Adding weight to pieces

If there are ridges and grooves inside the hollow pieces which would hold the wax securely in place once it solidified, then I would fill it with something like BBs and then pour in the wax.

Bondo, AKA: plastic body filler, is another option (with or without pouring in something like BBs first), and would give you a bottom surface that you could glue felt to (nothing will glue to wax).

For weights in a wooden chess set, you can drill a hole in the bottom of the pieces and insert tungsten putty.  Afterwards, put a piece of felt on the bottom to prevent dammage to the chessboard.  This is a trick my father, a woodworker who graduated top of his class in tradeschooll, taught me.

Nice. I like the BB idea.

Adding weight to players?...

Nice stuff, but it costs something like $10 an ounce. A typical unweighted tournament-size wood or solid plastic set weighs maybe a pound. A well-weighted set weighs about 4 pounds. 3 pounds of tungsten putty would cost hundreds of dollars.

I meant a 3/4" hole drilled out 3/8" deep with a forsner bit in solid pieces, not for hollow pieces.  I think the key is to wheigh the bottoms of hte pieces so as to prevent the tipping of the pieces.

With 32 chess pieces, $10 would only get you 1/32 oz. added to each one, which would barely be noticeable. If you're going to take the time to do something like this, I'd think you'd at least want to double the weight of the set (bringing it to about 2 pounds, which is still on the light side for a set of chess pieces), and at $10 an ounce, that's $160.

You would know more about that than me, so I'll stand down to what you say on this occasion.

@MaximRecoil needs to spend more time reading the Journal of Physical Chemistry 70 (5) and several other articles by Polyanskly regarding lead oxidation and its toxicity, or even start with Wikipedia regarding the fact that lead does oxidize upon contact with air, and sheds its oxidized coating upon touch.  Most adult lead poisoning is due to consumption of game (deer, quail) shot with lead projectiles.  Melted lead oxidizes to lead monoxide and although elemental lead does not vaporize at low melting temperatures, it does create lead oxide vapors which do.

My concern here is not to argue with another chess player of unknown credentials about our relative knowledge of lead toxicity, but to recommend that lead is not the safest substance to be handling, sanding, hammering or melting to pack into holes in the base of chess pieces.  If you want to use it, make yourself aware of its characteristics and toxicity and decide for yourself.  The rest of the world has removed lead from virtually every other facet of consumption.  There must be a reason.

Last post on this topic from here.  Flame away if you must have the last word.

@MaximRecoil needs to spend more time reading the Journal of Physical Chemistry 70 (5) and several other articles by Polyanskly regarding lead oxidation and its toxicity, or even start with Wikipedia regarding the fact that lead does oxidize upon contact with air, and sheds its oxidized coating upon touch.

You need to spend more time reading the posts to which you're replying. I said:

"No, it doesn't, at least not the lead alloys used for common sources of lead. Do you see any white powder coating old bullets, sinkers, or wheel weights?"

Does the bolding help? The bullets in the following cartridges were cast in 1991:

Most adult lead poisoning is due to consumption of game (deer, quail) shot with lead projectiles.

And what does that have to do with weighting chess pieces?

Melted lead oxidizes to lead monoxide and although elemental lead does not vaporize at low melting temperatures, it does create lead oxide vapors which do.

First of all, your attempt to move the goalpost is noted. Secondly, lead monoxide is created at about 1112 °F, well beyond the melting point of lead. Secondly, it doesn't vaporize until about 2691 °F, also well beyond any temperature one would reach melting lead for casting. With that said, there are always various impurities in lead which can give off "fumes" when heated, so like when working with anything that gives off "fumes", make sure you have proper ventilation. There are countless people who melt and handle lead alloys on a daily basis for decades with no ill effects (hot metal typesetters come to mind, as well as avid bullet casters like the late Elmer Keith). Worrying about doing it once in order to make chess piece weights is utterly absurd, at least from a toxicity perspective. Getting burned is a realistic concern however; molten lead will splatter violently if it comes into contact with water.

