The History Of lead And Why It's Used

Lead really is an amazing metal, and once you see why this is so you will then understand why it found its way into so many areas of the lives of peoples throughout history. In fact it's one of the first metals that ancient peoples used to modernize.

It's origins can be traced back to about 3000 years ago when it's speculated that it was discovered the same way other metals like copper and bronze were first discovered. That is the chunks of ore rich in pure metal may have been used to line fire pits, where the flames caused it to melt out.

You see, lead has a very low melting point and in fact you can melt it on your stove top is simply placing some in a pan over a flame turned up too high. Then once it's melted it's easily cast and formed. It's also very malleable. That means that it's easily pounded and shaped.

Of all ancient cultures, it is the Romans who are known to have made the most uses of lead and most notably of the uses that they made of it is storing and preparing consumable items. In fact a large percentage of the written recipes that have survived up to now from ancient Rome called for lead to be used in them as an ingredient.

The Romans actually consumed lead. They also used it to line their cooking pots, carry their water in the pipes and drank from lead cups. One problem that they had was the lead actually imparts an unpleasant taste unto food and drink.

Today however, we know enough to keep lead out of the things that we eat. Just the same though, if you were to look around your home you would find plenty of lead being used. For instance all electrical devices in your home contain lead being used in solder to connect the wires.

There's also a good chance that if your roof has some of the better quality lashings around the pipes and lining the valleys on it, that they also are made of sheet lead. You see, lead is very stable. That is that it doesn't corrode is readily as other metals tend to. It also bends and forms well around pipes, and edges.

Lead is also relatively cheap and easily recycled. It's the reason why the battery in your car weighs so much. It too is full of lead plates. So really if you stop to think about it, the vehicle you drive has its fair share of lead in it.

Would you believe the lead also played a crucial part in the development of printing? Well you can believe it because the fact that it's so easily formed, and so resistant to corrosion made it perfect metal for movable type in the first printing presses ever made.

Also the next time you're admiring a beautiful stained glass window you should know that if it were not for lead, it wouldn't exist. You see, once again because this amazing metal has such a low melting point, is so easily formed and bonds so well, it has always been used to form the joints between all pieces of coloured glass.

Now the uses for lead the industry are just too many to mention. In fact it can be easily stated that just about anything you own that was produced in the manufacturing process, somewhere in that process lead was used.

Midland Lead are one of the UK’s leading Lead Suppliers. They supply rolled lead sheets, lead ingots and lead lined boards to the construction industry.