I’ve made most of the mistakes possible in casting, there maybe some that I don’t know about, but now it’s fairly easy to get good results.
I myself have made a lot of booboo's but I have not had the tinsel fairy visit... yet
I stick to pure scrap lead for BP and old wheelweight lead for smokeless ( ie faster) bullets. it seems hard enough and I am no longer interested
in trying to drive lead bullets up to 2000 fps...
I stay upwind of the pot, the fumes are not real healthy, but remember that you cannot get lead hot enough for metallic lead to be
in the fumes. It is the lead dust, lead oxide. Usually it gets on your hands and you get it in you by eating, drinking, smoking,
or wiping your lips or nose or face whilst casting.
Don't do that.
If one wears gloves, that helps prevent any lead particle poisoning.
Unless you go ahead and eat your sandwich with your lead-handling gloves on.
After casting lead (as a hobby) since before 1972, I get tested and show no detected heavy metals.
If I had done production casting, my results might be different. The folks I know with high lead worked
in indoor ranges with poor ventilation, and the they unintentionally inhaled the fine particles from the backstop plates.
Regarding molds, I have Lyman, and other iron molds, but mostly Lee Aluminum.
If one takes care of the Lee Molds, treats them correctly, reading and following the instructions, they will last a very long
time . And Lee has always taken care of the one or two issues I ever had.
I use a hardwood stick to tap open the srue plate, with no issue.
If one abuses them, overheats them, and/or beats on them mercilessly, well, one will achieve a less harmonious outcome.
I see far too many operators fail to read and follow instructions and beat on their mechanical devices with a sledge hammer and
expect them to work better. Then get mad at the poor abused product, throw it away and complain bitterly and at length.
My wife once had a neighbor who had an old car that regulalry got vapor lock. She watched him get out an honest to gawd sledge hammer
from the trunk, lift the hood, and pound on the engine. Then it would start. Unfortunately, the moron did not realise that all he had to do
was wait the couple minutes it took to get the hammer and use it. Some people amaze me that they can continue to breathe without coaching.
yhs
prof amrvel