My concern here is not to argue with another chess player of unknown credentials about our relative knowledge of lead toxicity

How's the weather out there in left field? Given that my "credentials" as a chess player are utterly irrelevant to the issue at hand, consider your fallacy dismissed out of hand.

but to recommend that lead is not the safest substance to be handling, sanding, hammering or melting to pack into holes in the base of chess pieces.  If you want to use it, make yourself aware of its characteristics and toxicity and decide for yourself.

This is a change in tune compared to your original statement where you "strongly recommend[ed] that you not heat, mold or use lead, [because]  it is a heavy metal and very toxic". In any event, toxicity is a non-issue, the only realistic concern is that of burning oneself.

The rest of the world has removed lead from virtually every other facet of consumption.  There must be a reason.

In some cases the removal was due to justifiable concerns; in other cases, it is due to Chicken Little Syndrome, "lead phobia" as it were.

Last post on this topic from here.  Flame away if you must have the last word.

Your baseless attempt to characterize my posts as "flaming away" is dismissed, and your resignation is acceptable.

Gold, platinum and tungsten are not as dense as mercury, and mercury isn't close to uranium.  If I remember correctly, the elements that are heavier than uranium are created in labs because they decay too quickly to be found naturally on Earth.  I'd bet the chemist would agree that lead is better than such highly radioactive materials.

Lead toxicity has been known and documented for over a hundred years.  Recent scientific reports show it is more toxic than previously believed.  It is cumulative in human organs and especially dangerous to children.  An April 5 article by the AP speaks to the fact that lead poisoning on children is on the rise.  The CDC has lowered the allowable blood levels from 10 micrograms per decaliter to 5 for children (25 for adults) but they also say that there is no minimum level of lead that is known to be safe.  Don't take my word for it, check the literature.  Google Wikipedia for a simple yet well documented discussion of lead, it's oxides and toxicity.  Yes, lead is better than many heavy metals.  That simply makes it the better of several undesirables.

Lead forms PbO (lead monoxide) upon contact with air.  It does not take elevated temperatures to do so and it forms a thin protective coating over the surface.  Most commercial ammunition is coated with a thin layer of parafin to prevent the oxidation.  I have uncoated fishing weights that have a chalky powder on the surface from this oxidation.  The temperatures given above are evidence of a person who has looked up some numbers without knowledge of the chemistry involved and used industrial temperatures for manufacture, not the temperatures necessary for atmospheric reaction.  The vaporization temperature is the temperature necessary for lead to vaporize and remain as a vapor (1749°C).  Compare that to water with a vaporization temperature of 100°C.  Using the same logic, water will not vaporize until that temperature is reached, which means that the earth would remain wet after a rain because it never reaches 100°C.

Commercial chess pieces are never weighted with lead as far as I know unless done so post-manufacture.  My old Drueke pieces from the 1960's have round steel weights (triple weighted) and the newer quad-weighted pieces I've used are also steel weighted.  No, steel is not as dense as lead, but it's a whole lot cheaper and safer.  Do not take my word for any of this.  Look it up, check the documentation and refute false claims by self-proclaimed experts.

I don't want to get into a discussion of lead here except to warn those who use it casually to be aware of its potential toxicity.  It is not "lead phobia" when the entire scientific community, the CDC and other reputable and objective sources warn you.  Use it if you wish, just be sure to heat it under well ventilated conditions and wash your hands after handling the metal before eating or handling food.  I apologize for breaking a promise and defending my earlier comments with documentation rather than allowing ignorance to prevail.  Refer all remaining beliefs and claims to documentation and scientific literature, not ideological claims of safety and chemical expertise.

BTW, I do not acknowledge a resignation when it is claimed without agreement by an opponent in chess or in any other venue.

That is all false.

