Author Topic: Smoked Cavity Blow out  (Read 10576 times)

Offline Kasilofchrisn

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Re: Smoked Cavity Blow out
« Reply #15 on: 09/03/15 11:30 UTC »
I have never smoked a mold I always use drop out.
I also never use a mold that isn't preheated. Preheating not only helps the molds fill out better but also ensures there can be no moisture as they are preheated to a temp higher than waters boiling point.
I wear fire resistant nomex coveralls as well as welding gloves,leather footwear and most importantly safety glasses with side shields.
What a good reminder to think safety and work safely.

Offline Partycrasher

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Re: Smoked Cavity Blow out
« Reply #16 on: 09/04/15 07:58 UTC »
I cut corners and didn't have the right glove on.  That was my big mistake.  And upon inspection my welding gloves from 1977 have a few holes so I am getting a new pair this weekend.

What was strange is that I had already poured about 8 jigs out of the mold and I started loosing the collar so I smoked it.  The mold was plenty hot by that time.  It was the first pour after smoking where it burped out.  So it had something to do with the smoking process.  Most likely the carbon attracting moisture as mentioned in some posts.

Things are healing OK.  Still stings in the shower but nothing looks infected.  I've been very careful to keep it clean and covered.

Im sure i'll have a good scar to remember this one.  And I'm guessing this dashes my life-long dreams of being a hand model some day... LOL

Offline efishnc

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Re: Smoked Cavity Blow out
« Reply #17 on: 09/07/15 21:13 UTC »
Reading this thread reminds me of my explosion this spring... roughly the same long history without an accident and then POW, a major wake-up call... I now wear glasses when pouring lead.

Offline Kdog

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Re: Smoked Cavity Blow out
« Reply #18 on: 10/05/15 10:05 UTC »
Safety first.  Gloves which I rarely wear are necessary evils.  I always preheat my molds 15 - 20 minutes which IMO prevents a lot of issues including the one you experienced.

I have smoked molds in the past and yes it helps but is messy and I do not like the appearance plus cleaning the soot off of a mold is a Pain In The @ss if you get my drift. I use talcum powder a lot and never had a problem and last fall started using drop out which is a giant leap forward ----- Be sure it is dry, it lasts a long, long time when properly applied.

As far as the spatter getting stuck, first reaction should be turn your hand upside down and dip in water.  Although too late now, it helps a lot with the burning. Ideally when you turn your hand over the lead will fall off leaving only a surface burn but it requires a fast reaction on your part.  Lead is nasty and loves to stick to skin.

There are gel burn pads that help the healing process and prevent scarring. I discovered them a few years ago when I was welding a contraption and tried to stop it from falling which resulted in a 1-1/2 wide 2-3 degree burn across the back of my hand. Yes it hurt, but the pads led to a rapid healing and were pretty soothing as well.
Wishing y'all tight lines and bent wriggling rods. Happy Fishing!