bezalel2000
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15 Foundry Hot Work Safety Rules th_rulze
1. Personal Protective Equipment - Get it & Use it
2. Tidy foundry area
3. Clamp or Weight Flasks
4. Use Dry Clean Metal
5. Preheat all metal and furnace tools
6. Move the melt slowly a short distance furnace to flask
7. Know what you're melting
8. Inspections before use
9. Watch for a bubling sprue
10. Plan emergency exit route
11. Be Alert
12. Zn & Mg Fluxing
13. No Water
14. Watch for leaks
15. First Aid
The Details ---
1. Personal Protective Equipment - Clothing covering all skin, purpose built or made of natural materials like leather, heavy wool or heavy cotton. No Polyester or nylons. Boots to be Class 1 safety. Full face shield and leather gauntlets.
2. Tidy foundry area - Pouring area to be free from all items not involved in pouring process. Floor to be clear of trip hazards and concrete slabs and pavers covered with minimum 1" layer of sand
3. Clamp or Weight Flasks - Hydrostatic pressure of liquid metal can lift a lot of weight - once the cope and drag have separated due to this pressure the uncontrolled flow of metal is extremely hazardous.
4. Use Dry Clean Metal - Impurities on the surface of the melt metal may become an airborne breathing hazard e.g.. lead paint etc. in the melt these impurities often increase the dross to be removed from the melt.
5. Preheat all metal and furnace tools - This reduces the risk of condensation an tools and furnace recharge metal from steam explosions occurring in the melt.
6. Move the melt slowly & a short distance furnace to flask - It is said that liquid metal is runnier than water and splashes further - minimise the possibility of spills and splashes.
7. Know what you're melting - The characteristics like melting temperature of the metal is good to know before you start and more importantly know the adverse health affects of hazardous alloy elements like Lead, Zinc, mercury or Berilium.
8. Inspections before use - knowing the condition of the crucible the furnace walls the fuel lines burners and pouring tools is critical. Failure of any of these items during a melt or pour can be extremely undesirable.
9. Watch for a bubbling sprue - low permeability sand or excess moisture in the mould can result in a steam build up or blow back out the sprue - if your lucky you'll see the bubbling before it builds up pressure. Quickly execute safety rule 10.
10. Plan emergency exit route - Identify before you start to pour what your escape routes are if the unexpected eventuates. like a flask failure leading to metal leak, Bubbling sprue, cracked crucible, faulty pouring hardware etc.
11. Be Alert - Working in the foundry tired, sick, drugged, stoned or drunk is just plain dumb!
12. Zn & Mg Fluxing - These metals and others (like phosphorous) evaporate and ignite easily at relatively low temperatures Fluxing the melt properly with alloys that contain these metals will avoid the undesirable loss of these metals from the alloy.
13. No Water - Water or moisture that manages to get below the surface of liquid metal in the furnace or mould will become a bomb within milliseconds
14. Watch for leaks - That strange aroma is the melt that has leaked out of the back of the flask trickled around under the drag along the floor and is now consuming the soles of your boots. Gas leaks are bad too - refer to rule no.8
15. First Aid - despite the best planning, maintenance, preparation and care, sometimes 5h1t just happens. Be prepared for the worst, A roll of cling rap plastic for large burns. a working phone for emergency services, and a car for the quick trip to the surgery. And most importantly someone available to patch you up, call an ambulance or drive you to the Doctor.
:hDe:
These rules relate to the hot work in the foundry only. There are a plethora of other safety issues in a foundry to consider also, like manual handling of flasks, respiratory hazards like silicates in the sand and bentonite.
As well as a long list of chemicals that may be used for pattern making, core making, ladle wash, mould coatings and so on and so on. There is no substitute for taking the time to identify all the hazards at your casting facility and find ways to mitigate the risk.
I hope this list of safety rules will raise awareness and provide a foundation fore further investigation for those considering venturing into the art of casting.
Bez
1. Personal Protective Equipment - Get it & Use it
2. Tidy foundry area
3. Clamp or Weight Flasks
4. Use Dry Clean Metal
5. Preheat all metal and furnace tools
6. Move the melt slowly a short distance furnace to flask
7. Know what you're melting
8. Inspections before use
9. Watch for a bubling sprue
10. Plan emergency exit route
11. Be Alert
12. Zn & Mg Fluxing
13. No Water
14. Watch for leaks
15. First Aid
The Details ---
1. Personal Protective Equipment - Clothing covering all skin, purpose built or made of natural materials like leather, heavy wool or heavy cotton. No Polyester or nylons. Boots to be Class 1 safety. Full face shield and leather gauntlets.
2. Tidy foundry area - Pouring area to be free from all items not involved in pouring process. Floor to be clear of trip hazards and concrete slabs and pavers covered with minimum 1" layer of sand
3. Clamp or Weight Flasks - Hydrostatic pressure of liquid metal can lift a lot of weight - once the cope and drag have separated due to this pressure the uncontrolled flow of metal is extremely hazardous.
4. Use Dry Clean Metal - Impurities on the surface of the melt metal may become an airborne breathing hazard e.g.. lead paint etc. in the melt these impurities often increase the dross to be removed from the melt.
5. Preheat all metal and furnace tools - This reduces the risk of condensation an tools and furnace recharge metal from steam explosions occurring in the melt.
6. Move the melt slowly & a short distance furnace to flask - It is said that liquid metal is runnier than water and splashes further - minimise the possibility of spills and splashes.
7. Know what you're melting - The characteristics like melting temperature of the metal is good to know before you start and more importantly know the adverse health affects of hazardous alloy elements like Lead, Zinc, mercury or Berilium.
8. Inspections before use - knowing the condition of the crucible the furnace walls the fuel lines burners and pouring tools is critical. Failure of any of these items during a melt or pour can be extremely undesirable.
9. Watch for a bubbling sprue - low permeability sand or excess moisture in the mould can result in a steam build up or blow back out the sprue - if your lucky you'll see the bubbling before it builds up pressure. Quickly execute safety rule 10.
10. Plan emergency exit route - Identify before you start to pour what your escape routes are if the unexpected eventuates. like a flask failure leading to metal leak, Bubbling sprue, cracked crucible, faulty pouring hardware etc.
11. Be Alert - Working in the foundry tired, sick, drugged, stoned or drunk is just plain dumb!
12. Zn & Mg Fluxing - These metals and others (like phosphorous) evaporate and ignite easily at relatively low temperatures Fluxing the melt properly with alloys that contain these metals will avoid the undesirable loss of these metals from the alloy.
13. No Water - Water or moisture that manages to get below the surface of liquid metal in the furnace or mould will become a bomb within milliseconds
14. Watch for leaks - That strange aroma is the melt that has leaked out of the back of the flask trickled around under the drag along the floor and is now consuming the soles of your boots. Gas leaks are bad too - refer to rule no.8
15. First Aid - despite the best planning, maintenance, preparation and care, sometimes 5h1t just happens. Be prepared for the worst, A roll of cling rap plastic for large burns. a working phone for emergency services, and a car for the quick trip to the surgery. And most importantly someone available to patch you up, call an ambulance or drive you to the Doctor.
:hDe:
These rules relate to the hot work in the foundry only. There are a plethora of other safety issues in a foundry to consider also, like manual handling of flasks, respiratory hazards like silicates in the sand and bentonite.
As well as a long list of chemicals that may be used for pattern making, core making, ladle wash, mould coatings and so on and so on. There is no substitute for taking the time to identify all the hazards at your casting facility and find ways to mitigate the risk.
I hope this list of safety rules will raise awareness and provide a foundation fore further investigation for those considering venturing into the art of casting.
Bez
