At 10:23 AM 2/17/2009, Upton, Shawn wrote:
>As I slowly get into shooting myself, I've spent some time looking at
>the lead issue on that front.  Bullet casters (those who cast their own)
>seem to have rather high concentrations of lead in their blood.  Don't
>know if it comes from licking the molds afterwards or what, but it was
>listed in several spots.

Actually, not the experience of casters I know who've done it for 
years and actually had bloodtests done. I'd be interested if there's 
an actual study or cite to the contrary.

>[I do my searching the "new" fashioned
>way--Google--so I haven't kept track of references.]  It does not help
>that most primers have some form of lead in them also; it seems really
>fine lead dust (from the primer, from traces left on the bore if not
>using jacketed rounds, and fragments from hitting the backstop, probably
>a couple other places) is really easily absorbed (inhaled).  And of
>course, it can land on skin or clothing or hair, and be injested at a
>later date.  Or passed to other family members (washing machine, etc).
>
>I read on one site this feller using basically a tumbler to clean brass.
>That seems to me like a great way to airate any lead dust remaining on
>the brass!  Hope he doesn't do it in his basement.

Most do tumble. As do I.  Yep,  this (primer residue) is the real 
area for caution and cleanliness.  A couple caps full of acetone 
added to the media to clean off sizing lube settles the dust nicely. :-)


>Anyhow, back to what I wondered about earlier: seems that decomposition
>of lead bullets in the ground is one of those "depends" situations:
>rounds that sink into deep water don't bother anything, shallow waters
>can get ingested by critters (true on land too), but *some* soil types
>can lead to more rapid decomposition.
>
>Too bad that, after a couple thousand years of exposure, that we simply
>haven't evolved to better tolerate the stuff...
>
>Shawn Upton, KB1CKT
>Test Engineer
>Allegro MicroSystems, Inc
>[log in to unmask]
>603.626.2429/fax: 603.641.5336
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dwight Mattix
>Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 1:07 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [TN] Leadfree has gone too far.
>
>Graham,
>Call me if you ever go on the rocks with that sailboat.  I'll be there
>with bells on; and an axe, chainsaw and battery powered circular saw in
>hand to salvage that lead keel.
>I've got a trailer and a 7.3L turbo diesel that'll pull several tons
>of salvage Pb.   Wha-hoo-ahh!
>
>Some of us have a different type of lead poisoning. It's more of a
>disease of the mind.  It involves scrounging wheel weights from tire
>shops, smelting into muffin tin size ingots for later casting of
>boolitts and shot.  Those with this disease can never have enough scrap
>lead on hand  (my PRECIOUSSS).
>
>The gold bugs and SHTF types are actively converting cash to gold.
>Forget that. Too much competition in that market.  I'm happily laying in
>stocks of brass and lead.  :-)  I reckon those commodities along with
>alcohol, tobacco and seed corn will be the currency of a TEOTWAKI
>economy.  If the end doesn't come in our lifetime we've still got guns,
>alcohol and an open flame under the smelter! What else does a high tech
>redneck need for a rooting tooting good time?
>
>Blue Ribbon, pork rinds, scrap Pb? Sounds like a dream road trip.  LOL.

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