I am watching a thing on netflix called the re-inventors where two guys in Canada are taking some of the wackier stuff from the patent office and building them to see if they really could work. They were casting cannon balls from lead (not really accurate but its not like they would try casting iron) and one guy goes to drop a pickle sized slug of lead in to the pot and the lead flies.

They are in Canada and the winter is well under way. Seems they tried dropping near zero or sub-zero lead in to a pot of liquid lead with out warming it up. The only PPE eye ware he had on were aviator style shades. That saved one or more eyes.

This is why you need to be VERY careful when putting in cold lead in to a hot pot.

The guy's parka looked like he had taken a 1/2 load of bird shot.

 

   

I remember visiting a couple of (War of 1812) forts as a kid, and watching the staff making musket balls & little soldier figurines from molten lead. No PPE of any kind... Scary stuff.

As a good rule of thumb if it's not too hot to touch you shouldn't put it in your crucible, that way you can be sure it doesn't have any moisture. It's easier to pre-heat something on top of your foundry before it goes in than deal with a face full of molten metal due to an explosion caused by sudden water expansion. :P

The cold metal into the pot it is a known method of cleaning gene pools

IForgeIron pushes SAFETY at every opportunity, and then some.

Things WILL go wrong and you must be prepared before it happens.

It is difficult for some to think about what could go wrong, when they don't really know what they are doing.  It's difficult to know what you don't know.  That is why people repeat others mistakes.  I don't mean to sound harsh, but at times, people either think they know, or don't want to look into a project any further, and don't understand fully the complications surrounding a process. I have been guilty of this also, but I'm learning to more cautious.   

I suggest reviewing Will Roger's quote that starts "There are three types of Men"

My Father told me more than once; ''A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing'' and as a boy this maxim puzzled me, not anymore. The simple process of melting lead in a pot can have dire consequences if you haven't learned how to do it correctly as with so many of the tools, chemicals, solvents,etc we use all the time...........Take care.

Macbruce,

 

I agree with you!

 

I was talking to the dep. to the top scientist where I worked in Huntsville Al (any one that knows the Rocket City knows that dep. to the Sr scientist is not a small thing) and as a young man he needed some boiled linseed oil. When he went to the local hardware store (long before Lowes or Home Depot) he found a can marked linseed oil. When he got home he saw that the can did not saw "boiled" so he thought about what to do and took out a pot, emptied the can in to the pot and turned on the stove.
A short time later, after the mad dash outside with the smoking pot of oil he sits down to the next task. How do I tell Mom or where am I going to spend the next 10 years of my life.

Usually that type of "guy" it's more of Mom saying "Not Again!!!!!!"

 

(don't ask me how I know....)

Usually that type of "guy" it's more of Mom saying "Not Again!!!!!!"

 

(don't ask me how I know....)

 

Are we related or what? One of my Mother's favorite sayings . . . to me at least, was:  Hurt yourself and when I get you back from the hospital you're getting a spanking. Mother was keeper of the dreaded wooden spoon. I got her a poster and a T shirt with a June Cleaver type 50's lady driving a large sled, pulled by a couple large slavering snarling but somewhat frightened looking polar bears, holding a wooden spoon like a wand. The caption was: "Attilla the Mom, keeper of the dreaded wooden spoon."

 

Frosty The Lucky.

One of the downsides of being the son of an engineer working for NASA was that instead of the light flimsy broad yardsticks used as a "board of education"; *we* had a meter stick---maple, 3-4 times as thick and narrower (and longer...)  Luckily I learned fast---at least the virtues of concealing one's activities if not necessarily curtailing them! 

I can remember about 25 years ago when I was *fooling* around trying to make a substance out of lye and acid and whatever that would patina metal. My partner at the time said ''WHOA, if you jack around mixing acids and alkalines you just might patina your lungs with phosgene gas and that would shorten your day pdq......A minefield awaits those who blunder forth without knowing what they ate doing, I know all too well.

To make an observation on mothers! About 12 years ago my wife walked into the house to see our eldest (8yrs at the time) sitting quietly reading in the lounge. At this unusual sight she immediately asks 'where is your brother?' to with his reply was 'oh he's ok'(this immediately had Sara's attention). IT turned out that the 6 & 8 year olds had climbed up a cupboard to get into my wife's art box, the youngest had then accidentally cut himself across the wrist(more like a scratch but it could have been serious ) . Because of the seriousness and potential risk she thought a lesson needs to be given. She thinks rather that a hiding I'll take him to the private hospital up the road and insist that he gets a tetanus shot, it will hurt and he'll be more careful in future!
Well he got his shot, all the while nurses kept piping into casualty to see this 'cruel' mother who insisted that her child got an injection that he clearly did not need for a scratch.

Anyhow he left the hospital with a bandaged wrist(he was proud of it) and a certificate of bravery, mom left with a 700 buck bill. A lesson was learned here , But Not by Him.

Seems like I got a tetanus shot every summer when I was little from stepping on nails or broken glass generally while barefoot.  Funny thing to this day I make a point of picking up nails and broken glass when I'm out walking and disposing them safely!

 

My Dr nowadays knows that I do blacksmithing and has me get a tetanus shot every 5 years rather than every 10.  I don't think he has a clue as to what I really do but I spend enough time in scrap piles often in farm settings that I don't mind, lockjaw is not a nice way to go...

The cold metal into the pot it is a known method of cleaning gene pools

Love it^

I've cast thousands of lead bullets in my life and can say that explosion was very likely due to moisture. I typically drop my finished bullets into a bucket filled with water and a towel at the bottom so they don't deform. Every so often, I stop to inspect the pills and set aside any that need to be remelted - those are always dried by hand then stacked on the edge of the pot to heat up before placing back into the melt. I've seen what one drop of sweat can do falling into a pot of molten lead - that will pop and spatter but a large piece of metal carries the water under the surface and will cause a real eruption.