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WTK best way to clean lead

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redleg105

32 Cal
Joined
Sep 11, 2022
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Have some lead balls with white oxidation on them. Whats the best way to clean them?
Thank you
 
Shoot them?

If it really bothers you, rub them with a rag wetted with WD-40.
 
I have sprayed wd40 on them and shaken them in whatever jar they are in. Works for me. Necessary? I dont know.
James
 
The white stuff is lead oxide. Always wash your hands after handling lead covered in the oxide to remove the lead from our hands.
Shiney lead is more of an issue for lead transfer into skin than dull or oxidized lead is (at least according to medical field) I've always wiped them off and shot then, once I did put them in a vibrating tumbler with corn cob media
 
Best is to not let them oxidize. When I cast a bunch I spray with Barricade in container and they stay clean.
 
https://marsmetal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Refined-Lead-MSDM-1.pdf
https://www.emdmillipore.com/US/en/...7401?ReferrerURL=https://duckduckgo.com/&bd=1

Lead oxide is more hazardious than clean lead metal. Inhalation is the easier way to accidentally ingest it. IF you work up a dust in the air, like with a vibratory tumbler, you get dosed. It also gets lead all over the shop. It is not possible to clean it up well enough to get a negative lead test without paint over the surfaces. This goes for primer dust from metallic reloading.

Clean metallic lead is not a problem. It is not absorbable through your skin.

Crusty white lead balls are more of an issue than clean lead balls. I would hit them with WD40 and not lick my fingers while shooting. I would also hesitate to use oxidized lead on game I intended to eat, particularly shot. Clean lead is fine.

One guys opinion after 30 years of hasmat training.
 
recast old frosty lead

it is lead oxide

handle it as little as possible, it is toxic (sure plenty of us including me have handled frosty lead with bare hands and not died, but it isn't good and exposure should be minimized)

they will melt up nice and clean with just a thin slag on the top of the pot that is easily skimmed off
 
I think better left alone
Nah your ok, toss'm in a bucket add a little water and a squirt of Dawn,, slosh'm around and rinse. Pour'm on a towel to dry,, then a light hit of wd will stop it from coming back.
Then just wash the towel,,
Lead Oxide can be easily cleaned and washed/rinsed away with proper precautions.
It's no more dangerous then Gasoline for the lawn mower or household ammonia. If ya don't lick your fingers after handling either of those,
Then you know you already understand proper precautions.
It's no more complicated than that.
 

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