Cast your own bullets dangerous?

[no_problem]

What say you on casting your own lead bullets? Is it unhealthy to pour your own lead into moulds? After all, you are melting lead yourself and breathing in the fumes. Does wearing a facemask lessen the unhealthful effects?

 

[rcmodel]

Don't breath the fumes.

I have been casting for about 50 years without a problem.

I use a cross-flow fan across the casting area, with a window fan sucking that outside.

Besides, all indications are that it's not so much the fumes you need to worry about. Sticking your fingers in your mouth, smoking, or eating without washing first is the main way you pick up lead in your system.


rcmodel

 

[Zeke/PA]

When I was doing quite a bit of casting, I rigged up an old range hood over my melting pot to draw the fumes outside.
Zele

 

[Hunter0924]

I smelt and cast outside with a fan blowing across the pot away from me. Melting lead occurs at a much lower temperature than boiling lead so fumes are kept at a minimum. If done correctly it is safe and entertaining (as well as saving money).

 

[brickeyee]

Unless you overheat the lead the fume level is very low.
Temps under 800 F, and closer to the 725 F range are usually fine for casting.

Playing a flame over lead to speed melting is a good way to make a lot of fumes.

 

[trickyasafox]

I'm not a chemist- but the internet told me lead doesn't vaporize near its melting point (makes sense to me)

Either way I wear a small 3m mask. It's not the lead that worries me, but the other impurities I know less about.

I get my lead checked now when I have my blood drawn once a year for cholesterol (never too young to start!) so thats how I monitor mine. My lead level has climbed- but i think its from my tumbler. ask me next may and i'll know for sure. I've totally switched my tumbling habits and left my casting ones the same.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Does wearing a facemask lessen the unhealthful effects?

So that there isn't any confusion, the facemask needs to be one rated for filtering fumes such as those from lead.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Closing ones eyes to sleep at my age is dangerous too, but I do it...

 

[mikec]

Closing ones eyes to sleep at my age is dangerous too, but I do it...

Great line.

In the last few days my view on life has changed. Two business associates have died, I believe both were heart related issues, my dad is in the ICU and my niece was in the ER the other day. Hey, we all are going to die. Protect yourself the best you can but even if you live in a cocoon you still are going to die.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[jmorris]

I too cast and have my lead checked once a year. It was on the rise during a 1 year period I spent shooting with a club at an indoor range, back outside now and everything is back to normal.

 

[TEDDY]

lead????

lead poisoning is over rated.dont smoke/drink/eat and wash hands after each session.best bet is to have rang hood over pot as it sucks vapor away.as a caster since 1939 I am cool.

 

[dmftoy1]

FWIW I think it's pretty easy to keep the lead temps below the point that the fumes become dangerous. I personally believe that the biggest danger from lead exposure is unventilated indoor ranges and eating/drinking while handloading cast boolits or smelting/casting. I know that until I started doing quite a bit of reading I didn't think anything of having a few beers during a smelting session. This is just my opinion based on quite a bit of reading ...I'm not a professional.

 

[1911 guy]

Casting's no problem. Know what is?

Use ventilation and you'll be fine. Wear a mask if you want, it won't make a difference if you have ventilation.

The real danger of lead when reloading is in your tumbler media. Wash your hands THOROUGHLY after using your tumbling equipment.

 

[armoredman]

I cast outside. No issues.

 

[Wildfire]

Casting

You should be fine at the proper casting temps. As stated above. 700 to 725 is the proper temp range. 800 is too hot for good looking bullets. 900 is dangerous. At 900 degrees the fumes are toxic. Below that they are not.
No mask is going to help unless you have it sealed 100 %. A fan or venting is far easier then the mask thing. Pre-Heat every thing.

 

[qajaq59]

Work in a well ventilated area and wash your hands after you are done. Same as you would if you were using varnish on some furniture. And don't leave any of it where a child could decide to eat it. Other then that, it isn't going to bother you.

 

[Clark]

In in 1964 I was 13 years old and determined to cast bullets.
I drilled a .375" holes in a fire brick as a mould, and called it "38".
I melted lead in a tin can over charcoal brickettes.
I was making bullets when a rain drop must have fallen in one of the holes.
I got spattered with lead in the face.
The lead solidified in the shape of my eye ball, on my eye ball.
The doctor had to pull it out.

The next day, I had scabs all over my face, and the shop teacher accused me of melting lead. He must have had spies.

 

[snuffy]

You should be fine at the proper casting temps. As stated above. 700 to 725 is the proper temp range. 800 is too hot for good looking bullets. 900 is dangerous. At 900 degrees the fumes are toxic. Below that they are not.

Lead boils at 1200 degrees. That's when you have large scale toxic lead vapors. Below that temp., you still have a vapor layer 1/16 thick above the surface of the molten lead. If you don't disturb that layer, you won't get any toxic fumes off the lead for you to breath.

The problem with smoke,(not the same thing as fumes), is when you flux the melted lead. This is needed to clean the debris from the lead to keep it out of the molded bullet. Sand, grit and other debris are bad things to have in a cast boolit. Most any kind of petroleum product will work for fluxing. Wax, bullet lube, grease, even saw dust. Special fluxing agents are around, marvelux is one that doesn't produce lots of smoke.