I recently came into a good supply of recovered lead-lined drywall from a guy who remodeled a old dentist's office. The lead is good, pure stuff, and the bulk of the sheetrock has been removed, but there is a layer of cardboard still stuck on.
I tried casting a few balls by cutting it up and putting it in my ladle (I only have a hand ladle, not an electric pot) and while the lead would melt and I could cast balls, the ash from the cardboard kept getting in the way. I thought I might try to burn the cardboard off, so I took a torch to it, but the thin lead started to melt before the cardboard burnt off.
Mike, it seems to me that I used vinegar to dissolve the glue that held the varnished canvas on an antique trunk that I was going to refinish as a coffee table. It worked, although not quickly. I had to keep putting it on the area I was working with a sponge to keep it damp. After an hour or so, I was able to scrape off the old canvas with a putty knife, lifting and pulling it off. You might experiment on your paper on lead problem to see if this would work for you.
Certainly, melting in a pot and skimming the trash off the top seems like a good solution also.
Sua Sponte
Posts: 460 | Location: SW Virginia (New River Valley) | Registered: 13 August 2014