by *jj* » Sat Jun 27, 2015 1:47 pm
Hiya everyone.
I'm wondering if this makes sense to anyone.
I have found a lid of a very old 44 gallon drum and want to use it as a cover over my campfire.
I contain my camping / cooking fire in an old washing machine drum, for safety reasons, and having the lid to sit on top of it will enable me to keep it going for days at a time as well as make a cooking top to support frypans etc.
Now, given all that info, I should clarify that I had hoped to be able to occasionally cook directly on the cover (like we used plough shares) but given I have no idea what has been stored in this one, that's a no go.
However; a "bigger" issue has arisen.
The lid was nice and clean (which is why I chose it over the chook poo encrusted one) BUT on trying to clean it right back to a clean metal surface, I took a short cut and heated and scraped it over a good fire.
As I scraped, what had looked like a simple white, powdery paint (maybe limestone based?) with a sharp edged piece of wood, it gave-way-to or revealed a most interesting silver-papery looking residue which "folded" ahead of the scraping too and which remained silvery when cold but not flexible.
It was as if there had been two separate layers which did not show UNTIL the high temperature was reached.
It could be some kind of chemical reaction I suppose between the paint and the drum material, but I suspect it is the paint itself breaking down.
I've puzzled over it and suddenly think it might possibly have been a lead-based paint.
Would that explain what I saw?
I have since scrubbed it over great heat with a fine wire brush and it looks clean as anything could, but am still puzzled and suspicious that it could be unsafe forever.
Any clues appreciated.
Thanks
jj