How to clean out lead contaminated(?) cast iron

[SOLANCO]

Jesus wept! Spend twenty bucks and get over it.

https://www.amazon.com/Cedilis-Bast...7674054&sprefix=cast+oron+pot,aps,172&sr=8-58

 

[Rebel bull]

I guess i'm naive but i've never seen lead stick to true cast iron

 

[TNGhost]

I guess i'm naive but i've never seen lead stick to true cast iron

If it did, Lyman (and RCBS and SAECO and a few others) would be out of the bullet mold business tomorrow.

 

[Rebel bull]

If it did, Lyman (and RCBS and SAECO and a few others) would be out of the bullet mold business tomorrow.

aah but all of those are made of steel not cast iron lead will stick to steel ie: soldering ribs to barrels, but is that because of the mix of the solder?

 

[TNGhost]

aah but all of those are made of steel not cast iron lead will stick to steel ie: soldering ribs to barrels, but is that because of the mix of the solder?

Actually, Lyman molds are made out of Meehanite a type of cast iron, don't know for certain about the rest, but that is what my Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook says.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meehanite

 

[smoothshooter]

OK, here's the deal:

I have a cast iron, round bottom pot, about 1 1/2 to 2 gallon size.

When i first got it (new) cooked pinto beans in it, it didn't work too well for that. Was ok for stews, etc.

Then, in a fit of brilliance i used it to melt some lead. Wheel weight i think. Made a neat round bottom ingot, kind of like a lead frisbee.

So now after a lot more years have gone by, i'm thinking about trying to use it for cooking again, but worried about the lead (don't want to get any crazier than i am already).

My mind says there might be some lead in some of the surface roughness in the cast iron, but then it's not visible. I'm tempted to just turn it upside down over a fire, heat it up plenty hot, and start using it again, after reseasoning with the usual cast iron seasonng procedures.

What do you think? I recognize the health issue possibility. But i don't think the metallurgy is any kind of rocket science, the lead probably didn't combine with the cast iron, just was a surface film if anything, so just get it hot enough to melt and drop out any lead residue.

Now i don't think i'd want to try his on something that had been used as a lead pot for a long time. This was a one time thing.

What do you think?

rayb

Cough up the 20 bucks and buy a new skillet.

 

[WonkyEye]

mercury has an affinity for lead and can be used for removal. then you just have to worry about toxic mercury. the epa will be knocking at my door just for this post. i agree with the others, its not worth the risk. ditch the pot.

Next post.... "How do I remove mercury from a cast iron pot ...."

 

[Bark-eater]

Just to keep going farther afield... I've been eyeballing the remains of some sort of shallow lead sink at the scrap yard. Over time what ever chemicals they where dumping in it ate the bottom sheet out of it. Its a lot of lead, but I just cant convince my self that I'd want to melt the scraps that are contaminated with something that eats lead...

 

[windini]

As we cast this lead thread forward in time, let me be the first to say "Howdy" to our muzzleloading brethren of the Future!

What's the world like in 2034? Are you planning any special celebrations for next year's 30th anniversary? How I hope the kind robots of the Old Codger's Storage Facility let me stay up and watch the reveal of the Gilded Cast Iron Pot statue on June 28!



Incidentally, I, too, have a cast iron pot that I've melted lead in. The post above is no reflection on my post-Pb usage of said vessel.

 

[WonkyEye]

Just to keep going farther afield... I've been eyeballing the remains of some sort of shallow lead sink at the scrap yard. Over time what ever chemicals they where dumping in it ate the bottom sheet out of it. Its a lot of lead, but I just cant convince my self that I'd want to melt the scraps that are contaminated with something that eats lead...

Probably just acid of some sort, or lye. I imagine you'd be ok if you treated it like any other scrap and did a cleaning session first, outside, with lots of flux and stayed upwind.

 

[FlinterNick]

OK, here's the deal:

I have a cast iron, round bottom pot, about 1 1/2 to 2 gallon size.

When i first got it (new) cooked pinto beans in it, it didn't work too well for that. Was ok for stews, etc.

