Reloading Equipment In Your Bedroom. Is That Dangerous/Unhealthy?

When I used to live in apartments, I mounted my presses on a slab of plywood then I would use C-clamps to fasten it down to the kitchen table when I wanted to do some reloading.

I suppose I lived dangerously since also ran my tumbler in the kitchen and deprimed brass in the living room with a Lee hand press. Actually, I still deprime bass in front of the TV sometimes... That little hand press was really worth the money...

Tony
 
adn258. I have a 1 car garage and the wife parks in it too. Space is cramped. I bought two metal shelf brackets and bend one end so it would support a 2x6, then I bolted the two shelf brackets into the wall studs. I have a fold out table for my balance and components and the thrower is on the same 6"x 24" work station. A small dish light is above the press. If I need to reload, I pull the car out.
 
adn258 said:
So I want to get into reloading. I have a ton of space in my bedroom, but well, it's my bedroom. I've been told that reloading releases lead and other toxic substances that you can't want to be around like when you're sleeping. Is this true or could I safe use a reloading press in my room?
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If your going to worry about lead and other toxic substances I strongly urge you not to take up reloading. You sound like a very paranoid person.
 
Don, Don't be hard on him. He might be a young guy that didn't grow up with leaded gasoline, lead in our paint, mercury in our fillings, and in science class, the teacher would pass around mercury for the students to play with their hand. Even some would play with it long enough that it would disappear.
 
Yeah, do you remember the Popeye cartoon where Brutus blows flames on him and Popeye bends up a sheet of asbestos
 
I have a dedicated reloading room as the basement is not an option. Before I got that room set up I was using a hand press in my bedroom. Spilled plenty of dead primers on the carpet that were never wet tumbled beforehand.

Didn't know back then what I know about what's in primers now. One reason I got the loading room setup last year.

I've never gotten a lead blood test, don't feel I need one. I'm sure shooting as much as I do (once a week) with lead bullets in revolvers does more to expose me to lead than reloading does. Any decrease in energy over the past few years I'll attribute to aging and being overweight and any memory loss or decrease in mental acuity I'll attribute to drinking alcohol, which I gave up a month ago as it increases blood pressure.
 
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adn258. I have a 1 car garage and the wife parks in it too. Space is cramped. I bought two metal shelf brackets and bend one end so it would support a 2x6, then I bolted the two shelf brackets into the wall studs. I have a fold out table for my balance and components and the thrower is on the same 6"x 24" work station. A small dish light is above the press. If I need to reload, I pull the car out.
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Thanks for this man! It's good to know I'm not the only one. This is probably what I'll do then, and I'll just build a folding bench.


If your going to worry about lead and other toxic substances I strongly urge you not to take up reloading. You sound like a very paranoid person.
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Nope, just trying to figure out where to setup my reloading area which could still be my room, but probably the garage!

I like it , Metal “press” God
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I like this too HaHaHa! I have to say it, there might be someone out there with more presses than him, but to find one, well you would be hard-pressed!
 
Reloading Equipment In Your Bedroom. Is That Dangerous/Unhealthy?
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If you leave it on the floor where you can stub your toe on it, trip or fall in the dark it is. Otherwise, not so much.

If you are concerned about the health effects of contaminants, do some research about all the OTHER dangerous contaminants in your home environment, as well. You might be surprised. be sure to include silica (sand) dust, which makes up the majority of the earth's crust. It's a listed carcinogen....but, only if you buy it for use in the workplace!! Same stuff, dumped on you by nature blowing across the desert (or any sandy spot) is NOT the Govt lists as dangerous. Go figure...:eek:

Find out ALL the "dangerous" stuff and how dangerous it is, THEN you can make a reasonable risk assessment of the actual hazards.
 
If you build a fold up bench in the small garage, countersink some Rockler T-channels into the top - then mount your press(es) onto mounting plates with bolts for the t-channel - See the attachment - My mounting plates have an edge on them to place the bulk of the press pressure on the table edge.
 

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If you mount your press on something like the Inline Fabrication press riser, there is ZERO torque on the edge of any bench, table top or similar. One of the greatest accessories to reloaders:
https://inlinefabrication.com/

And Dan is an awesome guy to deal with.
 
As others have said, the only really dangerous by-product of reloading would be dust from a vibratory tumbler using dry media. Even that is of a relatively low risk if you take simple precautions. My reloading bench, while not in my bedroom, is in the spare bedroom and I feel I am not putting guests at risk when they stay there. Powders are stored properly and every bedroom has a fire/smoke detector. I change media frequently and always use a little Nu-Finish to keep dust down.
 
Wherever you set your equipment up, make sure it is a well controlled environment (i.e., heating & cooling). You want to have control of the humidity in this room to prevent rust from forming as well as materials control.
 
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"...told that reloading releases lead and other toxic substances..." Nope. You have more to worry about bacteria on your bathroom tap handles than anything to do with reloading.
 
When I was in college and moved to an apartment I started reloading 9mm by clamping a press on my desk and it wasn't a big deal as long as I wasn't spilling powder all over the place. I wouldn't put 25 pounds of powder in the closet but 1 pound stored away from flame isn't a big deal. If fire reaches your closet, you are probably toast already. Wash your hands and don't sniff the solvent coming out of the powder any more than necessary.
 
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