simonthecat said:Someone from my Church has been giving me lead sewer pipes for melting down for casting balls. Last Sunday he was talking to my Mother and asked her if she is comfortable with me melting down lead. Now my Mother is all worried and she was asking me this morning if I could just buy lead balls precast.
So my question is for those of you who have been casting lead for years. Have you ever had a blood test for the level of lead in your bloodstream and was it abnormally high?
I know 2 people who have been heavy bullet casters, hundreds of thousands between the 2. Both have been tested, both or normal to low normal.
The lead scare is complete ******** for the most part. People love to lump elemental lead with things like lead acetate. Lead as found in bullets is not terribly toxic. The Romans were not poisoned by lead pipes or etc. They were poisoned by lead acetate used to sweeten wine. Its very toxic, but its sweet and they used it for sugar.
Kids eating lead paint is about the same thing. Chances are they could eat the same weight of elemental lead and suffer no health effects.
If you take care not to eat any of the white coating and wash the lead oxide off your hands after handling/casting bullets you are safe.
Dan