Please do not blast your object with anything (sand, walnuts etc). If lead
paint is present, this process will pulverize it and sent it into the air,
your lungs, your skin, your clothes, ...

The paint needs to be contained and the object should be evaluated by a
professional conservator. Please call the American Inistitute for
Conservation in Washington DC. They can refer you to someone in your area.
Visit the new American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic
Works (AIC) web site at http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/aic/ 

AIC
1717 K. St., NW
Suite 301
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 452-9545; fax: (202) 452-9328
[log in to unmask]

Diane
[log in to unmask]

you wrote:
>We are researching ways to remove 100 years of paint from the pedestal of
a lighthouse lens.  The pedestal >is cast iron, and covered with several
layers of paint, possibly including red lead.  Ice, walnut, and sand
>blasting have been suggested.  Any suggestions will be most welcome.

>Bill Hanable