Have you abandoned all hope of using lead?  Substitute materials when the original
is documented and available seems a questionable practice.  And (at great personal
risk in this forum), since when do contractors get to work only with materials they
like?

Next someone will want to choose who they work with, like skilled people as opposed
to unskilled.  Goodness knows where this could lead!  Why Beaurocracies all over
the world are already assembling forces to smash this contractor before this idea
spreads!  Why this might give rise to, "Technocracy", a system of government where
people who know how to do stuff get to decide what gets done.  And all those people
who keep the technocrates in check will be roaming the streets penniless.  What
will become of the driverless beamers?  And then the technocrates will have to come
up with a solution to the purposeless masses of beaurocrats...it won't be pretty.

Hmmmm solent greennn.....

-jc

mitch wilds wrote:

> "Hammarberg, Eric" wrote:
>
> > was this a BP topic? I seem to have missed it
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Ken Follett [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> > Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2000 1:29 PM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: Loose newels
> >
> > In a message dated 6/6/00 9:09:01 AM Central Daylight Time,
> > [log in to unmask] writes:
> >
> > > (The contractor tried bismuth - thats right, bismuth- but in a test it was
> > too brittle.)
> >
> > Test a urethane. Find a less squeamish contractor.
> >
> > Bismuth fish sinkers?
> >
> > ][<en
>
> Sorry, it never quite made it, seems like I mis-directed the message, so here it
> is again.
>
> Mitch  (Hope I haven't screwed up the archives.)
>
> Anyone have thoughts on setting cast-iron handrailings into stone
> without using lead, but still having it be moderately reversible?   A
> cast iron newel in the 1840 NC capitol which was originally set in lead
> came loose.  The lead was neatly removed and now the contractor is
> looking for a setting material to reseat the newel.  Lead being LEAD,
> the contractor doesn't want to mess with it, but it sure would be nice
> to find something more reversible than epoxy.  (The contractor tried
> bismuth - thats right, bismuth- but in a test it was too brittle.)