By the way, this is the perfect “guy” activity for two reasons. 1. It involves the use of fire. And 2, there is the risk of being maimed or killed. The fire was from the blow torch and the maiming/killing part was from the lead. The poising you get from the lead fumes is not unlike the lead poising you get from breaking into a gun owners house, it just takes longer for the effect. A word about melting lead… When melting lead, lots of nasty vapors and fumes will be let off. It is important to do this in a well-ventilated area and stay well up-wind of the lead and a respirator is not a bad idea either. I did not have any wind the morning I did this, so I created my own using my trusty box fan. The lead will melt at just under 700 degrees so it is important to take some precautions when dealing with molten metal. Leather gloves, long sleeved shirt, pants and leather shoes are a must. And don’t forget eye protection. When the lead was heated, the impurities (aka dross) floated to the top. I then used my custom made dross skimmer (laying in the drip pan) to remove the nasty stuff and put it in the drip pan. When I was finished, the top of the lead was very smooth and shiny. The brick standing next to the can was used to block the wind comming from the fan. I did this to shorten the heating time. This is the same brick I used as a counter weight to hold the elevators on the saw hourses.