Mercury - 13,593 kg/m³

Uranium - 18,900 kg/m³

Gold - 19,320 kg/m³

Tungsten - 19,600 kg/m³

Platinum - 21,400 kg/m³

Osmium and iridium are the heaviest.

Lead toxicity has been known and documented for over a hundred years.  Recent scientific reports show it is more toxic than previously believed.  It is cumulative in human organs and especially dangerous to children.  An April 5 article by the AP speaks to the fact that lead poisoning on children is on the rise.  The CDC has lowered the allowable blood levels from 10 micrograms per decaliter to 5 for children (25 for adults) but they also say that there is no minimum level of lead that is known to be safe.  Don't take my word for it, check the literature.  Google Wikipedia for a simple yet well documented discussion of lead, it's oxides and toxicity.  Yes, lead is better than many heavy metals.  That simply makes it the better of several undesirables.

Already dismissed as irrelevant, more than once. See above.

Lead forms PbO (lead monoxide) upon contact with air.  It does not take elevated temperatures to do so and it forms a thin protective coating over the surface.  Most commercial ammunition is coated with a thin layer of parafin to prevent the oxidation.  I have uncoated fishing weights that have a chalky powder on the surface from this oxidation.  

It doesn't matter what "lead" will do when the common sources are lead alloys. Fishing weights do not develop a chalky powder on the surface merely from exposure to air, else they would be covered in chalky powder while sitting on the shelf in the store, and they are not. Bullets are not normally coated in paraffin wax. Unjacked lead bullets normally have lubrication grooves near the base and there is lubrication in there, but it has nothing to do with preventing oxidation. In this picture, the blue stuff is the lubrication - http://stores.northstarbullets.com/media/00/a64733d13006362cd95199_m.JPG

Also, isn't it ironic that you happen to have some lead fishing weights sitting around, complete with the evil chalky powder, yet here you are warning the world about the dangers of using lead to weight chess pieces, "strongly recommending" that they don't use lead at all. I suppose you don't get within 100 yards of those fishing weights without a hazmat suit on?

The temperatures given above are evidence of a person who has looked up some numbers without knowledge of the chemistry involved and used industrial temperatures for manufacture, not the temperatures necessary for atmospheric reaction.  The vaporization temperature is the temperature necessary for lead to vaporize and remain as a vapor (1749°C).  Compare that to water with a vaporization temperature of 100°C.  Using the same logic, water will not vaporize until that temperature is reached, which means that the earth would remain wet after a rain because it never reaches 100°C.

Water is a ridiculous analogy. Leave a glass of water out on the table and it will be gone in a matter of days due to evaporation. Leave some lead out and how many thousands or millions of years do you think you'll have to wait until it is gone due to vaporization? Why don't you do an experiment, given that you are a chemist and all? Melt a small piece of lead, like say, a small fishing weight, and keep it just hot enough for it to remain molten. Then tell me how long it takes to disappear due to vaporization. You'll be waiting a very long time indeed, much, much longer than you'd be waiting for an equally small amount of warm water to evaporate. I'm guessing that you'd be waiting for the rest of your life, but I'll let you go ahead and try it.

And do you know why this is? You allegedly being a chemist should know that the vapor pressure of molten lead at a typical temperature for casting is ~0.000001 mmHg. Normal atmospheric pressure at sea level is 760 mmHg. What does that tell you?

Water is far, far more volatile than lead.

Also:

RECOMMENDED LEAD WORK PRACTICES
The OSHA Lead Standard (CFR 1910.1025) addresses worker exposure to lead as an airborne contaminant. Based on standard soldering iron temperatures of 620°F-700°F and the melting point of lead (621°F), with a vapor pressure of 0.0 mm Hg and a boiling point of 3,164°F, it is unlikely that lead fume will be generated during electronic soldering, unless the solder is heated to extreme temperatures. Even when there is no exposure to lead fumes, there is still a need for safe work practices to prevent employee exposure to lead from other routes.

http://www.lbl.gov/ehs/ih/pdf/safeSolderingFinal.pdf

Consider your "lead vapor" nonsense debunked.

