melting lead

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1chig

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Im not sure if this is the right place for this question but here goes. I melt lead in a melting pot for bullets, and jigs. I do this in the basement of my house.I get in front of an open window and have a fan blowing behind me. I also wear a small mask when i do it. Is this enough ventalation?? Its to cold to do it outside this time a year. can anyone answer this. Thanks
 
I'd say no not with your method. I'd take the fan and put it in the window to suck the air out. Lead between you and the window is what I'd do!
 
i meant to say lead is between me and the open window and fan is behind me blowing toward the window
 
Nope, still no good. With the fan behind you there is no controlled direction of the airflow. It can divert along the side of the wall, and even recirculate. It can also permeate the cracks in the house structure and gradually build up a lead residue throughout the house.

With the fan IN the window it is pulling air toward it and expelling that air to the outside. This is a more positive control of removing air from the room.

If you’ve been having some odd dreams you are probably “leaded” as we called it at the gasoline additive plant where I one time worked. Lead in your system does this, well, to some persons it does.
 
I cast in my basement with no fans during the winter months. Lead becomes airborn (vapors) at a much higher temp than we cast at. Now if the smoke from the fluxing bothers you, you can light it on fire or use a dry stick like I do that smokes very little. I'm sure someone will chime in here and tell me I am going to get lead poisoning and die... Just be sure to wash your hands after casting with cold water and don't eat/smoke while casting. In other words, keep your fingers out of your mouth after handling lead.
 
Have to agree, the fan in the window is a better idea. I used to do the same thing and kept doing it till I found the ground around the window was gray from the lead I had sucked out. No more basement smelting for me.
 
Sorry grump, the gray around the window was not from the lead, it was from the smoke from the flux. That is, unless you were smelting at over 3,000 degrees fahrenheit...hot enough to vaporize the lead...
 
i say i cast bullets and jigs but i only do about 2000 a year combined, more jigs than bullets, just something i do in down time, mostly on rainey days and in the winter. would like to get into casting more bullets ,because i reload all my own ammo. I was just wandering about the risk, and ventalation. i know i need to wash hands and not eat or smoke. the part i am more concerned about is ventalation or am i concerned about nothing being the quantity of melting that i do. thanks for all the help so far guys ,, greatly appreciated:o
 
Nope, still no good. With the fan behind you there is no controlled direction of the airflow. It can divert along the side of the wall, and even recirculate. It can also permeate the cracks in the house structure and gradually build up a lead residue throughout the house.
Click to expand...

Paranoia strikes deep, especially after listening to the EPA and other liberal extremists. As yote hunter said, there's no lead fumes in the smoke generated by burning carbon based flux. Lead doesn't begin to vaporize until 12-1400 degrees, then only a tiny amount.

If it makes you feel better to get rid of the smoke, by all means do so. But you'll be no better off, in fact this time of year you'll be a good dael colder! All the mask is doing is hiding your identity, it's not going to filter anything harmful.

I cast in a spare bedroom that's also my loading room. No ventilation, NONE! I have my blood levels checked regularly, they're never over 7.0.

Again, practice hygiene, make darn sure you wash your hands vigorously. Don't smoke, eat or even pick your nose while casting od handling lead.
 
snuffy thats what i thought.. I read something a couple years back that if you had enough air movement to move the flame on a lit match , while melting lead , that that was enough venta... but i started listening to all this hohum about lead poisoning and all that,, i guess i got parinoid about it. i know that i practice good higene while and after casting. I do apreciate the input. Thanks to all ps sorry crosshair,, not to awful cold 20's or so ,,mostly rain, snow or high wind when i get to cast. No matter though , would still rather be inside , if its not killing me
 
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