Products made from lead. There are all kinds of metals making up items that are used each and every day.
One of the most common of these would be lead.
Products made from lead can be found all over, and even in some places that you wouldn’t have thought.
Here are several examples of common uses for lead.
Fishing Sinkers
These lead weights drop the line containing the hook and bait to a level where it can reach bigger fish often found closer to the bottom of a body of water.
Sound Proofing Studios
Sound proofing is another common use for lead. This is often in sheet form and serves as a layering behind the wall itself to block out noises coming into a recording space.
It also serves as the same sound barrier for noise coming back.
Statues
Many traditional statues were made out of metals like bronze for their unique coloring and look, but in the modern era, lead is commonly used in the making of statues.
Scuba Weights
In diving, people need weights to counteract the body’s buoyancy. These are more often than not comprised of lead.
Sheathing
On high voltage power lines, lead is often used as a sheath to keep out the elements.
It has been particularly helpful in preventing water at getting into the insulation on these high voltage lines.
Candles
Lead is actually used within some candles. This creates a more even burning of the wick, as the lead treats this wick ensuring that it will burn longer and that it will also burn more evenly.
X-ray Radiation
Lead is the primary component of the shielding material from radiation in hospitals commonly used when someone gets an X-Ray.
This is often a slip on vest or some similar article of clothing.
Organ Pipes
Pipe organs popular in churches have pipes primarily made of lead as well. The variances in this pipes comes from the adding of set amounts of tin on top of the lead base material for each pipe.
Car Batteries
Obviously the lead acid battery could not be constructed without the use of lead. This particular type of battery is commonly used as a car battery.
This is why you get so much money for old batteries when you scrap them.
Solar Energy and Infrared Technology
Lead like telluride, selenide and antimonide are finding practical uses in growing fields like photovalaic cellular creations, or products used to harness solar energy and reuse it. The same with items like infrared detectors.
There are too many other products made from lead to even list within this article. This was a good idea of the variety of uses that this metal has.
You might have even learned a use or two that you didn’t realize.
Additionally, you now know about many other items that you can be on the look out for while you are out collecting scrap metal if that is what you do for a profession.
Side Note: Old homes often have lead paint within them. Be sure that children to not consume any chips of old paint that may contain lead because it is poisonous.
Additionally, you should also wear gloves to protect your hands while handling or scrapping any metal type.