The UK Health & Safety Executive have a leaflet about working with lead https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg305.pdf
The main risk comes from eating, drinking or touching your mouth (e.g. smoking or biting nails) after handling lead without washing your hands - assuming you don't chew on taken pieces while planning your next move anyway.
Personally I would keep them as a display item - they are also likely to be damaged relatively easily if they really are lead.
The one thing I immediately noticed is that the bases are very narrow and appear to not be level/perpendicular. In other words, do the pieces even stand up on their own? If so, it looks like they'd fall over if you even looked at them wrong.
So, even if you decided to handle the pieces and use them for game play, would they even be stable during play?
Lead is nasty stuff. The health risks are no joke. If it was me, as noted above, I would recommend you use them only as display pieces. Out of curiosity, what are the colors of the opposing sides? Full 32 piece set? Ohh, and wash your hands,,, AGAIN.
Yeah, those concerns are definitely ones I have, especially because I have small children. So if I end up using them it would be under controlled circumstances and also would be stored safely with them in mind
Yeah and the vases have been worn down and warped. At this point all but one can stand, but they are definitely prone to fall. I am considering options as to different bases to mount them on or even melting some pewter to add to the base.
Oops, accidently keep posting before I am done lol... I do have all 32 pieces thankfully. And it seems pieces have faint traces of black and white paint remaining, so I assume they were painted at one point.
I am definitely leaning toward painting them. At least it would be a good first point of call in sealing the toxicity somewhat. I actually have reached out to a model painter with that in mind, thanks for the suggestion.
Cool chess pieces! If any of you have a mild interest in lettuce then this is the club for you:https://www.chess.com/club/lettuce-romaine-calm/join
Are you sure they are lead? They might be pewter. Old pewter still has lead but new "pewter" is lead free. Either way, you could just clear coat them with polyurethane or maybe just clear nail polish. If it doesn't react with the metal (which I doubt) it should seal them safely.
Your chess pieces appear to be from the Fantasy Bright Host Chess Kit, Mould Kit No. 708 put out by the Prince August Co. (Although the Knight looks slightly different in your set from mine). You can find them on Ebay under "Prince August". They also make other designs. They are most likely made of lead, so be careful. Wash your hands after handling, and don't handle while eating. You can file the bases down to get them flatter so that they stand up better, and they can be mounted on heavy bases. They can be painted or antiqued with an enamel model paint. The instructions recommend a white aerosol undercoat if painting and they even have recommended colors to use in painting the set.
Hello,
I have just bought what seems to be an old lead metal chess set. The pieces are really quite heavy, even surprisingly so. Firstly, I wondering if anyone has any clue with knowing where they came from. And secondly, does anyone know about handling lead chess pieces and how to make it safer?
Thanks!