Can't Fix Stoopid

[pete501]

But you can burn the heck out of it.

I had a half full pot in the RCBS Pro Melt all melted and it was time to empty my jar of reject bullets and shot into molten mix. Some how a loaded 9mm fmj was in the jar and now sitting on the top of the hot pot. I grabbed the ladle to scoop it out when it exploded, I was luck I was wearing glasses and long sleeves. I had lead stuck to my cuff and to my palm, all over my fingernails and in my hair. The underside of the bill of my ball cap was splattered. A slight burn on the forehead and a bruised pride. The inside of the pot now has a hole where the brass casing is lodged. I haven't found the ladle yet, must have thrown it somewhere in the barn.

[Calamity Jake]

You one lucky dude, dude, glad your OK!!!!

[danthman114]

holy $***! lessons learned i hope! my wife would make all of it disappear with a quickness.

[jmort]

I hate the do something now predicaments like this one, try to remove live round or duck/cover/run. In the end you got the worst of both choices. Fortunately no serious bodily injury. I believe I would have tried to run and hide until it was over. I can just imagine myself looking at a live round on the melt.

[Hickok]

Happy to hear you came out alright! That could have been real ugly.

[OnceFired]

Wow, that's crazy! Glad to hear you & the barn survived the molten experience without major damage!

[bob208]

I did that many years ago. scooped up a bunch of scrap dumped it in there was a .38 s&w in mine. only thing is I walked out of the room came back and lead was all over the bench.

[Hardcast416taylor]

And to think that people call me "overly cautious" about checking ANYTHING that is going into a melting pot?Robert

[SharpsShooter]

This is exactly why all scrap should be saved and tossed into the outside smelting job. Nothing should go into your pot but warm ingots and freshly cut sprues. Howinhell do you expect to maintain a consistent alloy dumping stuff in? Glad you are Ok and I expect you learned something too, so it isn't all bad.

SS

[mold maker]

A real learning experience for you, and if we're smart for the rest of us as well.
I had the same thing happen with lesser results. It was a very caroded 380 that looked exactly like a long lead 38 RN. When I saw it, it wasa resting on top of the hand full of cool range lead. I quickly tried to scoop it out, but instead it rolled off and into the melt.
The expected happened, but long leather gloves and protective clothes kept me from harm.
The major mess was a pill to clean and the only real damage was melt marks on my prescription glasses, and one tiny burn on my lower neck.
It does happen, and I had literally washed (in a cement mixer) all of 80 gals of range lead over a years time.
It's imperative that we take extreme care to avoid this happening, but in the end, its the personal protective clothes that make the difference.

[gwpercle]

And to think that people call me "overly cautious" about checking ANYTHING that is going into a melting pot?Robert

Cautious maybe , but can you be too careful when dealing with hot molten lead and things that go BANG? I don't think so....I know I inspect every bit of metal that goes in my pot, takes time , but rather safe than sorry. I'm with Hardcast416taylor on this subject.
Gary

[foesgth]

We all have a list of "I'm not doing that again" stuff. The great part is that you are OK.

[Artful]

Glad to hear the Tinsel Fairy didn't hurt ya too bad - I keep a towel by my pots to lay over the top when I add stuff - two things I hate the Tinsel Fairy and the Primer Demon.

[Plate plinker]

I was thinking of welding up a nice steel cap for the smelter for these reasons any thoughts on why not to do so?

[DLCTEX]

I bet that was an adrinalin rush.

[leeggen]

I don't see this as a"can't fix stupid". I see it as a real natural reaction to seeing an accident about to happen and tyrying to stop it. It is that fraction of a second that you react, scoop or run. Glad your ok and ready for round 2.
CD

[country gent]

The one thing on this site is we dont just learn from experiences we pass them along to hopefully save someone else from making the same mistake also. I had a loaded round "cook off" in the smelting pot years ago. I had just filled it and stoked the coalfire under neath the pot up and cranked up the blower. Covered with a home made lid. I was sitting back for my 1/2 hour 45min break while it cooked down, when it popped, I was back aways and with the cover no big issue, but Im sure lead would have been flying. In that batch of crud was a 45 acp case. This lead was range lead from an indoor ranges water tanks. Proper protective gear while hot and some what restrictive, definitly not a fashion statement will save you when an opps occurs. Hopefully no one has to ever find out that firsthand or see the results of not wearing it.

[leeggen]

Not a stupid fix, just that fraction of a second that say, "GET THAT OUT OF THERE' moments.
Glad your ok and ready for round 2.
CD

[retread]

I was starting a fire in my shop's woodstove, had the kindling an some larger stuff going good, when I decided to throw in some more scrap laying around. I still had my butane lighter in my hand when I threw the stuff and and you guessed it, the lighter went right into the now roaring fire. Had a stupid moment's thought about getting it out then sanity thankfully surfaced and I shut the stove door stood back a ways and waited for the result. It wasn't long before a define thump occurred letting me know that the
danger had passed. I think in those king of situations "cut and run" is the proper response.

[jeepyj]

Interesting and scary, I'm so glad your okay. Hopefully it shall serve as a reminder for all of us for shop safety.
Jeepyj