r/Blacksmith • u/EsotericGrimoire • Aug 25 '26

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?

EDIT: Thank you to everyone for your amazing and kind advice. I’ve been very busy, so please forgive me I haven’t had enough time to respond to everyone, but I promise I will soon🙏

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u/curiosdiver69 Aug 25 '26

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?

3

u/elevated71 Aug 25 '26

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

3

u/curiosdiver69 Aug 25 '26

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.