The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Hope you guys have some serious extraction fans.

:)

Well the door was open if that counts?

ovenpaa wrote:Well the door was open if that counts?

You could get the missus to stand next to you - the blast of air from the nagging should blow all the fumes away. :lol:

Not a problem for me :)

When they wrote to me many years ago to ask if I would take a foreigner in I made sure I ticked the box 'No nagging' I also ticked the boxes 'Scandinavian', 'Likes guns' and 'Large breasts' of course

Tell me, am I in a world of crap when she gets back from the PO?

Robin128 wrote:Hope you guys have some serious extraction fans.

:)

I was thinking the same. Our club secretary has an old friend who is very seriously ill from the effects of breathing in fumes from lead.

bobbob wrote:

Robin128 wrote:Hope you guys have some serious extraction fans.

:)

fumes from lead.

In relation to boolit casting this is a misconception almost as sensible as the guns causes suicide one.

The only fumes that come off the lead is when you are fluxing and those fumes are from whatever you are using for fluxing and any crap that is in with the metal. Good ventilation is necessary when alloying, smelting and fluxing, I always have my garage door fully open when alloying, smelting and fluxing and partially when casting.

At casting and alloying temperatures there is no lead vapour to inhale so there are no "lead fumes" so it is quiete safe to cast and melt lead without worrying about breathing in lead fumes.

Lead vapourises at around 1000 degrees C as the top temp for most lead pots is well under that 850 degrees C and most casting is done at temps below that you will see that fume inhalation doesn't happen.

Where you do need to be careful is ingesting lead and lead dust from oxidisation, don't stick you hands in your mouth, pick your nose or scratch your bum whilst casting. Smoking or eating and drinking whilst working with lead is also a no no. Washing your casting clothes afterwards is also a good idea as is washing yourself especially your hands.

Dromia is right. In the 1980s I visited a radiator manufacturing company. After the tube matrix was assembled to the top and bottom tanks, the whole lot was dipped in molten solder. The solder baths were about a metre by half a metre and half a metre deep at least. There were several of them and they were open to the atmosphere within the factory. i asked if they had any health problems and got an immediate reaction---it was a major problem. "Could you contain the solder baths in some type of fume cupboard?" I asked. "Solder baths?" came the answer---"we don't have any problems with the lead, its the flux coating that we have to apply that causes the health problems.".

Well organised...nice one Dromia!

For fluxing to clean and/or alloy all you need to do is mix carbon through the melt. I just stir it with a dry stick, the smoke from that doesn't bother me and its a damn sight more pleasant than the greasy billious smoke given of by the usually recommended boolit lube, bees wax, candle wax etc. Borax and the commercial flux Marvelux are also recommended but I avoid them like the plague as the smoke they give off carries hygroscopic particles that will rust the hell out of any thing rustable they land upon. :(

When melting down wheel weights, scrap lead etc I always have the the garage door fully open and wear a particulate mask as well. Not for lead fumes but lord alone knows what s***e could be going in with the lead.

As cast in the background and front two are after they went through my sizing die.