How to Test Items for Lead

You just bought that really cool pewter tankard or other metal piece to add to you feastware kit. But did you know that pewter items before 1960 had lead in them? So how do you know if YOUR recent treasure has lead?

I had been larping for years, not even thinking about the issue of lead in my used items. It was being part of the Renaissance Faire community in Southern California that tipped me off to this concern. I had an old mug I had been using for years. It was banged up and awesome. It never occured to me that I could be poisoning myself. Infact, one of my fellow Renfaire friends insisted I use her mug until I had tested mine.

It’s actually quite simple and available at your local hardware store!

This first one is a kit by ProLabs for testing surfaces for lead it runs between $8-10. This is the one I used to test my beloved mug. I got it at Home Depot Luckily, my mug was safe to use. No time to run out? Amazon also has it available and yes, buying from this link helps me out.

There is another kit out there by 3M called Lead Check. It’s a stick that you rub on the surface of the item you’re testing. I haven’t tried it yet but will update this post as soon as I get an opportunity to check it out.

Have fun and be safe my friends!