Unknown Japanese ERF Petrol Tanker

[GHOSTHUNTER]

If these toys are supposedly made of lead then wouldn't this be a health hazard esp for kids?
numi

Your correct Numi, if they were made from a 'Lead' material they would not be let out of the factory. I believe hey are made of an inferior version of todays Zinc based material, probably more Antomany than Zinc with a little Copper.

I have a Metal construction kit from the mid-50's, that has often been described as..."this Lead kit builds easily into, blah, blah, blah"...but it is not Lead at all, but it looks, feels and works like Lead, it is in fact made from an early version of White Metal, clearly with a different mix of metals compaired to today's White Metal.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[McCarthyMR]

If these toys are supposedly made of lead then wouldn't this be a health hazard esp for kids?
numi

Your correct Numi, if they were made from a 'Lead' material they would not be let out of the factory. I believe hey are made of an inferior version of todays Zinc based material, probably more Antomany than Zinc with a little Copper.

I have a Metal construction kit from the mid-50's, that has often been described as..."this Lead kit builds easily into, blah, blah, blah"...but it is not Lead at all, but it looks, feels and works like Lead, it is in fact made from an early version of White Metal, clearly with a different mix of metals compaired to today's White Metal.

GHOSTHUNTER.

Just to add to this, I'm probably using the term 'Lead' a little loosely as it comes from Toy soldiers which were always cast in lead from the late 19th century right through to the 1960's. Lead toys are heavier and softer (more bendable) than toys made from other metals. For me, I tend to think of any toy that is pre-1960's, heavy, and can be bent when warm with ease as a lead based toy. By warm, I mean warmed by the heat of your hand.

Probably not always the case but it's instilled in my brain.

It's probably not remembered too easily but, like asbestos in buildings, Lead in toys was only banned in the 1960's.