Commercial chess pieces are never weighted with lead as far as I know unless done so post-manufacture.  My old Drueke pieces from the 1960's have round steel weights (triple weighted) and the newer quad-weighted pieces I've used are also steel weighted.  No, steel is not as dense as lead, but it's a whole lot cheaper and safer.  Do not take my word for any of this.  Look it up, check the documentation and refute false claims by self-proclaimed experts.

There's a good answer for why chess piece manufacturers use steel weights: "a whole lot cheaper". Of course, for someone weighting pieces at home, price isn't much of an issue, since lead is only about a dollar a pound, and it isn't very hard to get it cheaper than that or even free if you know where to look (used wheel weights are a good source).

Antique Jaques of London pieces were weighted with lead; probably most weighted pieces used lead back then.

I don't want to get into a discussion of lead here except to warn those who use it casually to be aware of its potential toxicity.  It is not "lead phobia" when the entire scientific community, the CDC and other reputable and objective sources warn you.  Use it if you wish, just be sure to heat it under well ventilated conditions and wash your hands after handling the metal before eating or handling food.  I apologize for breaking a promise and defending my earlier comments with documentation rather than allowing ignorance to prevail.  Refer all remaining beliefs and claims to documentation and scientific literature, not ideological claims of safety and chemical expertise.

Not only has your "documentation and scientific literature" been sketchy at best, but it has been entirely irrelevant as well. You've been dancing around the issue of describing a plausible path for lead poisoning in the situation of molding 32 weights, installing them in chess pieces, and keeping/using said chess pieces, and that is the only relevant thing here. Hammering on the point that lead is significantly toxic is absurd, because that point is not in contention in the first place. It would be like you hammering on the point that cyanide is significantly toxic after you have "strongly recommended" that people don't eat or use apples. And yes, it is "lead phobia" when the fear is irrational, as it is in your case, since there is no realistic threat of poisoning in this particular application of lead.

BTW, I do not acknowledge a resignation when it is claimed without agreement by an opponent in chess or in any other venue.

"Without agreement"? Is that a joke? You said, "Last post on this topic from here." So in a game of chess, if you make a move (e.g. 1...e5) and say, "Last move in this game from here," you don't think that's a resignation?

No, but you seem to think this is a game.  Is that the way you win your chess games?  Oh, no games played, sorry, didn't notice that.  It's not difficult not to lose when you never play.

Everything I've said is documented by scientific literature.  Lead toxicity is not irrelevent.  Lead vapor and lead oxide vapor is most certainly present when heating lead to the melting point, just as water or any other element or substance vaporizes or sublimates at temperatures well below their pure melting and vapor points - basic Chem 101.  Most elements in that part of the periodic table oxidize spontaneously in the presence of oxygen, including lead.  You might also look up the definition of an alloy and review your high school textbook on metallic crystalline structures, then drop back by and explain how the chemical properties of the individual elements of an alloy are altered.

I have no more time to waste on trolls.  My post was a concerned and honest attempt to alert people to the potential toxicity of heavy metals such as lead.  You claim it is perfectly harmless.  If people don't care, then I don't care, either.  (Your cognitive dissonance might suggest you have a blood test made.)

No, but you seem to think this is a game.  Is that the way you win your chess games?  Oh, no games played, sorry, didn't notice that.  It's not difficult not to lose when you never play.

Your non sequitur is dismissed.

Everything I've said is documented by scientific literature.

False. See above for numerous examples.

Lead toxicity is not irrelevent.

Yes, it is, and I've already explained why, more than once. See above (again).

Lead vapor and lead oxide vapor is most certainly present when heating lead to the melting point, just as water or any other element or substance vaporizes or sublimates at temperatures well below their pure melting and vapor points - basic Chem 101.

