Casting for 1st time. Do I have it all?

[TFoley]

I'm currently shooting some pre-atomic-age lead from one of our local church roofs.

Legally, I might add.

This stuff had been in situ since before the First World War and is about as pure as you can get. The church had been robbed of most of its lead by the itinerant scrap dealers that haunt this part of UK, visiting older churches - ie., most of 'em - during the hours of darkness in order to remove and 'relocate' the lead roofing by the ton. On this occasion, a local out walking his dog spotted them in action, and took both their ladders away, leaving them thirty/forty feet up on a church roof, with cutters and crowbars in hand. For good measure, he took the keys out of their truck, threw them away, and now, three years later, they have still to be found.

Since the stuff they had already thrown to the ground was greatly damaged, it could not be re-used, so the Church of England maintenance folks decided to replace it with stuff that has no use at all except as a 'looks-like-lead' replacement - it melts at around 180F, but reforms into powdery blobs. Remelting it simply results in yet more powdery blobs.

 

[sheriff john]

Pants with cuffs will trap hot stuff - whether molten or molded. Pants also need to be long enough to divert hot stuff away from boot/shoe tops.

Last - keep kids away while there's anything hot ..and I mean anything. They're like crows - attracted to shiny things. Lead can burn them even after solidification for quite a while.

 

[morehops52]

Put your soft cloth in the bottom of a bucket of iced water. It hardens the outside.
Never have used a thermometer, Lees gauge is darn accurate.
Digital scales suck. To finicky for me. I have 3 RCBS beam scales.

Oh yeah wear boots. I was wearing sandals when a splat hit my foot.

My scale came with a calibration weight. So far so good. Long term will tell. I'll be casting at camp where wearing boots and jeans is the norm.

 

[morehops52]

I think I have the safety stuff down. I expect to have most everything protected except my ears. I almost always wear cotton, jeans and boots. Got welding gloves and leather apron. The one suggestion that I hadn't considered is anchoring the melting pot. probably one of the most important safety items as a spill has the biggest chance for a catastrophe. I'm heading to camp tomorrow where I can cast in the open but without wind. No internet up there so Can't read or reply. Thanks to all.

 

[Greasecookie]

I have always used a rawhide mallet for bullet exit encouragement. With soft lead you can open the sprue plate via (gloved) hand.

 

[Greasecookie]

A face shield is always a good idea. Eyeballs are kinda fragile.

 

[Cholla]

That's an expensive solution to a cheap problem.

In the grand plan of having $200 molds and mallets that splint, at $20 it's inexpensive. But to each their own.

 

[Greasecookie]

Oh, and a lead thermometer is also a great thing. 720 F for balls 820 F for minies.

 

[Lippy984]

NYS will not let us buy lead from a junk yard, too dangerous you know, we are a liberal nanny state. Can't think for ourselves after all we're just peasants.

I get my lead from a NY scrapyard…not saying there ain’t no law, but maybe you need to find a different/smaller place

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Out here in washingrad lead grows wild, yet its illegal to have.

 

[BlackRock52]

You only need to smoke the mould once. A flux is needed to help separate the impurities out of the lead. It doesn't take much. As Dwight noted, a thermometer is very useful. I like to keep my lead at about 700~750 deg. I place my mould on top of the pot while the lead is warming up. Be sure your set up is in a well ventilated area. Every once in a while, you can find lead on ebay for around $2/lb. I also wash my hands with D-lead soap after casting.

Amazon link: d-lead soap

Link does not work. Stuff is pricey and Amazon has D-Lead laundry detergent. I'm considering a foundry type apron or one of those white jumpsuits for painting or hazardous materials. I worry about "invisible" lead on my clothes. I have 3 granddaughters under age 8 that come around frequently. and I use nitrile gloves to reduce exposure. I figure if they work for mechanics and to protect IV technicians from chemotherapy drugs then they should work for this

 

[BlackRock52]

Uhmm... no. 900F is not a problem. Lead does not start to boil, that is phase change from liquid to vapor, till 1740C. Lots of misinformation on this. Do some basic research on materials properties.

