Markell Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Hot lead is not something to take chances with! I had my 20lb pot 3/4 full and placed a 2 lb ingot in the pot. The ingot must have been cold. It started to boil and BAM! The pot exploded. I have never had this happen before. I am recovering from a torn tendon in my leg and was not able to get out of the way. My entire bench was covered in lead. Not a drop hit me. I was lucky. If you are new to pouring lead or are like I was and begin to take chances, please be carefull. This was a wake up call for me and I hope that this post makes you guys think about safety when working with lead. Never sit down in front of the pot when pouring. You need to be able to move quickly. Always wear long sleeves and gloves. eye protection is a good idea and never get any moisture around the pot. And my new rule... never put a cold ingot into a already melted pot when it is already full enough! It is not worth it. Be carefull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwy-Apostle Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 man I'm glad your OK . My neighbor in Oklahoma had almost the same think hapen. he had a lot smaller pot though. it burned the begisuos out of his hand. defanantly a wake up call, I magin. Again glad your ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richoc Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Sorry to here that happened. Glad you are mostly all right. What happened is that cold one. Had water in it, or on it. That is what boiled and exploded on you. All it takes is one drop of water. If you hear any hissing, sizzle get back and let it happen at a distance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedHed Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Wow Markell ? sounds like you were way lucky, well, at least you didn?t get burned. I agree with Rich about the moisture ? condensate maybe. How did the clean up go? Pot OK? Thanx for the reminder on safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flats Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Glad to hear your okay. That happens more than you think. I've had it happen 3-4 times over the years. When I was teaching my brother to pour I kept telling him to wear safety glasses, being in his early 20's he thought I was FOS until some sweat dripped on an ingot and it exploded. Scares the @#% out of ya... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMA BASSER Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Glad to hear that you didn't get burned. Everone should always be aware of the dangers of working with lead. My dad was a plumber well still is a plumber so I had someone with experince with working with lead when I started doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeminoleFan Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Markell, Glad your ok! Thanks for sharing and hopefully it will save someone in the future. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jigmaster Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Markell, Thanks to quick reflexes, eh................ No harm, no foul. Anyone who has poured lead for any length of time can recount similar experiences........I have a few, and they have left scars and some lessons learned, too. Be careful...hot lead plays no favorites, and will leave life-long reminders of momentary lapses of reason. Regards Jigmaster www.daimonlures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tally Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Mark, glad to hear that you are OK. I will bet that you are even more excited about your new shop where you will have a controlled environment. I understand how the ingot could have water ON it but how could it have water IN it? Tally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richoc Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Tally, There are always some weird things with lead. I have a pile of bars out side right now, amnd I would not put them in the pot for at least a week of sitting in side. For some reason this pile sizzle even the day after they were cleaned. Never had that happen, after slagging and making bars. But every one has it happen, even after they sit in front of a heater vent in the house for a day. These are wheel weights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavu Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 Mark I'm glad your are OK. It was water from somewhere, but I guess you already know that! Be careful buddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 Glad you are ok, and thanks for reminding us all to be careful. Pop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WidowMaker Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 Wheel weights are particularly bad about blowing up if they havent been melted outside first. I had some blow up on me once and thats when i learned to first premelt them outside. Even if lead has been melted once after you got it you still need to melt it again if it sits anywhere moisture can possibly get to it. I wont even allow a closed bottle of pop or water in the same room with me when im casting jigs. Ill tell you about a close call i once had. I was walking across the yard with about ten pounds of melted lead in a cast iron pot. All of a sudden i felt rain drops on the back of my neck and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. I didnt know where the rain was coming from. I should have thrown it but i just froze up and stood there......HORRIFIED......i didnt know what to do. I cant figure out how but none got into the lead or it would have eat me up. After that incident i always make it a point to premelt underneath a shed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
