Michael Burbidge
Well Known Member
Lead is poisonous. What precautions should I take in working with the lead counter balance weights? For the elevators you have to do a bit of trimming.
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Working with lead counter weights...
- Thread starter Michael Burbidge
- Start date
No need for precautions
Just look at the plans carefully so you don't cut the lead weights wrong and have to order new ones. Don't ask me how I know that it's possible to cut them wrong. BTW those stupid little weights are expensive!
Just look at the plans carefully so you don't cut the lead weights wrong and have to order new ones. Don't ask me how I know that it's possible to cut them wrong. BTW those stupid little weights are expensive!
When you're cutting the lead, it will produce relatively large shavings which are easy to contain and sweep up. You will only have a problem if you produce very fine lead dust that could be inhaled - which you won't need to do, since you don't have to scotchbrite or finetune the edges, just rough it out and wash your hands when done.
No worries...
I only recommended gloves in the spirit of the "warning labels" we see today. Unless you are working with it every day for a very long period of time, or ingesting it somehow there is nothing to worry about.
I didn't wear gloves, and THARES NUTTHEENG RONG WIF MEE.
Roger
I only recommended gloves in the spirit of the "warning labels" we see today. Unless you are working with it every day for a very long period of time, or ingesting it somehow there is nothing to worry about.
I didn't wear gloves, and THARES NUTTHEENG RONG WIF MEE.
Roger
Michael Burbidge
Well Known Member
The whole story
I'm only asking because I was out in the garage last night trimming the counter weights, when my teenage son came out and noticed I'd was working with lead with no protection at all. He's done way too much reading on the internet concerning medical things and generally keeps careful watch to make sure I'm working in a safe environment. He went into the house and told my wife that I was going to die of lead poisoning. To keep the family happy, the rest of the evening I wore gloves and a dust mask, even though I knew very well that those toothpick sized lead shavings were not going to float into the air and be inhaled.
Anyway, he got me just a little bit paranoid.
I'm only asking because I was out in the garage last night trimming the counter weights, when my teenage son came out and noticed I'd was working with lead with no protection at all. He's done way too much reading on the internet concerning medical things and generally keeps careful watch to make sure I'm working in a safe environment. He went into the house and told my wife that I was going to die of lead poisoning. To keep the family happy, the rest of the evening I wore gloves and a dust mask, even though I knew very well that those toothpick sized lead shavings were not going to float into the air and be inhaled.
Anyway, he got me just a little bit paranoid.
Rocket
Active Member
haha there's your whole maintenance department all under one roof.
You- Designer, builder, owner, maintainer
Son- QA, Saftey Officer, Maintenance Contoller/Safe For Flight
Wife- Brains/Manager, Flight surgeon.. (for those unavoidable holes you will put in yourself)
You- Designer, builder, owner, maintainer
Son- QA, Saftey Officer, Maintenance Contoller/Safe For Flight
Wife- Brains/Manager, Flight surgeon.. (for those unavoidable holes you will put in yourself)
Last edited:
Greg Arehart
Well Known Member
Lead is generally quite insoluble in water or other common solvents (except strong acids), so the major issue is inhalation of dust (where it is still very insoluble in your lungs, but can stay there for a long time) or ingestion of lead (stomach acid can be pretty strong). As long as you have big shavings and not dust, I doubt you are going to have a problem. If it makes you feel better, wear gloves and a respirator as well. As for melting the stuff down, the vapor pressure of lead at the melting point is quite small, so very little of the stuff gets into the gaseous form. I suppose if you stuck your nose over a pot of melted lead for a long time, you would suffer ill effects.
In other words, common precautions will do you fine.
greg
(geochemist in my other life)
In other words, common precautions will do you fine.
greg
(geochemist in my other life)
In olden times
Back in my day -- boy, I've always wanted to say that -- we had to cast them in place from molten lead. Melt lead shot on the kitchen stove and pour in place. Be sure to put a nice metal (heat conducting) cookie sheet on the vinyl (meltable) floor to catch the overflow. That way you'll have a big ol' burn there to remind you and your loved ones what a handy guy you are.
Back in my day -- boy, I've always wanted to say that -- we had to cast them in place from molten lead. Melt lead shot on the kitchen stove and pour in place. Be sure to put a nice metal (heat conducting) cookie sheet on the vinyl (meltable) floor to catch the overflow. That way you'll have a big ol' burn there to remind you and your loved ones what a handy guy you are.