https://material-properties.org/lea...melting-point-thermal-conductivity-expansion/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead
The real issues surrounding casting are basic safety. Don't drink, eat or smoke while doing it. Don't go touching your mouth, picking yer schnoz, or licking fingers. Cast in a well ventilated area to remove fumes from FLUXXING. Don't cast with your head over the pot. Keep all liquids away to ban the tinsel fairy. Wear appropriate clothing- jeans (no shorts, cutoffs or with holes!), long sleeve shirt helps (I wear a long sleeve T in warmer months and long sleeve flannel in winter), leather shoes (synthetics can melt if you spill a bit) and always wear at least crew length socks to cover the ankles. I know someone who was not wearing socks and a bit splashed on his ankle, but he was a ladle guy too. Bottom pour avoids that issue. After you finish, change your clothes and wash your hands thoroughly and before eating, etc.

As for lead contamination, I have been casting for years with no elevation in lead levels in my blood. I cast Civil War minies at 875-900F because a large bullet requires temps that high and a fast pour for a decent production rate and low reject number. I do know a couple folks who did test high for lead. Both are avid shooters with modern handguns that frequent an INDOOR range. A main ingredient of modern centerfire primers is lead styphnate. Couple burning that compound indoors with splattering bullets on a backstop just 25yds away and presto, lead issues.

With all that scary stuff out of the way, casting isn't hard. Just practice reasonable safety and make bullets. You'll probably find that 750F is a bit low to cast a heavy bullet and get a good product. Raise the temp a bit before adding any tin or other metal to your melt. Frosted bullets shoot just fine. Cold cast, misshapen, Quasimodo looking ones do not.

I find Wiki info offtimes a bit suspect but your other link is awesome -- Thanks

 

[dave951]

I find Wiki info offtimes a bit suspect but your other link is awesome -- Thanks

It doesn't take a Googly Foo expert to find the real information on lead. The form of lead that is most harmful is lead oxide, the white powder on old lead. That's easily ingested or inhaled. Casting is not producing any lead fumes other than whatever you're using for flux.

As for kids being around, I'd keep them away from the casting area and make sure to change your clothes and wash before interacting with them. Realistically, if you practice some basic precautions, the kids are more at risk from tobacco smoke. I remember visiting my grandfather who smoked a pipe. There would often be a smoke haze from about 3ft up to the ceiling at his house.

 

[Red Owl]

And- make sure you are in a well ventilated area- don't breathe the lead fumes.

 

[cynthialee]

If I cast I warn the other half I am not to be disturbed unless I start screaming for help.
I will not cast with any distractions at all. No music in the background, no pets in the shop, no attention from my spouse. Just me, the lead and my tools. Get a good roll going and suddenly I am out of lead and an hour has passed. It is a good task to get immersed in and let take over the moment. Nothing else is important in that moment. It is just too dangerous to allow one self to become distracted. Molten metal is not forgiving at all.

 

[TFoley]

In the grand plan of having $200 molds and mallets that splint, at $20 it's inexpensive. But to each their own.

You live where it's sold over the counter. Here in UK it's a $50 'stick'. None of my moulds cost me anywhere near $200, BTW, Lyman, Pedersoli, especially Lee, nope, nary a one.

 

[Flintlock]

After reading so many of these threads, one might want to check with their local fire dept and see if you can purchase a used fire suit and respiration system, complete with boots and gloves. Some of us have been casting for over 40 years and lucky( for everyone else) if we wear pants. Often it's in a breechclout, leggings and mocs. Sorry, guess we all do things differently, no problem with being safe, some of us cavemen just enjoy living on the edge, runs with scissors.

 

[1971fx]

75 pound lead tile used In X-ray facility.
Boatyards can also be a source. Older sailboats had lead keels that could weigh tons

 

[SmokepoleSam]

Lippy, I guess it's not NYS but I'm on Long Island and they won't sell to us. I have thought of trying when I'm upstate thanks for that info I've got about 100lbs of pure lead.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I cast for years with an Coleman gas camp stove, a small ladle and a steel sauce pan on a picnic table in the yard. I used leather winter gloves and made sure I had on denim jeans and a long sleeve cotton shirt. I always had glasses on to protect my eyes and made sure there was not water to be splash into the molten lead. Just exercise some good sense and don’t make it overly complicated.