Well now that this section is here and since I'm about to start pouring lead for the 1st time I will share some tips that I've researched for the last several days.
1. Ventilation is a must not just for the obvious lead related issues but for the toxic chemicals that can be adhered to your recycled lead such as drain cleaners from lead pipe, when at all possible pour outside of your shop when 1st melting your scrap down.
2. Make absolutely sure there is no presence of water in or near your scrap or work area if you think molten plastic is a bang do a YouTube search for exploding lead.
3. Protect your investment such as your bottom pour furnace by fluxing your scrap in a pot or other vessel to prevent oxides from collecting on your pour valve - clean lead is your friend.
4. It is suggested that you create small ingots as opposed to large as dropping a large ingot to recharge your furnace can lead to splashing out of your furnace it will also drop the temperature of your furnace down to quickly leading to longer heat times.
5. Flux often as it will not hurt your lead and will help keep the other alloys in solution such as antimony, also helps with the flow in the mold.
#6 but not the last is to research, research and research there's allot of good info out there to keep you safe.
Safe and happy pouring.
Chris