Is that another joke? In any event, Mr. Chemist, the vapor pressure of molten lead at a typical temperature for casting is ~0.000001 mmHg. Normal atmospheric pressure at sea level is 760 mmHg. In other words, you've already been refuted on this matter.

Most elements in that part of the periodic table oxidize spontaneously in the presence of oxygen, including lead.

An alloy is not an element. Additionally, trivial amounts of oxidation are irrelevant, as it does not easily become airborne, and no one is going to be sucking on lead like a lollipop.

You might also look up the definition of an alloy and review your high school textbook on metallic crystalline structures, then drop back by and explain how the chemical properties of the individual elements of an alloy are altered.

That's some comical irony right there, coming from the guy that thinks that whatever applies to lead automatically applies to all lead alloys. Also, your claim of being a chemist is laughable, given that you don't understand vapor pressure, which lead to your absurd analogy with water, and to your belief that lead vaporizes under normal atmospheric pressure at casting temperature.

I have no more time to waste on trolls.

Your attempt to redefine the word "troll" is dismissed, and your second resignation (as well as your tacit concession of everything from my post that you failed to address) is noted.

My post was a concerned and honest attempt to alert people to the potential toxicity of heavy metals such as lead.

In reality, it was a "strong recommendation" to not use, mold, or heat lead at all (in "do as I say, not as I do" fashion no less, considering your "chalky powder"-coated lead sinkers that you claim to have).

You claim it is perfectly harmless.

Your bald-faced lie is dismissed.

(Your cognitive dissonance might suggest you have a blood test made.)

You clearly don't know what the term "cognitive dissonance" means, given that it makes absolutely no sense in your sentence, nor does it have any legitimate application in this thread whatsoever. Or perhaps it is another case of you trying to redefine a term to suit your purposes, like you did with the word "troll"?

And no need to have a blood test. There are already countless people who melt and handle lead on a daily basis, for decades, as part of their job or hobby. This fact alone establishes the absurdity of worrying about a one-time lead casting session and use of chess pieces with lead inside them. On the other hand, you might want to have a blood test, considering your stash of "chalky powder"-coated lead sinkers (lol).

Regarding lead toxicity, refer to the MSDS data sheets for lead and precautions for workers in lead occupations.  Referring to lead on the MSDS: 

"Lead only forms a protective oxide layer although finely powdered highly purified lead can ignite in air. Melted lead is oxidized in air to lead monoxide."  Thurmer, K.; Williams, E; Reutt-Robey, J. (2002). "Autocatalytic Oxidation of Lead Crystallite Surfaces". Science 297 (5589): 2033–5

Any chemistry student knows that an alloy does not involve a chemical change, it is a mixture of elements, unchanged in their chemical composition and rearranged in crystalline structure only.

"A homogeneous mixture or solid solution of two or more metals, the atoms of one replacing or occupying interstitial positions between the atoms of the other" - any dictionary of your choice

The most likely source of lead poisoning is by handling lead without thoroughly washing the hands and then ingesting lead when eating. 

Cognitive dissonance means one refuses to acknowledge empirical evidence and fact, clinging to incorrect beliefs in spite of proof to the contrary.

Oh, yeah.  Those lead sinkers that couldn't possibly have PbO formed on the surface that I claim to have?  I'll give you credit for being a great chess player - hanging in and refusing to resign in a clearly losing position.

Rescinding your resignation yet again?

Regarding lead toxicity, refer to the MSDS data sheets for lead and precautions for workers in lead occupations.  Referring to lead on the MSDS:

Lead toxicity is irrelevant, and this makes about the 5th or 6th time I've told you. Let me know when it sinks in.

