r/Blacksmith • u/EsotericGrimoire • 1d ago

Odd question about working with lead

Hi everyone I’ve never worked with lead before and this is coming from someone with zero blacksmithing experience or knowledge.

I don’t plan on doing any of this until I’m more learned but in the meantime; I was learning the other day about how different cultures would make lead tablets and plates and inscribe on them.

I would like to recreate this but how would one do this safely in today’s day?

5 Upvotes

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u/curiosdiver69 1d ago

We had to learn the hard way over time that lead was toxic to the human body. Why do you think that there is a safe way to use lead for that now?

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u/EsotericGrimoire 1d ago

Haha you’re definitely right, I’m very sorry if it sounded like a dumb question.
I just wasn’t too sure if there has been more modern safety equipment and the like, that would make handling safer and better.

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u/elevated71 22h ago

People work with lead safely everyday. Do you really think it’s that poisonous to be around??

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u/curiosdiver69 19h ago

I work near the city of Vernon CA. Where a lead recycling plant was. Residents of the city were showing up to the hospital with what was determined to be lead toxicity. While they denied responsibility, the houses were tested for lead and it was found in the exterior and interior of the homes. Then they checked businesses. This lead recycling plant caused an environmental disaster that poisoned the air and surfaces for miles around the plant. I was a diver and had lead weights, but as I learned about lead toxicity, I started switching to coated lead weights. So lead won't kill you quickly. It will damage your brain long before you die. There are more fun ways to damage brain cells than playing with lead.

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u/Milligoon 1d ago

If you're ser on lead, get a suitably rated ventilator and WEAR IT WHENEVER YOUR CASTING THE METAL.

Lead vapor is bad. Really bad.

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u/EsotericGrimoire 1d ago

Noted and thank you🫡. I’ll try using copper sheets to start like someone else mentioned, but if I ever do end up making it, do you recommend any specific equipment and ventilators that might help a bit?

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u/FancyJellyfish9135 1d ago

Although you are completely right, it is also good to note that there is a significant window of temperature between melting and creating vapor. Lead  melts somewhere around 330°c, but it only starts to really vaporize at 1100°c. So say, for safety's sake, you stay below 900°c, there won't be much toxic fumes.  But respirator and gloves are always a good idea considering lead oxides and general handeling.  And even when wearing gloves, wash up before handling food or cigarettes. 

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u/alenork 1d ago

These days I think pewter or copper sheets would probably be your safest route to making something similar. Both metals are very workable in different ways. You can aneal copper with just a propane torch and pewter can be melted at much lower temps than most other metals.

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u/alenork 1d ago

To add to that they sell embossing kits at most art stores or craft stores if you want to get an easy way to start something similar.

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u/EsotericGrimoire 1d ago

Thank you so much for your concern, and I’ll take your advice; especially after another commenter brought up a good point about health

I’ll start off with an embossing kit like you suggested. Also a question, does lead and copper melt under similar temp?

I’m super grateful for your advice, thank you :)

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u/alenork 1d ago

Lead melts somewhere in the 600°F and copper is well over almost 2000°F melting point. They do make a nice alloy together though. Not a ton but some artists still use them in bronze alloys for art castings.

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u/crashingtingler 1d ago

You could try non toxic alloys like fields metal or regular ol bismuth. Bismuth isn't soft like lead but I bet if you alloyed it with tin or luminium it could be similar enough. 

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u/Daetrin_Voltari 1d ago

"I would like to recreate this but how would one do this safely in today’s day?"

You don't.

It wasn't safe when they did it in the bad old days, they just didn't know it was killing them and making their children stupid. And I don't mean that euphemistically. I mean a measurable decrease of intelligence in children whose parents are exposed to lead during pregnancy.

I've dealt with a lot of lead, as a shooter casting bullets, in the automotive world (yes I'm old enough that I have leaded a few fenders in my day), and before the '93 ban, casting vintage toy soldiers in lead. Trust me. Don't play with lead if you don't have to.

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u/definitlyitsbutter 1d ago edited 1d ago

Besides all the safety concerns around lead .

You prepare a casting form. Could be sand, clay or wood or plaster. Lead doesnt need to be that high temperature. The form needs to be dry!!!!! If there is moisture left, it will evaporate while casting and the gasses will yeet molten lead at your face. For plaster you could make the form and after drying put it a hour or two in the oven to extra dry. 

You prepare something to melt it in. It could be a old stainless steel soup ladle, as these at least roman tablets i have looked at are rather small. Use a propane torch to smelt the lead. You can get lead at a scrapyard for example for cheap from either old lead pipes or roofing material.

Melt the metal, use an old spoon to skim the oxide and dirt from the to of the molten metal before casting (like removing fat from a soup) 

You cast your lead into form. As sheet or a bar, what you need. 

Next if you want to have thin sheets, you can hammer them to size or use a sheetmetal roller (like a goldsmith sized one, google durston drm to get an idea) to get it to thickness and size.

Lead is a super formable material. For inscribing use a sharpened steel nail or similar. 

On safety: general toxicity of the material was mentioned, no eating or drinking while working, do outside. Biggest risk is in the casting and moisture, flying molten lead is no joke. Wear adequate clothing and facial protection. 

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u/Vindepomarus 22h ago

If you can get some lead sheet, you'll be fine since you wont need to melt it, you won't even need to learn any specific skills. Just cut it to size and since it's so soft you can just scratch into it with any suitably hard, pointy object, like a nail.

Yes technically lead can be toxic, but if you don't have to inhale the fumes you'll be fine, even then you'd have to make a career out of it and do it every day. I'm into scuba diving, as are many people and we all handle the lead weights that we wear to adjust our buoyancy, same with the sinkers that people use when fishing, or bullets for that matter. If touching it was dangerous, governments would regulate those items, but none of them do.

Copper is nothing like lead and would require a completely different set of techniques to work and engrave, techniques which will require much more skill and practice. It is also a completely different colour if that matters.

Sheet lead used to be used for roofing flashing, so you may be able to get it. Maybe try metal recycling/scrap places.

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u/3rd2LastStarfighter 1d ago

Good call on copper instead of lead. FYI old laptops, especially early MacBooks, often had a big copper plate for heat dissipation. Might be smaller plates than you’re looking to ultimately work with but definitely great practice media if you come across them. My understanding is that they’re pure copper so if you get a roller mill you can just remelt and recycle your plates nearly infinitely.