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Old March 12, 2014, 10:55 AM   #1
Cheapshooter
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Exhaust fan

In setting up my reloading bench, and bullet casting table I am wondering what others are using for an exhaust fan, if anything, over their lead pot.
In the beginning in the beginning I didn't didn't have any thing thing to remove lead fumes. Maybe that's the problem!
Later, as the problems with lead fumes started getting more attention, I started using an old kitchen range hood mounted on a makeshift frame over the pot.
I have access to somebody that can make a sheet metal "box" that I can mount an axial (pancake) fan in, mount as a hood under a cabinet I now have over the table, and then duct it out to a dryer vent.
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Old March 12, 2014, 02:07 PM   #2
mikld
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I like to keep things simple. I have a 6" clip on fan about 5' to my right blowing to my left across the top of the pot in front of me towards the door. The only thing I was bothered by was the smoke from fluxing as I don't get my melt hot enough to worry about "vapors". Some guys like to go all out and use a range hood vented outdoors, or use exhaust tubing (6" flex) from just above the pot to a fan to outdoors...
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Old March 12, 2014, 05:46 PM   #3
Mike / Tx
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As above I like the KISS method myself. when I first started out I was using one end of a workmate as a dual table to pour bullet and my RCBS trim Pro was set up on the other end. Well that got old an cramped so I cleaned off the end of the shop table, and set up things there for casting.

So I now have the hot plate, and my 4-20 set up on the end, and to my right I have a small 15" fan which blows away from me to sort of circulate air from the AC/Heater, depending on the time of year. To my immediate left about 4' from the end of the bench is the storm door going out back with the sliding upper portion that lets me have a screened window. It works out perfectly as a 20" box fan hung from above the door with a small rope fits the screen portion perfectly. I put a bungy cord across the back side to hold it still and crank it up on high. This will very effectively pull any smoke or fumes right off the top of the pot, and expel them outside. When I crank both fans up it circulates enough breeze that I stay comfortable and even when I throw in a chunk of paraffin into the pot all the smoke rolls right off and out the door.
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Old March 12, 2014, 06:14 PM   #4
Cheapshooter
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Well, my gun room/boolet factory is a rather narrow, 9' wide by 15' long section of an "L" off the main, finished, basement. No Windows, concrete walls on three sides, and a steel security door in a reinforced, drywall one side, concrete backer board on the other wall. Between the gun room, and the finished basement "man cave" is a laundry/storage room a little bigger than the gun room. (Amazing how that turned out when we were planning the basement)
Bottom line, no ventelation in the gun room, and I don't want the smell from the casting operation getting into the rest of the basement. I plan to install a "makeup air" supply duct from outside to give the exhaust a supply of fresh air to draw across the lead pot.
So just putting a box fan to blow across the bench probably will not have the desired effect.
There is also an HVAC duct running through the majority of the room. I don't plan to put a ceiling in, and may cut a louvered vent in for heat when needed in the Winter, and a little cool air on hot Summer days.
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