Job Description:

• 1) Tends heated kettle and auxiliary equipment to process molten lead and nitric acid into lead nitrate: Loads lead-melting kettle with lead ingots, using hoist.

• 2) Turns valves to regulate flow of fuel oil and air, and tends stoker or shovels coal to fire furnace that melts lead in kettle.

• 3) Ladles molten lead into trough or tips melting kettle to pour molten lead into trough for transfer to vat containing nitric acid where ingredients combine to form lead nitrate.

• 4) Turns outlet valve to transfer lead nitrate to filter press for removal of impurities.

• 5) Tests sample of filtrate for purity by observing color or using litmus paper.

• 6) Starts pumps to transfer batch to storage tank.

• 7) Gauges contents of tanks, using calibrated stick, and records quantity on batch card.

• 8) May ladle molten lead into vats containing cold water to cause solidification into irregular, spongelike shapes, exposing more surface area for faster chemical reaction in subsequent process treatment.

• 9) May drain off water and shovel solidified sponged lead onto conveyor for further processing.