The real danger of lead poisoning is from ingesting the stuff - swallowing or via cuts and abrasions of the skin. It would be highly improbable that you would ingest dangerous amounts of metallic lead through the pores of your skin by handling it. You should be wary of any white powder that forms on lead though - this is the oxidised form of the metal - lead 'rust' in other words and this is more easily ingested. This is the stuff that was used in putty, mixed with linseed oil. The real dangers come from inhalation of fumes if you are melting the stuff.
Your Marigolds might look the business, but for cutting metallic lead, they're effectively a waste of time.
Lead poisoning is cumulative - the amount of lead in your system increases the more you are exposed to it. Untreated lead water pipes can give you lead poisoning, but only if you drink a lot of water over a long period of time. The water utilities companies dose drinking water with chemicals to 'coat' the inside of lead pipes to prevent this.
A word or two on melting lead and casting it into ballast weights...
If you have to do it at all, BE VERY CAREFUL. Use proper equipment, do it outdoors or in a well ventilated area, keep it at arm's length and wear suitable eye protection (LEP) and a leather apron if you can find one. Don't breathe the fumes, and make absolutely sure that the moulds that you are using are solid, inert, won't react with the molten lead, and won't cause splashing.
Headaches and nausea are symptoms of lead fume inhalation - if you experience any of these, stop immediately.
Malc
