So, for whatever reason, the magnetic poles are going to shift tomorrow, and it will take 25 minutes. Lead can presumably protect you from the deadly solar radiation*, so I need to fashion some sort of protective shield for my family - since it’s only for 25 minutes, a small huddle is all that’s needed.
But where can I find lead in my house, or at the local hardware store? Can I find some lead paint, and paint a sheet of plywood? Is there lead in some kind of…something…that I can use as a cover?
*Please note - this may be a totally wrong assumption, just go with me on this one…
An Art Supply Store. (for lost wax sculpting, not for pencils)
Lead sheeting is still used sometimes in roofing. But check the roofs of older, decrepit homes in a pinch.
I still have lead plumbing in my house (no joke). Its on the main in line to my home. But the inside of the pipe is so calcified, the lead hasn’t made contact with h2o in decades.
Old wheel weights, too, although there’s an initiative to use lead-free wheel weights. Years ago, my father was casting bullets for a while. He got a bunch of wheel weights from a local garage and melted them down.
Lead is not a magical radiation blocker. It’s just very dense, so you need a lower thickness. In other words, using lead paint on a piece of plywood would not be much more effective than using a sheet of plywood by itself. Using 10 tons of lead is not much more effective than using 10 tons of water (provided the 10 tons is all between you and the radiation source), but the water will take up a much larger volume.
Wikipedia provides the following values for reducing gamma ray exposure by 50%:
So I’d recommend an underground radiation shelter. A few feet of dirt and concrete will be far cheaper than lead and quite effective.
But if you really do want lead, recyclers and industrial suppliers can easily hook you up with anything from a few pounds to a few tons. Heck, most fishing supply stores sell lead weights in sizes up to a pound.
McMaster-Carr sells anything and everything, including lead sheet. They sell 4’ square sheets in thicknesses up to 3/32". Have your credit card ready, cuz it ain’t real cheap.
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Heck, most fishing supply stores sell lead weights in sizes up to a pound.
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There’s been a huge push to get the lead out of fishing - a lot of weights now are made of tungsten.
If you want to take shelter behind some lead quickly, head for the nearest hospital and bust your way into the X-ray suites, where the walls are often made with lead-core drywall. Some recording studios are also build with lead-core walls for sound control.
Failing that, check with TV’s *Mythbusters *- a while back, they made a lead balloon with some outrageously thin lead foil.
You can get lead shot, for instance that used by reloaders for shotguns, at most any Cabellas, Gander Mountain, Bass Pro, etc. It won’t be cheap but it would be reasonably easy to pour to a couple of inches thickness over any level, edged surface.
Perhaps your dentist could loan you a couple of the vests they use to cover a patient while X-Raying their teeth.
