What are the parts of a lead ladle?
What are the parts of a lead ladle? |
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Bowl or hemisphere |
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The bowl or hemisphere is the part of the tool that holds the molten lead. The bowl will be measured in terms of its diameter and the amount of lead it can hold in pounds and/or ounces (imperial) or grams (metric).
When you buy a lead ladle, you can choose from a number of different diameters from 50mm (2 inch) through to 150mm (6 inches). |
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Right sided lip |
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The lip is an indentation on the side of the lead ladle that allows you to pour lead more quickly and accurately than via the bottom pour spout. You can get left- and right-handed pourers. You need a right-sided lip if you are left-handed and vice-versa if you are right-handed. | |||
Bottom pour spout |
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The bottom pour spout allows the lead from the bottom of the ladle to pour out at the top, giving the the user more purity of metal and accuracy.
This works because the lead is the heaviest metal, therefore it sinks. The useless metal (dross) is lighter and stays in the bowl. As the ladle is tipped, the heavier lead comes out of the bottom pour spout and as it does so, leaves room for the dross to stay in the bottom of the bowl. |
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Shaft |
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The shaft is the lengthy part of the ladle that connects the bowl or hemisphere to the wooden handle. The shaft gives the tool stability and its length ensures you are never too close to the hot lead. Ladles with larger bowls will have longer handles, usually around 41cm (16 inches). | |||
Wooden handle |
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The wooden handle is protective and shaped so that your hand can lift and manoeuvre the ladle comfortably. | |||
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Some handles are designed to be replaceable. There is sometimes a thread on the end of the shaft so that if they become accidentally damaged, you can buy a new handle from the manufacturer and simply screw it on in place of the old one. | |||
