I appreciate the information; I always wear a mask while mixing, but didn't know about the release of particulates when quenching. I'm not inexperienced; have been casting for years and always read the instructions when I can and MSDS's when I can find them, but this is news to me. When I cast, I wear a burn-resistant smock, welding gloves, leather shoes and a face shield; molten metal spooks me a little. And I always do a trial run with my centrifuge to make sure it's clamped down good and solid.
Talia, lots of people don't know where to look for information so anything we can do to minimize injuries is a good thing.
I read something here or at the other forum a few weeks ago about a dangerous thing to do and why; running equipment without a fan belt guard: Guilty as charged. I plan to make one before I use the offending piece of equipment again.
I didn't know when I first started carving stone that carving dry was bad. When I first started, there wasn't much of any information available on the internet or at the library about how to do this correctly. That's why I joined the other forum in the first place, because over the years I learned about the right and wrong ways to do things and wanted to share the knowledge with other peeps.
I think it's fascinating that someone has been doing casting since 1965 using plaster of paris, and I intend to try a control flask with a copied wax next time I cast to see how it works. It would be interesting if I've been wasting my money all these years.
Debbie K