Importing a lead filled pipe?

[bort]

When I ordered my Miraphone 1292 leadpipe (through Dan Oberloh), it was pre-bent and not filled with anything.

I don't think this statement is helpful, just saying...

[UDELBR]

Lead is somewhat expensive, difficult to deal with, and fairly hard - "got muscles?" - to bend.

Really? Lead's more expensive than Cerrobend?

Re: muscles: I'll admit that's true with any pipe larger than an inch in diameter, but anything smaller's a breeze to bend.

And re: "difficult to deal with", sure it's toxic. So is Cerrobend though, as it's 27% lead and 10% cadmium. Just take reasonable precautions.

[J.c. Sherman]

Lead works great - it's also toxic as hell. Now, while hopefully no one here's gonna chew on either cerro-bend or lead, the techniques of putting it in and taking it out with both boil (pun intended) down to one thing - heat.

Lead needs to get pretty hot to melt in and out; and there are all kinds of problems and things which can happen during that process. I can do all my cerro-bend work without touching it and without it touching the air; everything done in boiling water. Can't do that with lead.

Pitch works, but annoys the living hell out of me. It stinks to high hell, will burn a hole through you if it drips on you while hot, and has a narrow temperature range where it'll work at all well. But, it's cheap, it does work, and it's not going to make you a mental midget when you're done.

Asside from that: this country is now a paranoid, terrorised state; have the pipe sent empty... it's lighter for shipment and can always be refilled for adjustment. And DHS won't wet themselves in fear.

J.c.S.