Toxicity of Lead Carbonate when used in stock finishes

[trimegistus]

After reading current and past threads about linseed oil finishes and the process of boiling with lead carbonate and various other admixtures, I cant help but wonder about their toxicity.  If you read though the MSDS for lead carbonate it is, aas one might assume a mild carcinogen, even simply through skin contact if over long periods of time.  I understand these fnishes have been around for a long time and are considered standard faire, and with good reason, they are gorgeous. At the rate of one teaspoon per 8-16 ounces of oil, it is fairly diluted i suppose.  Does anyone have any information, scientific or anecdotal about the possible toxicity of these finishes?  I have had great results with beeswax finishes on several wooden knife sheaths and am trying to decide which I would rather put on my stock, the beeswax or the likely more durable BLO finish.  If I can find out that there is really nothing to be worried about with the lead carbonate finishes, I do think I would go with that.  Not trying to hijack anyones thread, I just figured the toxicity discussion might clutter of the existing threads.

Sitting in the warm sun of California

David

[Jim Kibler]

Unless you plan on chewing on your gunstock, I wouldn't worry about a leaded oil finish.  Hand contact with a cured finish would surely pose little danger.  Loading a flitlock alone,  requires contact with lead after all.

[trimegistus]

Yea I have definitely gotten that thin lead film on my fingers from handling the balls, and just wash it off at the end of the session.  I was more thinking along the line that with the lead dissolved into the oil, the oil may act as a carrier and facilitate the transfer of lead through the skin.  And the prolonged contact with the oil during finishes annd use.  I guess with all the lead contact that comes along with flintlock/muzzle loaders, the lead in the finish is just par for the course. 

[BrentD]

there are many many good finishes and recipes for finishes out there.  Why even consider a lead based finished?  I just don't see the point.  And lead in bullets is a lot different than lead that is dissolved in some other compound. 

[davec2]

I'm with Jim on this.  Unless you plan to eat a dozen or more gunstocks, I would not worry at all about lead contamination.  The only health concerns I have about lead are getting in the way of a piece of it traveling at right around the speed of sound.

[Dphariss]

there are many many good finishes and recipes for finishes out there.  Why even consider a lead based finished?  I just don't see the point.  And lead in bullets is a lot different than lead that is dissolved in some other compound. 

Lead adds certain desirable qualities to stock finish. It reduces drying time related to high humidity for example.
I live in Montana I have not bothered with it. But I have some oil processed with lead carbonate.
People get all worried about lead. Yeah lead can be bad in certain specific situations. But the amount in stock finish is far far less than in leaded white paint. 
Its not like the Roman's using lead acetate to sweeten wine (no it was not lead pipes that caused the problems).

Dan

[bob in the woods]

With casting literally thousands of balls and bullets in a year, and handling and shooting same, I thought that I'd have my blood teated for lead..just one of those thoughts that come to mind    Anyway, results were negative. I don't worry about it anymore.

[Mad Monk]

With casting literally thousands of balls and bullets in a year, and handling and shooting same, I thought that I'd have my blood teated for lead..just one of those thoughts that come to mind    Anyway, results were negative. I don't worry about it anymore.

Lead styphnate used in cartridge primers and percussion caps can be a health issue with indoor shooting.  Far more dangerous than contact with lead balls or gunstock finishes with only traces of lead locked into the finish.

A shooter I know used to shoot out of a shooting shack.  He and his buddies would not hold the gun outside the little window they were shooting out of.  So all of the primer compound blown out of the gun would end up in the air in the shack.  A blood test showed that they should hold the guns just outside the window where the spent primer compounds would be carried away in the air.

E. Ogre