possible swollen key leads

[John Delacour]

At 8:48 pm -0500 30/6/07, John Formsma wrote:

>You are remembering that lead dust is mobile and carcinogenic, right?

Hardly.

>I was taught to slice off lead with a sharp chisel to minimize dust.

Good idea.  But lead oxides are very heavy and the powder will not 
stay in the air.  It's best to work over a surface covered in damp 
tissue and dispose of this appropriately after the job.

>What about when the lead is oxidized and swollen? Still just as toxic?

It is precisely the oxides of lead that are harmful, including the 
white oxide that forms on key leads made of impure lead and which was 
the main constituent of house paint and many other paints until very 
recently.  I have never heard of cancer being associated with lead. 
See
  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning>.

Oxidation of key leads will only occur if the lead used contains 
impurities. Certain makers at certain times did use impure lead.  I 
was called out to an old Bechstein grand a few weeks ago where none 
of the keys would go down and most od the dampers were stuck up.  The 
combination of bad lead and a long life close to the sea was the 
cause.

JD