of the whole setup. It serves as a splatter shield and a sort of damper. It really channels the air the fan sucks in. The only evidence I have of this is that fluxing smoke gets pulled out FAST.

I ran a dedicated 20 amp line to the cabinet, and put in a heavy duty 20 amp outlet. I was unsure if running two pots plus the light and fan was too much of a draw, so I erred on the side of caution.

Yes, I do keep things clean. Its just the way I am. I like to work in an uncluttered environment.

[Cherokee]

Primerless - I have to admit a casting sin. I flux and clean my alloys in the smelting/blending process outside (see my other post) and do not flux in doors. Any residual crud that floats to the top of the cast pot melt I leave there as a barrier to oxidation and scoop it out later with a spoon. If you flux inside, you need the venting.

[snaggdit]

I use charcoal as my flux. It never smokes much and does not flame up. Works as a anti-oxidation layer as well. I do not have any venting in my garage but in the summer cast with the garage door open just for comfort. I have never had any odor from casting. I do "smelt" outside, though!