"Lead, sheet; Lead, bricks; Lead, flashings; Lead, ingot; Lead, pipe; Lead, wool; Lead, solder; Lead alloy, and other miscellaneous Lead products"

Why did you underline "lead alloy"? I've never said anything about lead alloys with regard to their toxicity. Everything I've said has been with regard to oxidation. There are countless wheel weights, bullets, solder wire and ingots, printing plates, etc. out there that never form white powder on the surface merely from exposure to air. You can dance around this fact all you want, but it changes nothing.

Melted lead is oxidized in air to lead monoxide.

Yes, at ~1,112 °F, well above casting temperature, as has already been pointed out.

Any chemistry student knows that an alloy does not involve a chemical change, it is a mixture of elements, unchanged in their chemical composition and rearranged in crystalline structure only.

Anyone who can read knows that I never claimed that an alloy involves a chemical change. Alloys have different properties than any of their elements alone, which is the reason people create alloys in the first place, i.e., to obtain a desired set of properties. The various "stainless steel" alloys are an obvious example. Common "carbon steel" alloys are highly prone to rust (iron oxide), but the addition of a certain amount of chromium in the alloy adds the property of chromium oxide formation which results in passivation, making the alloy rust-resistant.

The most likely source of lead poisoning is by handling lead without thoroughly washing the hands and then ingesting lead when eating.

So that's what it boils down to? You "strongly recommend" that people do not "heat, mold or use" lead, when "the most likely source of lead poisoning" (according to you) can be avoided simply by washing one's hands before eating? Also, go ahead and show me a single documented case of lead poisoning which resulted from handling e.g. bullets and then eating e.g. a sandwich without washing their hands. Do you think lead transfers to your skin simply by picking it up, and then it transfers from your skin to food that you pick up? I would bet any amount of money that someone who did that would have no measurable increase of lead in their system.

Cognitive dissonance means one refuses to acknowledge empirical evidence and fact, clinging to incorrect beliefs in spite of proof to the contrary.

1. That's not what "cognitive dissonance" means, so just as I thought, you don't know what that term means:

Medical Definition of COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
: psychological conflict resulting from simultaneously held incongruous beliefs and attitudes (as a fondness for smoking and a belief that it is harmful) - http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cognitive%20dissonance

2. Even if we accept your homemade "definition" of the term, it still wouldn't apply here, given that you haven't won a single point in this argument. In order to get anywhere in this argument, you need to find a documented case of lead poisoning which resulted from merely using chess pieces with lead weights inside, and/or from a one-time lead casting session. You haven't even come up with a plausible hypothetical scenario which could lead to lead poisoning in this context.

Oh, yeah.  Those lead sinkers that couldn't possibly have PbO formed on the surface that I claim to have?

I suggest you read more carefully before replying. Your habit of failing to read properly leads to many easy refutations of your text. In this case I said:

"Fishing weights do not develop a chalky powder on the surface merely from exposure to air, else they would be covered in chalky powder while sitting on the shelf in the store, and they are not."

Does the bolding help? I don't know the history of your fishing sinkers, i.e., what sort of things they've been exposed to since they were first cast. I've already shown you lead alloy bullets that have been sitting indoors in a cardboard box for 22 years, only exposed to air, and there is no chalky powder on them.

By the way, it is funny that you apparently don't see anything wrong with "strongly recommending" that people don't "heat, mold or use" lead, and then admit to not only having lead sinkers on hand, but ones with white powdery oxidation on them, even trotting them out for a picture.

I'll give you credit for being a great chess player - hanging in and refusing to resign in a clearly losing position.

More comical irony from you. See above, in various places.

OK.  I'll send off letters to all chemical manufacturing companies and laboratories who have been laboring under the mistaken impression that lead toxicity is relevant.  May I use your name (whatever it is) for a reference?

You're unlikely to find any "chemical manufacturing companies and laboratories" that think lead toxicity is relevant in situations where there is no plausible path to poisoning. In any event, lead toxicity is logically irrelevant in situations where there is no plausible path to poisoning, period.

