What are lead ladles used for?
What are lead ladles used for? |
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A variety of jobs that require molten lead can be carried out with the use of a lead ladle. These days it is rare to use lead for any household maintenance as it is primarily used in building restoration and for hobbies. | |||
Mending existing lead pipes |
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Sometimes, lead pipe that has not yet been replaced with pipe made from non-toxic material needs to be mended. A lead ladle is needed to transfer molten lead to the joint and is used in conjunction with ‘caulking’, which is special rope used to seal joints.
After ‘caulk’ is pushed into the gap in the joint between pipes, lead is poured onto the caulking. The cooled lead in combination with the caulking provides the perfect seal. |
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However, this is rarely undertaken as most homes and water companies have replaced lead pipes with PVC ones. | |||
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Restoration |
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A lead ladle is one of the tools used to restore the lead on old roofs. | |||
Boat ballast |
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Using a large lead ladle, people who are trained use lead to pour the keel bulb in a boat. The keel bulb is the ballast (weight) that keeps the boat upright in the water. It is a highly skilled job. | |||
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Another use of lead ladles used to be in the making of lead sinkers – weights that hold angler’s fishing lines down in the water. However, most lead-based fishing sinkers have now been outlawed in the UK as sinkers are often lost in rivers and lakes and, over time, lead poisoning gets into the water. | |||
