liquid lead

A fisherman stood on the harbour making his own lead weights for fishing lines, pouring melted lead into moulds - it sets immediately.

He has no fingerprints left, he told me, because of the number of times he has burned himself over the years, & the fumes from the gas that heats the lead are a killer, he says. The only remedy, he tells me, with a twinkle in his eye, is alcohol. He recommends a few pints of beer.