lead tinsel

[benvh]

All of our ornaments are vintage and my wife has been searching for some vintage tinsel to add to the tree this year. She always loved the look of the tree in It's a Wonderful Life and thought the key was the tinsel. We visited this insanely awesome shop in Chelsea that has a crazy selection of vintage Christmas decorations. Found an unused box of lead tinsel from the 40s. Man, like night and day from the crap you get nowadays. It has some serious heft and hangs so nicely. Granted it's one of those things you can't get away with anymore and probably isn't the best thing to have around kids or pets...but for now we're safe!

Ben

 

[DavyRay]

Hmmm.

It's good you don't have kids or pets.

I handled lots of dangerous substances when I was young, and no one seemed to know better. I know better now. I advise rubber gloves when handling this material.

 

[Gerald_G]

shhh - keep it under your hat, but I got my wife one of these cans of tin tinsel this year...

http://www.leevalley.com/en/gifts/page.aspx?p=45140&cat=4,104,53211&ap=2

She loves all things victorian.

Also in colours...

http://www.leevalley.com/en/gifts/page.aspx?p=46636&cat=4,104,53211&ap=1

 

[Mink]

shhh - keep it under your hat, but I got my wife one of these cans of tin tinsel this year...

http://www.leevalley.com/en/gifts/page.aspx?p=45140&cat=4,104,53211&ap=2

She loves all things victorian.

Also in colours...

http://www.leevalley.com/en/gifts/page.aspx?p=46636&cat=4,104,53211&ap=1

I have these too. The colored ones are better.

 

[luvmysuper]

As long as you don't have kids or pets that will eat the stuff, good on you, and have fun with your retro Christmas.

It's lead - not Uranium-238.
You know, lead?
Bullets, fishing weights, roofing corners, solder - that lead.

Try to avoid eating or inhaling your tinsel and wash your hands when your done and you may survive till the New year.

 

[DFrancis]

Nice score, as long as you don't eat it or grind it down and snort it, it won't kill you.

 

[DSB]

Don't eat it or grind it down and snort it.

We'll call that "plan B."

 

[fccexpert]

Just don't eat it and you will be fine. The truth is, mot lead poisoning is due to large volumes of lead entering the body due to high velocity.

 

[_JP_]

We still have lead tinsel. Every year we carefully pick off the tree and pack it back up in the original boxes that it came in. Easy to do because it doesn't blow around when you walk past the tree.

 

[OV1kenobi]

I need to get some of this stuff to put on my real tree, to go along with those bubble lights!

David

 

[SRock]

As long as you don't have kids or pets that will eat the stuff, good on you, and have fun with your retro Christmas.

It's lead - not Uranium-238.
You know, lead?
Bullets, fishing weights, roofing corners, solder - that lead.

Try to avoid eating or inhaling your tinsel and wash your hands when your done and you may survive till the New year.

What he said!

 

[benvh]

We have the bubble lights too! Not old of course (that's a bit too risky for me), but they really add a nice touch. Our topper is original from the 40s with the original wiring, but it was NOS and is like brand new.

I figure if I had a job installing tinsel on trees 365 days a year for 45 years without gloves I may have something to worry about. But once a year, meh.

Ben