Then, in a fit of brilliance i used it to melt some lead. Wheel weight i think. Made a neat round bottom ingot, kind of like a lead frisbee.

So now after a lot more years have gone by, i'm thinking about trying to use it for cooking again, but worried about the lead (don't want to get any crazier than i am already).

My mind says there might be some lead in some of the surface roughness in the cast iron, but then it's not visible. I'm tempted to just turn it upside down over a fire, heat it up plenty hot, and start using it again, after reseasoning with the usual cast iron seasonng procedures.

What do you think? I recognize the health issue possibility. But i don't think the metallurgy is any kind of rocket science, the lead probably didn't combine with the cast iron, just was a surface film if anything, so just get it hot enough to melt and drop out any lead residue.

Now i don't think i'd want to try his on something that had been used as a lead pot for a long time. This was a one time thing.

What do you think?

rayb

I wouldn’t want to mess around with cooking in a pot i used lead in. But if you want to clean it, dump a whole bunch a flux in it, let it melt and then start scraping out the pan, once it’s clean. Then I’d i’d clean it with Brillo and soap, after that I’d heat it up to around 1500 degrees for a bit until it was completely sanitized.

I still wouldn’t cook out of it just because i know there was lead in it.

 

[WonkyEye]

One could always get a lead testing kit, and see if one gets a positive reaction, right? You might also do this on a garage sale or flea market cast iron. Lead test swabs will give you results in 30 seconds. TRUE might be tedious in a large pot. On the other hand, if you get a positive result with the first swab, you need not go further, eh?

LD

I don't know if I'd trust the tester kit. I hear they are not very sensitive

 

[waksupi]

Wash it with detergent several times, then test with these.

https://www.amazon.com/AAwipes-Test...88d19354d3a153e6cd83937&qid=1735046237&sr=8-4

If you want to freak out about lead, do a search for getting lead out of clothing. I had never thought much about contamination in clothes, but apparently it's very common. Lead is everywhere in the environment.

 

[Whitworth]

Just sandblast the inside until it's nice and shiny, and then go buy a new pot Seriously I'm sure more than one skillet or pot was used to melt lead then cook supper in days of yesteryear.

 

[Whitworth]

Wash it with detergent several times, then test with these.

https://www.amazon.com/AAwipes-Testing-30-Second-Results-Surfaces/dp/B0C55F4YN9/ref=sr_1_4?adgrpid=1346902315853375&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2FwXkEC6fnJ-M_GQMMKDpLFKXAbobUMDzrPWFJIg-07wwR2zr2DTqcQTPxtT7MAc2CV2NJbTyOfgczAMrrVuumYL4LZGBj4pvSsokDFzGZ41e7_6VfBj7ZYHN5cbJgNsdMUl_abYephdNUkoj_TdpJ3txRcnxDSPRJjqKOC5U1KycwFJEcbS9YQJ5I0KtKp7if81zz76SXaYDIcMg4bo_SvjvKEvycTA7CqIWo72Pi4.HgRD8FeaAv5L5joKmoYYXVIVSozCI8Eo9ZAUVpeoVL4&dib_tag=se&hvadid=84181781336963&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=67560&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=p&hvtargid=kwd-84181753749136:loc-190&hydadcr=24659_13769892&keywords=lead+testing+kit&msclkid=c4847254d88d19354d3a153e6cd83937&qid=1735046237&sr=8-4

If you want to freak out about lead, do a search for getting lead out of clothing. I had never thought much about contamination in clothes, but apparently it's very common. Lead is everywhere in the environment.

I imagine all us old guys are still carrying around lead from leaded auto gasoline that was gradually phased out starting in the 70's, production ending in 1996. 100LL (low lead) octane aviation gasoline still has 2.12 grams of lead per gallon so it's still out there folks.

 

[rayb]

19 years later, I'm now 81 years old and still kicking, maybe not quite as high as in 2005.
Also still have the pot.
And also still haven't cooked anything in it. Yet.
rayb