Melting lead shennanigans

[GeneT45]

For all this, I look at the cast cylinder on my desk (yes - weighing down paper right now), and I feel unsettled by stuff like in the video. When I was young, I often had my hands in aviation AVGAS. I would cheerfully solder circuit stuff. OK, I didn't eat it, but now I discover folk who use shooting ranges also wear masks!

Anyone exposed to lead regularly (reloaders, casters, etc) should have their lead levels checked whenever they get a physical / bloodwork. It's always been done at my request and has never added any cost to my regular lab work. Of course that's just monitoring. Generally hygiene (personal and workspace) will keep most adults in the safe zone. Pro-tip: don't dry-tumble brass indoors...

GsT

 

[mac1911]

Lead is easy to melt , a small colman stove works well for small quantities
The one metal I have plenty of scrap of.

 

[graham-xrf]

GeneT45
Thank you sir - for the link. You could not know, but as it happens, I am awaiting the results of blood tests after a consultation last week. I was there because of a range of painful and debilitating symptoms that are also shown in the video.

I would have been one of those exposed to gasoline lead from decades ago, now leaching out of bones. Tetra-ethyl lead from fuel? Even today, aviation AVGAS is still leaded to qualify for use in engines certified, and I have often enough been close enough to the airplanes. I was never at risk from firing guns contamination, but fumes from soldering electronic parts may have had a role.

I am old enough to be feeling some of the the common effects of ageing, but the onset of what I experience now came on so quickly, I thought I had been poisoned! I am due to visit the doctor in a few days, and this possibility is one I shall mention.

 

[mac1911]

Plumbing in olden days was done using cast iron pipes. The connections were made using lead and oakum so it was
common for plumbers to have a gasoline powered heater with a large pot made of cast iron and filled with lead. It's
obvious now that the plumbers were contaminating themselves by working with the stuff but the biological effects are
commonly not seen for years. Lead concentrates in the bones and the body has no way to remove it so not something
to be used casually. Overheating lead generates lead fumes that is more toxic than people realize. It's best to melt
the lead outside with just enough heat to get the job done. I found this photo on the internet.
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I have one of these old heaters. It holds 2.5 gallons of gasoline and is capable of generating a lot of heat. I use it solely
for stuff like heating up the diesel tractor on a cold day. The tank has a pressure gauge on it and uses a small hand operated
air piston to pump it up. I generally pump it to twenty PSI which is plenty and the gauge goes well over that to eighty PSI
or so. It makes one think when pumping air pressure into a canister of gasoline! The amazing part is that it is probably
a hundred years old and still works well, more than I can say for most stuff made these days.

It would be a good idea to read up on the toxicities of lead before heating up a pot of it. If you do, you will be a lot
more careful with the handling of it. That's not to say that I might make another lead hammer or two but will be mindful in
doing so.

I have one of these style smelters. It’s a lineman‘s furnace runs off kerosene versus gasoline. I like firing it up. It’s like firing up a mini jet engine makes a cool sound to mine works very good and melts lead just as fast as anything else I have it’s just a little more costly using kerosene versus propane.
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