Quote Originally Posted by JUNGLEJIMJIGS View Post
I spray a product called Drop out on my molds where filling is an issue and like magic no more bad pours. Eye protection is also a must have. Some years back a friend sent me some large sinkers that he found during low tide. When I put one in my pot it exploded and some lead actually hit the sealing. I had some burns on my hands and had some lead hanging from my eye lashes, it was a miracle that I wasn't blinded. Not sure if it was water in the sinker or perhaps salt but it's something I will never forget. Safety glasses go on before I even sit down now.
My first time ever melting down lead was 2 or so years ago and I had a very similar thing happen. I had gone around to some scrap metal places and bought lead. I got quite a bit of x ray room lining that had been folded up into a pretty small piece. I didn't think about trapped water turning instantly to steam, but it does and it did, and it blew molten lead everywhere. Luckily I was dropping pieces of lead into the large pot and turning my head to avoid an accidental splash or whatever. If I had been looking at the cooker when I dropped it in, it could have been bad.