Casting Question

[M3845708Bama]

Thinking of building an indoor casting area. How well does sitting down casting help with back problems or does it? Figured some here have tried it and may have onsite. I have been reluctant due to possible tensel fairy visits.

 

[Brad]

I know Khornet sits when casting.
As long as the height of the pot is right for the seated height then it should be fine.

 

[Ian]

I switched about eight years ago. Get a rollie chair like an office secretary's chair with no armrests and make sure the cushion is good or your butt will go numb. Wear a denim or leather apron to protect lap and knees, and keep the area behind the chair clear so you can kick yourself back quickly should the need arise.

The trick to comfort is a low workbench that you can barely get your knees under so you can work with your shoulders relaxed and elbows bent at about 90⁰. A cooking vent hood is barely enough ventilation, I did all the math on this a while back and 6" flue pipe with a fan rated to pull an actual 500 cfm minimum after accounting for duct losses works well if you build a nice, low hood for it. Put lights under the hood so you can see what you're doing and make a flip-up panel so you can access the pot from above for alloy maintenance. Or work in front of a window with a box fan in it and a cardboard panel taped above the fan to keep fumes out if the room.

 

[Ian]

 

[uncle jimbo]

I sit when I cast. I have done it for years. However I don't do any melting or casting indoors. Always do it outside on the patio.

 

[popper]

Office chair, gloves and cap, long sleeve cotton shirt and cotton towel tucked into belt. I cast in the garage with the door open. Closed shoes too.

 

[MW65]

I'm like uncle Jimbo... Outside, comfy chair, shop apron, and plenty of ventilation!

 

[CZ93X62]

What Popper said. I have done it this way since Day 1.

ETA--having the left middle finger taped up semi-rigid is complicating the ^%$# out of typing lately.

 

[Bret4207]

I've tried casting while sitting. I found it very confining and uncomfortable. And it didn't seem to help what ever it is that gets my back issues screaming. I've gotten more comfort from a cushioned floor mat as far as my back went, that seemed to help quite a bit. I also do my other loading related stuff standing. In fact I do most all my work not related to computer stuff, taxes and research standing. I also smelt outside, obviously, but cast inside a room off my barn. Fumes from the reducers generally smell better than the rest of the barn, so ventilation isn't real big concern.

Just what I've observed, your mileage may vary.

 

[Cherokee]

I cast standing, indoors in my workshop. All melting & fluxing is done out doors, casting is with clean ingots. I stand on a 1" thick rubber mat.

 

[Rick]

When I did try sitting while bottom feeding I had to build a stand to raise up the pot. That all went away when I started casting better bullets with the ladle and standing to cast.

 

[Ian]

I have a genetic predisposition for joint ailments, particularly knees and lumbar discs, so I re-trained myself to do as many things while sitting as possible to save the knees. Reloading is a lot more tough to figure out how to do while sitting in a chair than casting, at least for me. I can't say that sitting is any easier on the back than standing to cast, but it's a lot better on the knees and our "trunks" have more leverage with the legs in a sitting position with feet flat on the floor. It's important to sit "at attention" and not slump/slouch or the sitting position while casting is murder on the upper back.

 

[KeithB]

I have always cast bullets and reloaded while sitting on a tall stool. I also do a whole lot of machine work sitting on the same tall stool. I can stand and move around easier than when sitting in a lower chair. I usually wear a shop apron with my upper legs/lap lower at the knees than at the hips so any chips, lead drops, etc roll forward and on to the floor. I cast in our shop w/a concrete floor, and I reload in a room with a tile over concrete floor, Dropping things won't hurt the floor or set it on fire so no worries there.

 

[JonB]

I've been a sitter for decades.
While I've only been a caster for about 1 decade, I've been sitting during my job for many years prior. I've had bad knees since I was a teenager, so I always tried to figure a way to sit and work ever since.
Back to casting, I can't imagine casting standing up. I choose a chair to fit the Table/Workbench, then I mounted the bottom pour Pot high enough, so I could see the stream well. For a chair, I ended up with a vintage Samsonite folding chair, that is quite comfortable for me, for a folding chair...But 90 minutes is about the Max, and I have to take a break or quit casting.
I cast inside with minimal ventilation (window and small fan). I use only clean ingots inside and I do put a small amount of sawdust on top of a 1/2" of dross on a fresh pot of alloy, to create a isolation barrier, but don't flux beyond that.

 

[Uncle Grinch]

My casting table is a corner table made from a kitchen counter. It’s a little higher than a table, but I use an old operator chair ( remember the switchboard operators? ). It has adjustable height, swivels, has a foot rest and a pivoting back rest. Plus it well made and heavy. No problem sitting while casting here!

 

[fiver]

I stand up to cast and both sit and stand to reload.
I have 2 550 Dillon's set up for sitting and 2 set up for standing.

I have cast sitting down and kind of prefer to sit if I am using a ladle, or at least have the pot low enough to see in the top when using a ladle.
my casting bench is high [like 4' high] and I have my bottom pour pot on another stack of boards so I can look at the stream of alloy without stooping.
the stooping or hunching is what kills your back.
yep I have to stand on a little crate to clean the gunk out of the alloy, but that's something I only do every 300 lbs of alloy or so, so no big deal.

 

[Kevin Stenberg]

With bad knees and feet. I sit as much as I can.

 

[Reloader762]

I'm on my feet for 12 hrs. a day so when I'm enjoy my hobby of casting and reloading I sit using two old office chairs I recycled from work. Neither had arm rest and the one I use at the loading bench which mine is an old office desk had the back on it. The back was broken on the other so I use it at my casting station and I can easily swivel to the right or left depending on if I'm dropping air cooled bullets or water quenching in a 5 gal. bucket with a towel stretched over the top to form a V trap to prevent splash back. The seats are well padded and I spend a couple hrs. at a time casting an reloading.

 

[jsizemore]

I cast in the house so I can enjoy conditioned air. I cast sitting and reload standing. I got a 2 speed Jennair exhaust fan mounted to the outside wall and the intake is 8" from the casting pot. It's rated at 425CFM in downdraft configuration with 60ft of pipe, so 6" of exhaust and 12" of intake are negligible for losses. The spout for the casting pot is 36" above the floor and the chair seat is 16" above the floor. I can line up and watch the flow of alloy into the sprue hole. My casting rate is pretty sedate as compared to others so I get to lean back into the chair for 10-15 seconds to relax with each pour. I generally use 4-10 cavity molds so the rest is necessary.

I love those Ove gloves!

 

[Ole_270]

My bench is built high enough for comfortable work while standing. I got a tall stool with rollers on it similar to a bar stool, adjustable height padded seat and all. When sitting on it my knees are well above 90 degrees, makes it easy to move around and stand up when needed.