| The Shop > Metal Stuff |
| Casting, safety equipment |
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| Ashlyn Katarzyna:
Are regular leather welder gloves really not good enough for casting aluminum? I'm seeing $80 a pair for gloves that aluminized. Will a firemens fire jacket be sufficent for protection from the blistering heat or do i need to invest in something else? What type of boots are preferred, I know they need a steel toe but is there a specific type that is desired? Where do you buy the face shield with the mesh embedded into it. Seems overkill but maybe I should have 1 for the gas axe too. Any US suppliers that have better prices on some of this equipment? I am trying to draw up enough ambition to go sweat my arse off outside to start the furnace build but I wanted to have the safety equipment on hand in case I got a bug up my pant leg and fired it off before being equipped. |
| S. Heslop:
Here's a video on making overshoes I thought was novel, but I'm not sure how it'd hold up against contact with molten metal. It'd melt through the mylar and aluminium pretty quick, and the ceramic blanket looks pretty porous. The whole suit probably just limits mobility and visibility too, creating more of a hazard. Aluminized stuff is for reflecting radiated heat, which could be useful when melting white hot iron, but molten aluminium barely glows. Aluminized gloves might keep your knuckles more comfortable though. I've read in the past that there aren't really any boots that'd hold up against dropping a crucible of molten metal on them, and difficult to remove boots with fancy soles and steel caps would serve to contain the metal around your foot. Supposedly the foundry boots you can buy are more to stop hot bits of metal from melting up through the soles and reaching your foot if you step on them. It's probably best to just avoid holding the crucible directly over your feet if possible and regular leather shoes would protect from small droplets (and be easier to get off in a hurry). |
| vtsteam:
I doubt you'll get much response if asking what you should do, for obvious liability reasons. Better to ask what other people do, listen to a range of experience, and then decide for yourself. I'll answer the latter question, in my case. When I melted aluminum, in quantities of under 5 lbs, I did so on a 8" bore charcoal furnace. I always wore an arc welders helmet with clear glass when actually pouring, welding gloves, and a heavy shirt, or jacket if cold, and leather work boots. I wear considerably more now that I pour iron from a waste oil furnace. Charcoal is much safer than liquid or gas fuels, and aluminum is much lower temp pour than iron. I now wear a full length leather shop apron, leather welders snap on boot covers, and a welding cape, besides the arc welders helmet, and welders gloves. I don't wear aluminized gear -- the amount of radiant heat generated is shielded well enough by the leather gear, for me. This isn't a commercial foundry. But for spills or splatters, leather will not hold up long if iron lands on it. My philosophy is that it has nowhere to stay on with my outfit -- it should roll off of what I am wearing before it has a chance to penetrate. All seams overlap, like roof shingles. Boots without boot covers are capable of trapping metal on the tongue. The boot protectors cover that up with a smooth leather surface. They aren't expensive -- something like ten bucks. If I'd known about them back when I was just pouring aluminum, I probably would have worn them -- I think foot damage is the most likely danger from a spill, and face shielding is essential for splatters. The hands need radiant protection, but welders gloves seem adequate to me for that. Again, you have to decide for yourself what is adequate for you. This is just what I do. |
| tom osselton:
I just picked up a welders split leg type apron and have cowboy boots ( no laces) and still have my old leather jacket to wear. I haven't yet picked up a face sheild although in a pinch I could use a welder's helmet. I think the main thing is how full of metal, and how well your tong's fit the saftey should start there. |
| Ashlyn Katarzyna:
Okay. I never really paid attention to alum melt temps vs steel when I weld on other one, just enough to know when I got good penetration. Maybe I'll just go w/ some good boots since I need something rugged I have the covers but havent figured them out on tennis shoes(maybe thats the reason) and some new gloves and other leather things. |
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