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How to clean out lead contaminated(?) cast iron

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Rifleman1776 said:
How this question can generate more than one or two responses is puzzling.
.

I guess, I had gotten so far into all the posts, I forgot about the pot known to have been used to melt lead. I was thinking more about testing garage sale cast iron, when I revived this topic with the post about the 3m testers. :idunno:
 
How this question can generate more than one or two responses is puzzling.
The drilled holes idea is good.
Mine is a sledge hammer.
Do not use for food. Destroy.

Uh, NO.

I'd either still use it for lead, OR... trade it to somebody who is using an iron pot as a "planter" (no not everybody puts a hole in them), and use the old planter if it tests neg for lead as a cooking pot. OR, plant some begonnias in it, sell it as a planter, and use the money I got to buy some pure lead for bullets.

LD
 
Sean Gadhar said:
Rifleman1776 said:
How this question can generate more than one or two responses is puzzling.
.

I guess, I had gotten so far into all the posts, I forgot about the pot known to have been used to melt lead. I was thinking more about testing garage sale cast iron, when I revived this topic with the post about the 3m testers. :idunno:


The garage sale issue, while valid, is, IMHO, a negligible concern.
Keep in mind, us shooters and casters are a pretty small group in the general population. The chances of getting a cast iron pot at a garage sale that was used for lead is a skillion to one.
But, when it is known one was used for lead, discard is the only safe and responsible thing to do.
 
while I dont have a pot with lead I did come across something very interesting....I found a pot at a pawn shop a while ago....with some residual red goo of unknown substance. I boiled the pot clean...then threw it a fireplace over night... put some water in it for about a week...and on a whim I tested the water with an aquarium testing kit to see what was in it...and by god the Nitrates and Ammonia levels were off t he charts! and this was even after cleaning ..boiling and fire heating! needless to say Im thinking it had fertilizer or somehting like it, in the pot....so onw its been turned into a really heavy cactus pot in my living room lol
 
I have a hard time believing a paint chip has more lead in it than a no. 6 shot. Any bird hunter has ingested plenty of these through the years with no ill effects, other than a possible broken tooth on occasion.
 
There is not really a way that I would consider safe and effective to decontaminate your pot. But, you might try giving it a thorough scrubbing with an abrasive pad and some scouring powder but before using it for food, I'd get one of the lead test kits and make sure that all lead contamination has been removed. The kits can be purchased from some drug stores but I got mine from a safety supply store in Texas City. Just Google "Lead test kit" and see who has them for sale. don't use the pot for food until you have tested it and know it to be free of any lead contamination. Be safe, not sorry. Good luck. :hatsoff: I still say that the best thing to do is to drill it or smash it so it is not used for food use.
 
Very interesting subject.
I see old cast iron at sales,etc. Also there is a newere group of folks who seek this stuff out for use.
I would never want to use an unknown cast iron piece for cooking.
You never know what was put in them.

I bought a 8 ninch skillet at a sale and use it for lead sometimes.
You can't tell by looking. I should mark it or something.

Conversly, I found a Dutch oven in an old house 45 years ago and have used it regularly since-I seem to be going strong. Luck might factor in.
 
Use it as a target at your next woods walk. Someone, perhaps several will "clean it for good".
 
I just leave lead in the pot. When I pass on then it will be very obvious that it is a lead pot. From there it is on whoever gets it to be smart enough to know lead is a danger. If someone out there hasn't gotten the lead is dangerous message then they must live under a rock.
 
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