your thoughs on this guy

[colt 357]

Part of the video of interest starts at 2:15 to 3:30. I know he states on the surface but to someone new to this that could be real dangerous. He could explain the danger a lot more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrq_9RtcbEU

[txsnowman2k2]

The real danger is getting water UNDER the molten led. As in introducing a handful of ww that may have been wet, they will sink below the level of molten then you have yourself a steam explosion with molten lead going everywhere and that will hurt...tx

[sqlbullet]

I will have to listen to the audio later. But at a high level, I think the idea of communicating that water on the surface will just boil away, and that the danger is only in a specific circumstance is a good thing.

What I think he missed was truly conveying the results of getting water below the surface.

In hazard analysis you categorize a risk by the probability of occurrence and the consequence of occurrence. While in general I think the probability of water getting under the lead is moderate to low, especially if you are dealing with known dry lead, the consequence of such an occurrence is very, very high. Third degree burn, loss of vision, and other possible permanent impairments.

Since the consequence is so high, it is to be avoided. As mentioned above, if there is any risk of water on or in lead, it should not be added to a hot pot of molten lead.

[badbob454]

ditto ; water on the surace should boil away .in small quantitys should pose no risk .

[SteveS]

FortuneCookie45LC is a long time caster and reloading personality on Youtube. A very experienced person. He has a few videos concerning water and lead, this is just one of them.

Is any of the information he presented wrong?

Safety is, of course, of the utmost importance. We become safe by being informed. He was just passing on a little knowledge.

I'd rather be knowledgeable. That is how I'll remain safe.

[1911KY]

I have viewed many of his videos, they are always very interesting and informative. I liked that video in particular because now I know if I sweat on top of the molten lead that I don't have a problem. Now if I sweat on some WW or into a cavity on an ingot and it gets buried into the molten lead well that will be time to hit the deck!

Being new to this and wanting to do it responsibly, I tried to get as much information as I could from multiple sources, draw from all the experience out there before I attempt it myself.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Whoever wants to can make all sorts of videos that show all sorts of things and you can believe whatever you want to....but as a long time caster I can reaffirm that fooling around with water/moisture in your melting pot with molten alloy is going to lead to tinsel fairy trouble and you won't appreciate or like the results. I chose a long time ago to follow Dean Grennell's advice about the value of eyesight and even when I add a heated ingot to the pot I use a shield resembling a small ping pong paddle made out of 1/4" plywood covered with aluminum foil...held between the pot mouth and me just in case anything/something funny happens. Habit I picked up in life goes, "better safe than sorry", but you believe and do things the way you want to. Don't even sneeze in the direction of the pot! LLS

[M-Tecs]

Nothing incorrect or unsafe in the video. Trapped steam is the enemy. Without trapped stream no tinsel fairy.

[rking22]

Having spent 10 years as an engineer in a foundry, I tend to follow "industry standard" practices in my home hobby as well. We ALWAYS let the "ingot" sit on the furnace hearth(80,000 lbs of 1400deg aluminum) for 10 to 15 minutes before introducing it to the molten bath. With Iron, (2800 degree 2000lb melt), we charged the furnace enpty and brought the charge up to temp. In both instances any water on/in the solid material is forced out as steam before being introduced to the melt. I do the same at home! Water on top, no problem water under the surface is BAD problem, even a little. That also applies to concrete, a molton spill on concrete can be very "not fun" even if it seems dry. By the way , the induction melt furnaces are water cooled, when there is a leak, water or molten, emergency action is required NOW! Even a "cold" ladle can bring the tinsel fairy's unwanted attention! The cold ladle ,in a high humidity environment..... Our hobby is actually very safe ,given the knowledge and care to to keep it safe. I know many people cast sitting down, I can't ,I cannot get the thought of the lap full of lead out of my head, we each have to take precauations as we see the hazards. Things go wrong, minimize the damage by reconizing what can go wrong and have a plan "b" for whe n it does. Be Safe

[D Crockett]

this is for the new guys just starting if you have wet lead and want to melt it and I have done this many a time put in a empty pot then turn on the fire all the lead in the pot will heat up and evaporate all the water there will never be a problem if you start out with a empty pot the problem ( the tinsel fairy / steam explosion ) happens when you have molten lead and any kind of moisture get under the surface of the lead D Crockett

[CastingFool]

I worked at an aluminum foundry, where the melter had a capacity of 146,000 lbs of aluminum. All aluminum brought in from outside was automatically considered "wet", so it had to sit for a few days before they would use it. Aluminum soft drink cans were not allowed in the building, to avoid the situation where someone would find one laying around and toss it in the pile of scrap aluminum to be melted, while the can still had a little bit of pop in it. They took safety seriously and enforced their regulations.