casting indoors

[bslim]

I just started casting boolits, my previous supplier is so busy, his price goes up along with his delivery time. After reading a couple of articles on casting indoors, I ran across one that stated you need not worry about lead fumes if you keep your melt below 700 degrees. Being on the small end of experience,is this statement true or do I need to get ventilation installed? Thanks in advance for your input.

[btroj]

I worry more about fumes from the flux and lead dust from small bits of sprue, etc than I do lead fumes from the pot.
Ventilation is always a good thing. I cast in the garage with the door closed in the winter. I always wash my hands a couple times after handling lead however.

[CWME]

I wouldn't so much worry about the lead fumes as I would the smoke from fluxing the melt. Depending on what you use you can get a substantial amount of smoke. I use a range hood with duct work venting the fumes outside. Works great, reasonably priced, and easy to install.

[462]

This has been discussed many times, and if I recall correctly, molten lead doesn't create any fumes till it reaches 1200-degrees...much higher than what we use for casting.

Wash your hands after handling it and you'll live long enough to die from some other cause.

[wallenba]

The dross and the fine powdery dirt that comes with it can be more toxic. It moves around a bit easier too. I'd worry more about that than the fumes. The smoke from the flux as the others have said is unpleasant too.

[Dale53]

bslim;
All you need is a small opening with a fan. I have a friend who casts in a spare bedroom on a desk under a window with a small window fan. In the basement, you can run a small duct (4" dryer duct work) to a window with an inline fan (available from the building supply stores (Lowe's and Home Depot, as examples). Or, still in the basement, run the duct to just above the basement wall to the outside (use a dryer vent flapper valve to keep vermin out).

I have cast in the garage with a box fan behind the caster. I have cast in the Florida room by running a kitchen fan outside. There are any number of inexpensive, but effective methods of gaining positive ventilation.

Dale53

[454PB]

It's probably a good idea to have ventilation if possible. I've been casting indoors without any ventilation for 38 years and many tons of alloy used, but I do use Marvelux for fluxing.

[Duckiller]

What Dale53 said. Also a small fan hides the odor of something burnt when you have an OOPS.

[bobthenailer]

Over the past 40 or so years i have done just about my casting indoors . I have a cage fan thats mounted in a a housing that came with it , it has a exhaust port and a round intake port. Its bolted to a 1/4 inch piece of plywood that just fits in my window. On the intake i use a universal flexable car tail pipe connected to a funnel thats about 15 inches wide that a furnance installer made and that sits over my pot.
It works very well no fumes of any kind . Ive had my blood checked several times over the years for PB and ive allways tested normal

[mpkunz]

Its the airborne stuff you need to be careful about with any metal. All the more so with the stuff cast boolit people handle. A friend and I bought a couple hundred pounds of lead from a scrap dealer. He discovered that it was loaded with cadmium and produced voluminous dusty oxide when melted. FWIW, I have a range hood that was removed from our kitchen when doing some remodeling. Placed over the melting bench, given sides, it draws all the dust and smoke out while casting. Even brand new at Home Boy Depot or I Got Friends in Lowe's Places, they can be had for <$100.

[casterofboolits]

I'm lucky and have an old food service bldg in the back yard. I cast and smelt under two large commercial exhaust hoods.

My concern is dust and I use a shop vac with filters to keep it under control.

[Jim]

Cheap Wally World box fan, on low speed, in window right above pot. Cast, smoke my pipe, blow gas, it all goes out the window, no problem.

[bslim]

Thanks guys, I feel more comforable with what I am doing.Ventillation is key.

[michiganvet]

I have been doing my casting outside for many years. At my age that may be more caution than what I need because many years ago I took few precautions with no adverse affects, SO FAR.

[Cherokee]

Been casting indoors since 1968, no problems and I do have my blood levels checked. I do not make any special vent arrangements but neither do I flux a lot when casting. I do lots of fluxing when making my ingots, which I do outside.

[Hopalong]

Lead fumes aren't the only problem for indoor casting. There are other metals involved, various oxides, lube or flux smoke, and so on. I have been made sick by indoor casting with only a fan and a window open. Don't chance it--pick up a cheap kitchen range hood (vented with a built-in fan) and install/hang it over your casting bench. It takes a bit of handyman doing to rig a a vent pipe (dryer duct works OK) to the outside, but it is REALLY worth the effort. Such an arrangement is even better than casting outside.

[williamwaco]

Over the past 40 or so years i have done just about my casting indoors . I have a cage fan thats mounted in a a housing that came with it , it has a exhaust port and a round intake port. Its bolted to a 1/4 inch piece of plywood that just fits in my window. On the intake i use a universal flexable car tail pipe connected to a funnel thats about 15 inches wide that a furnance installer made and that sits over my pot.
It works very well no fumes of any kind . Ive had my blood checked several times over the years for PB and ive allways tested normal

I sure would like to see a photo of that setup.