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Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 17 9:10 pm Post subject: Lead

Have just stripped a surprising amount of lead out of the bathroom and am wondering if we have any more imaginative ideas of what to do with it other than weighing it in.

Obviously there are environmentally unsound fishing weights and bullets, but until the civil war starts, I have little use for either.
Could make a lead acid battery, to prove it can be done, but really that's just a bit silly, and unlikely to use much of it up...

Probably just be a trip to the yard, but I thought I'd put the idea out for inspirations...

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16004

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 17 7:05 am Post subject:

Assume you got it in the form of pipes if it came from a bathroom. If you melt it down you can make it into various things, or if you have facilities to melt other metals like tin, you could make lead rich pewter or tin lead solder, but I would suggest the most environmentally friendly thing to do, and best for you and your families health is to weigh it into a scrap yard. If you must melt it down, do it outside to reduce fume risk, and probably best to handle with disposable gloves as any oxide can get on your skin.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 17 9:23 am Post subject:
it is very useful to have "in stock" for a variety of things, top of my list would be for making lead sash weights to replace the cast iron ones. if replacing sash windows or replacing old glass with modern spec stuff ( especially laminate ) the extra weight compared to thin ie unsafe victorian glass is far too much for iron weights.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 17 10:25 am Post subject:

dpack wrote:

it is very useful to have "in stock" for a variety of things, top of my list would be for making lead sash weights to replace the cast iron ones...

That is much my thinking also, but there is rather more here than I need as a "just in case": I can't see that particular job coming up any time for me.
OTOH if I were to cast it into ingots, it would not take up any significant space...

john of wessex

Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 2130

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 17 10:30 am Post subject:
What sort of lead? Pipe, sheet?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 17 10:48 am Post subject:
you might be surprised at how much you need to balance 4 sheets of 3+3 laminate in a sash window ingots seems ideal if you make em sash weight diameter you can cut to length and drill holes as required.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6614
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 17 11:14 am Post subject:

One thing about traveling around the UK that surprised me was your comfort with lead. Over here it's not nearly as ubiquitous, and is very much public enemy number 1 for a lot of organizations.

To have a new door installed in the apartment I rent out, I couldn't do it myself as I'm not "lead safe" certified. Had to have a contractor that tarped the whole area, suited up in tyvek and a respirator and goggles, and removed the old trim with the lead paint.

Yes that's overkill and probably a lot of BS, but I think demonstrates the difference in reaction to hearing the word lead a bit

Last edited by Slim on Mon Sep 18, 17 11:29 am; edited 1 time in total

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 17 11:18 am Post subject:

john of wessex wrote:

What sort of lead? Pipe, sheet?

This is mainly pipe.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 17 1:52 pm Post subject:

Slim wrote:

0ld lead based paint deserves decent ppe and hygiene but flashings etc is decent hygiene

we take old industrial sites where lead has been smelted etc fairly seriously and should use full ppe, drums etc etc when removing all the soil and debris for "safe" disposal before any works are undertaken.

that said over here the tailings from old lead mines (and many other metal mines )is usually just left as a heap with a few very metal tolerant plants growing on them

quite a few houses still have the incoming water main in victorian lead which is ok unless you live in a soft water area , the advice then is run the tap for 30 seconds before filling the kettle:roll:

compared to hanford and sellafield a bit of old lead seems pretty harmless

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 17 3:13 pm Post subject:

Slim wrote:

Yes. But lead isn't that harmful.

You lot hand out automatic weapons to toddlers.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6614
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 17 3:19 pm Post subject:
If you outlaw automatic weapons for toddlers, only outlaw toddlers would pump you full of lead! ( https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/12770/if-gets-outlawed-only-outlaws-will just in case that saying isn't so common over there ) Last edited by Slim on Mon Sep 18, 17 4:40 pm; edited 1 time in total

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 17 4:32 pm Post subject:

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Wed Sep 20, 17 6:07 pm Post subject:
I remember a while ago chatting to some chaps in a pub. One was a roofer, who was bemoaning the fact that he needed to find somebody to go and take his annual blood test for him! Henry

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4630
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Wed Sep 20, 17 9:26 pm Post subject:
This thread being right next to the "Feathers" one looks like the set up for that old riddle.....

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16004

Posted: Thu Sep 21, 17 7:11 am Post subject:
Sure it was for lead and not alcohol though.

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