Suggest a respirator

[chris in va]

I went to Lowes and spied a respirator for $30. Unfortunately the lead filter was $17 extra.

Any online ones I can look at that don't cost a fortune? Or maybe a brick and mortar that carries something like that.

[wills]

You may be getting a little carried away. Lead does not vaporize at casting temperatures. Most of the danger of contamination is from failure to wash your hands before smoking or eating.

[mold maker]

The air born lead problem is the oxide dust that you skim off the top of the melt. Just be careful to handle it so that you don't create a dust cloud. Since you already try to stay upwind of the smoke and heat, you will be safe.
As stated above, most contamination is ingested from the hands, by eating and or smoking without washing.
After casting for over 45 years, my lead level has never been above what would be considered normal.
We're in lots more danger from molten lead burns, than from personal lead levels. If your concerned, ask your Dr. to check it at your next visit.

[HeavyMetal]

The other, more dangerous, lead contamination area is in and around your brass tumbler, particularly the ones that vibriate!

This is where you need a dust mask! Any time you take the lid of the tumbler!!!

[mike in co]

are you planning on wearing the mask while you shoot also ??

[Urny]

Chris, if you feel you need to wear a respirator when you cast, you can go to your local welding/safety supply shop and talk to folks behind the counter. They'll get you on to the right equipment, which sure doesn't cost anything near $30.00 around here.

[jmsj]

Chris you can buy disposable maks if you feel you need them. But the ones rated for lead are not that much less than the cartridges for the respirators. 3M makes them, when we need them for a project we buy them from Graingers.
Occasionally I wear a resprator when smelting really nasty lead, like roof and chimney flashing w/ tar,mastic,silicone or paint on it. I use one of the disposable types. jmsj

[mdi]

All good answers. The politicians and tree-huggers have blown the lead poisoning scare waaaaaaay out of proportion. I've heard/read of only one instance of elevated lead in the blood from casting. A guy in Alaska cast bullets for a living in a small shack for about 20 years before he had any health probs related to lead. I also read a report on lead poisoning from eating meat shot with lead bullets and possibly fragments left in the meat; ain't no such thang!

[HeavyMetal]

mdi:
Richard Lee's "Modern Reloading" second edition has a small section in which the author relates a story of elevated lead levels in a close friend.

I thumbed through the manual this mornng and, typically, I couldn't find the paragraph or two he wrote on the subject. However it is in there if you need to reference the information.

Names are mentioned and the culprit is determined to be a vibirating type brass cleaner detected by a lead level air sampling device provided by the family doctor. Interestingly the casting area did not even register on the sampling device but it went nuts in the area where the brass cleaner was kept!

As mentioned in several other posts lead becomes an issue when it becomes dust something that brass cleaners generate in abundance!

This is something I figured out the first time I used a little Lyman 600, no lid on that puppy, and the entire area next to it was covered in a very fine dust. That's when I got my first dust mask, a Harbor Freight piece for like 10 bucks back in the day, and have always used one when cleaning brass in my tumbler.

Have a lot of people, and our government, blown the whole lead posioning thing out of proportion? Oh Yeah!! I have never met anyone who had, or was, suffering from from exposure to lead but it does happen!

The thing to remember here is lead is posionous if you do not exercise reasonable care in how you handle it. My warning is that lead exist in other sections of our hobby that we may not be aware of or simply take for granted.

The exposure from a brass cleaner can be one of these and my "rant" above is my thought on the subject.

Chris I wouldn't worry about lead fumes in the casting area but I will tell you to do it in an area you can control ventalation in. Safety stuff should be glass's, good gloves and a healthy fear of being burned! Wash your hands well before you do anything else and don't eat or smoke while casting.

If you clean your brass get the resperator. Most of the filters are MSA type which screw in the body of the resperator. Buy the Harbor Freight unit, heck they may have lead rated filters as well, and go from there.

[miestro_jerry]

I wear the same ones that I wear for when I am doing light welding. They are a high end disposable that I get from welding supply store.

Jerry

[deerslayer]

Guys, did you ever see an old plumber wear a mask???? They smelted, poured, sanded, filed, chiseled and soldered with lead for years usually in confined areas on a daily basis. Now if that would give you lead poisoning where are all the lawyers suing on their behalf??

Use coomon sense don't eat a lead paintchip sandwich, wash your hands, don't smoke, don't eat. Then save the respirator to wear when doing your first smelt of material to filter some of the nasty smoke of the stuff you are burning off the lead that is what should really concern you. Or just stay upwind of it and you will be fine.

[sourceofuncertainty]

I doubt that a respirator is necessary if you take other precautions.

I'm new to casting and made around 1,500 boolits this past spring before the weather became too ugly to cast.

My wife recently insisted that I have my lead levels tested, so I did. The lab work came back negative, which is to say "not elevated".

I cast outdoors only, and always have a fan running across the pot to reduce any potential for breathing nasty stuff. I also wear a full face mask while casting, though that's to prevent any possibility of lead splashes from reaching my eyes. I dispose of dross promptly, as suggested by Richard Lee in his book.

I do not however wear a respirator. After researching lead safety I concluded that it wasn't necessary to use a respirator if I was casting outdoors and taking the other precautions I just mentioned.

I -always- wash my hands after handling lead - even just a few boolits. I use nitrile gloves for long loading sessions. And I use a thermometer in the casting pot to ensure that I don't go above a reasonable temperature.

Your mileage may vary but that's my regimen, and so far I haven't had any trouble.

[cajun shooter]

There is a product that is sold by several companies called Lead-Away. It is wipes in a plastic container much like baby wipes. I keep a container in my shop and use it. My Wife is always bring me something to drink or eat and the wipes are quick to use. The post by Willis is" Dead On". Go into a men's room and watch as several men walk out with only looking in the mirror. My wife tells me that the women do the same. I am not a germ freak but that is how it all starts.

[870TC]

http://www.pksafety.com/mas.html

[smoked turkey]

I had my annual check-up the other day. So I asked how much extra for the lead test info. They said $50. I mentioned it to my Doctor at my check up a few hours later. He called down and 'ordered' it. I think in this way the cost will be somewhat less than the original quote. FWIW my lead level was 1.8 which is as you know very low. I always cast in the garage with the door open and the pot sitting in the doorway. I think proper handwashing has been mentioned and is one of the keys to avoiding excessive exposure.

[justingrosche]

1.8 PPM is very low. The average American, is at 3ppm. Danger level is at 40 ppm. There have been some recent studies that suggests that at a level of 10ppm and higher puts you at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease.
I get my blood lead levels checked every 6 months, as a requirement for my work. (Steel Mill) It is usually around a 9-10 ppm, and I,in addition to working where I work, cast about 30,000 Boolits a year.
I think that your safety practices are pretty sound, The only thing that I might add is too sweep the floor after sprinkling some slightly dampened wood shavings. This will limit tracking it into the house.
If you feel that you need a respirator, the cloth painters type would be sufficient.

[870TC]

Lead particles in the form of dust from sweeping, will go right through the common n95 paper masks sold at home centers. You would need one marked n100, the cheapest lead dust specific 3M mask that I have found is #8233.

[jaguarxk120]

Look at a Hobby Air Fresh Air System, it brings in fresh clean air into a mask. The air supply is located outside of the contaminated area.
Pricey, yes but your not trying to filter air in the area, your bringing in air from some where else.