Casting - does it save money?

[snuffy]

have known some old timers that wish they never were around it the health they had in old age was not good because they were not real good about not breathing the toxic fumes...

What fumes? Lead boils at 3180 degrees F. It only gives out vapor/fumes if it boils. We cast at a max of 900. What fumes? Lead dust? It's dust is just as heavy as the lead itself. It settles to the ground almost immediately. Yes, you have to be careful while handling lead, or boolits. Just make darn sure you wash your hands thoroughly when you're finished. Clothing too.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I have a wrap-around vernada with electrical outlets. I set up to cast on that, using a little folding aluminum table to hold the furnace and tools. Perfect ventilation.

I don't smoke, and I don't drink or eat anything while casting. After I put everything away, I wash thoroughly.

 

[Harley Quinn]

have known some old timers that wish they never were around it the health they had in old age was not good because they were not real good about not breathing the toxic fumes...

What fumes? Lead boils at 3180 degrees F. It only gives out vapor/fumes if it boils. We cast at a max of 900. What fumes? Lead dust? It's dust is just as heavy as the lead itself. It settles to the ground almost immediately. Yes, you have to be careful while handling lead, or boolits. Just make darn sure you wash your hands thoroughly when you're finished. Clothing too.

Well water boils at a lot lower temp but it still gives off a vapor of sort, similar to lead...Handling it with bare hands for years was one of the problems for him also...Wore gloves later on. Just mentioning it as a caution. You think what I am saying is, BS LOL...Good luck.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning

 

[Griz44]

Wash and clean clothes, gloves, etc... with a high phosphate detergent. Automatic dishwashing soap is great for this. Use a mix to wipe down the tabletops, counters or whatever else you have used or is in the immediate vicinity. It will take care of the lead dust contamination. If you melt indoors, just get a good box fan sucking the fumes out and you will be OK.

 

[snuffy]

You think what I am saying is, BS LOL...Good luck.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning

Do whatever makes sense to you, but don't repeat scare tactics from the tree huggers, environmentalists . Wikipedia is well know to be written by anyone that wants to contribute to it, unless they are conservative and buck the liberal thinking. Then they get uninvited to write definitions on there.

Look at how many states that have banned lead for fishing sinkers. WHY? Lead does not dissolve in water. Lead forms an oxide layer on it's surface, that oxide layer is impervious to water. Reports are reaching many people that scrap yards are refusing to sell lead in states that have banned lead sinkers. Since there's no reason the public could possibly use lead anymore, they're refusing to sell it. Then comes the source of most of our lead, wheelweights. They're being banned in many states.

I've been casting, shooting lead boolits for over 40 years. Last year I had my lead levels checked when I got my bi-annual blood tests. It came back at 5.0, 1/5 of what is considered max nowadays. I cast boolits in a closed room, and shoot them in an ancient indoor range with poor ventilation. I'm not worried.

 

[Lovesbeer99]

Thanks for all the responses. I'll see what I can do about the equipment. I'll check ebay, and even garage sales, but ultimately, I'll get something to get started. Even if I do spend the 150.00 I'll get it back over time. Maybe 6 months, maybe 3 years, but I'll get it back. (honestly, I shoot alot so it will probably be 6 months)

Eric F - I don't know what this means? Can you restate this?

"Oh I see now, duh I had a calculator and a brain once even knew how to do math, dont know what happened to me"

Honestly, it sounds like you're making fun of those of us who relaod. Did I miss something here?

 

[Sunray]

443 158 grain bullets to be exact. Anyway, iron pots and open fire aside, do you have a well ventilated room to melt lead and cast in? Shot with a guy who had to stop shooting for a year or so due to casting in a poorly ventilated room.
"...I'll check ebay..." E-bay is an evil anti-firearm empire that financially supports the people who don't think you should be allowed to own any firearm.
"...chunk weighs 90#..." Snicker. Each one will produce 3987 158 grain bullets. 11,961 out of 13 of 'em. What the heck is that out of? Just curious.
"...dont know what happened to me..." "New Math". It was a '60's concept.

 

[snuffy]

...chunk weighs 90#..." Snicker. Each one will produce 3987 158 grain bullets. 11,961 out of 13 of 'em. What the heck is that out of? Just curious.

It was part of a very heavy counter weight for a multi-spindle vertical drill press,(NATCO). The head lowers, spinning up to 30 drills at the same time, the head weighs better than a ton. Those weights were hung on a link chain in the back to balance the weight of the press head. There were 33 of them on that machine. It was a manual, non CNC machine from the WW 11 era.

 

[fireflyfather]

The #1 source of lead poisoning for reloaders is TUMBLERS, especially when used indoors. The lead residue from the primers is a lot more dangerous than any fumes coming out of a pot.

The "fumes" coming out of our pots are the fumes from the FLUX, not the lead. Not that breathing that in is all that great, but it's NOT on the same order of dangerous as lead fumes (which don't get produced from a casting pot...basic chemistry folks).

 

[dmftoy1]

Do whatever makes sense to you, but don't repeat scare tactics from the tree huggers, environmentalists

Amen!

I got a bunch of this "dangerous lead" stuff from my father-in-law a few weeks back. (82 years old, great health, and avid fisherman who's been retired for the last 23 years) I asked him how many fishing weights he had bitten down on over the years and . .it was like a light bulb went on. There's so much BS hype by the media over so many different things these days that it makes me want to puke.

 

[Eric F]

Honestly, it sounds like you're making fun of those of us who relaod. Did I miss something here?

Nope not making fun of any one but myself. I knew how to figure my question out, but just got lazy. I do this from time to time on the internet forums and dont know why. Just mental laziness.

as far as lead and fumes and such. For lead to be fumeing it would have to be really hot far hatter than what we would deal with. But there is some merrit to the statements about lead and inhalation hazards. Any liquid will give off molecules it technically is a vapor but the heavier the molecular weight the less the hazard. With lead it is a very heavy molecule so the "vapor hazard" is low. But it is there none the less. Also the closer to being a solid the liquid is the less molecules try to escape the liquid, so with lead again the risc is very low.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I recall a story a few years back about a town in Colorado that had quite a bit of lead in the soil, due to mining operations years back. The EPA demanded a cleanup. The town protested, pointing out the blood levels of lead in the townspeople, including the children, were well within the safe limits.

The EPA was insistant, the town was "cleaned up" and in the process a lot of dust was put into the atmosphere, and as a result, blood lead levels went way up!

What would we do without bureaucrats?

 

[Harley Quinn]

I recall a story a few years back about a town in Colorado that had quite a bit of lead in the soil, due to mining operations years back. The EPA demanded a cleanup. The town protested, pointing out the blood levels of lead in the townspeople, including the children, were well within the safe limits.

The EPA was insistant, the town was "cleaned up" and in the process a lot of dust was put into the atmosphere, and as a result, blood lead levels went way up!

What would we do without bureaucrats?

Good point Vern...

I am not a tree hugger, and the info in Wiki is good and bad, but the thing is, "lead is a problem" for some more than others, I have seen what it did to one person.

Some can eat all they want and still be slim and trim, lifestyle and metabolism... For some if they don't watch out constantly, food is a slow death sentence, way before they should go, by the way...

Smoking kills they mention, some believe it, some don't...

If you are caring like some say I am sure it will be fine... Just a caution I mentioned, others take it as a threat to their life style. Funny, or sad, not sure which, at the moment...