control of lead fumes while casting indoors?

[hans g./UpS]

I expect to be casting this winter in the cellar,but no external venting available.
To keep peace in this household,I wonder if there is a simple way of running the fumes from the[electric] melter through some medium to trap the Pb,etc.?Wonder whether a solution of chlorine bleach would put the Pb into solution  i.e. PbCl2[then dump or evaporate the solution down]?
Thanks.

[hubbard]

this may not be gospel, but some casters have posted that no poisonous fumes are produced at normal casting temps. of 750 - 800 degrees.

[Advocate]

Why not buy a respirator like the kind they sell at paint stores.  I"ve seen guys using them at indoor target ranges. Look kind of weird, but better than being poisoned I guess.

[hans g./UpS]

John,many thanks for the information.If need be I can get cartridges for my respirator[use that when spraying pesticides].It's a little cool these days here in western N.Y. to be casting outdoors.I figure this is a good time to be casting and loading.

[Sixgun]

I cast in my basement all winter to get enough bullets to shoot at silhouette matches all summer.  I live in Idaho and it gets so cold outside that sometimes it takes several hours just to melt the lead and then several more to get it hot enough to flux and cast.

My solution was that I went to a thrift store and bought an old vacume cleaner and a few sections of extra hose.  I run it backwards with a nozzle by the top of the pot and the other end out the basement window.  When I flux, I can see all of the smoke shoot right into the hose.  I don't have any bad smell in the basement and I hope that I have no fumes.  

That is my solution

Sixgun

[Turk]

John,

Is there a test (air sampling) that can be done to see how much lead is airborne and economical in cost?

Thanks,

Turk

[John Traveler]

As far as I know, there is no readily available, cheap test for lead particulate levels.  The levels we'd be interested in are only a few ppm (parts per million), and that would be laboratory-quality stuff.

The military vehicle weapons toxic fumes testing I have supported were in the field, at military firing ranges.  The chemical toxicity testing was done with dozens of clear vinyl lab-quality tubing (dozens of feet each) attached to air pumps and leading to a motorhome-sized mobile laboratory.  After each firing scenario, several minutes were needed for the samplings to be taken, and many more minutes to purge the vehicle and prepare for the next scenario.

In the lab van, infrared absorption spectra and uv emission spectra were used to identify and quantify toxic hydrocarbon gases.  These sampling methods simply are not available to most shooters.

I like the previous poster's vacuum cleaner method.  It should be perfect for venting the smelly stuff while casting indoors.

Oh, by the way, most modern armoured vehicle turrets use a similar method to vent firing fumes from the crew spaces.

HTH
John :-)

[Lead pot]

HI All.  Being a Plumber for better than 1/2 of my life,I worked with lead in many different ways,Pouring lead joints for cast iron pipe joints wiping lead joints for water pipes and fittings and soldering.The lead in the lead pot  used to glow cherry in the dark.My blood has a high lead count,but most of that came from eating my sandwitches and apple with out washing my hands.As far as casting I dont think you will get enough lead unless you bite that bullet.
I took a 4"vent pipe out through the boxsill to the out side of the house and I put a bilge blower like you have in a boat with a 8x4 pipe reducer over the leadpot not so much for the lead but for the smoke from fluxing,I get hardly any oder in the basement.  Lp.