OK.  I guess you "misspoke" when you said above "It doesn't matter what "lead" will do when the common sources are lead alloys." Lead is lead and will chemically form oxides which is why the MSDS sheets include lead alloy in their overall warnings of lead.  Lead is still lead whether it is mixed with tin, bismuth or any other metal or non-metal element.  It does change some of the physical characteristics but not the chemical reactivity

No, I didn't "misspeak". That was in reply to your text about lead oxidizing to a chalky white powder. I don't know if pure lead will form a chalky white powder merely from contact with air, because I've never dealt with pure lead, but I know that the common lead alloys do not, ever.

Stainless steel still rusts, it just takes longer because of the greatly reduced amount of iron and the fact that chromium oxidizes first and retards the iron oxidation.  If the iron can get to the oxygen, it will rust because the element iron is not altered in its chemical reactivity.  Think of chromium as a "coating."

I already explained why stainless steel is rust resistant (and yes, I used the term "rust resistant", not "rust proof"). It has nothing to do with "the greatly reduced amount of iron" ("Kovar" for example, is only about 53.5% iron, which is much less iron than any type of stainless steel contains, and is still highly susceptible to rust), and everything to do with the chromium oxide layer which quickly forms (and quickly reforms when scratched/scraped off). I don't need to think of the "chromium as a coating" because it is not (that would be chrome plating); it is the quick forming chromium oxide that is the "coating".

Melted lead is oxidized in air to lead monoxide.  There is no requirement for higher temperatures to initiate the reaction.  They simply accelerate the reaction.  Apparently you believe that nothing happens until 600°C?

Nothing of any significance, and it is irrelevant anyway, given that it doesn't spontaneously become airborne.

Most every chemical reaction has an ideal activation energy and an optimum temperature at which a desired reaction goes to completion.  As you have read (you did bother to read the references...) lead does oxidize at normal temperatures over time to form an oxide that forms a protective coating preventing unexposed lead to further oxidize.  It is usually a dull gray surface but may be retarded by coatings which fishing weights, etc. today have due to the known toxicity.  The 600°C needed to convert lead to PbO is the commercial or chemical temperature to run the reaction to completion.  Iron oxidation is exactly the same - you get surface rust fairly quickly, but it takes very high temperatures and/or a long time for the reaction to go to completion.  It does not take 600°C to start the reaction.  You seem short of a reference here. 

I've already addressed an insignificant amount of oxidation:

"Additionally, trivial amounts of oxidation are irrelevant, as it does not easily become airborne, and no one is going to be sucking on lead like a lollipop."

If you have enough oxidation so that there is a visible white powder and you are scraping it off, blowing it around, and inhaling it, then there could be a problem. Otherwise, it is irrelevant to weighting chess pieces with lead.

You'll also find that scientists don't use °F for temperatures.

You'll find that I do. Celsius is for sissies. John Fogerty didn't sing "43.333 in the Shade", he sang "110 in the Shade". You know why? Because John Fogerty rocks; scientists don't.

Any chemistry student knows that an alloy does not involve a chemical change, it is a mixture of elements, unchanged in their chemical composition and rearranged in crystalline structure only.

The most likely source of lead poisoning is by handling lead without thoroughly washing the hands and then ingesting lead when eating,

Already addressed, thus dismissed.

(although recent evidence questions if we are being poisoned by consuming game killed with lead bullets which fragment and shatter along the wound path which is the driving force behind current studies looking at a possible link to dementia and Alzheimers)

Which is utterly irrelevant to weighting chess pieces.

But PbO, since it is a powder, can be easily transferred by contact to the hands.

The thin, invisible layer of oxide on the surface is pretty well bonded. I'll repeat that there are people who handle and melt lead daily for decades without issue. Let's give someone who spends a few hours casting and installing lead weights in 32 chess pieces an exposure value of 1. What do you suppose the exposure value is for someone who has been a letterpress printer for 40 years? Or how about people who have worked in PCB factories for decades, particularly on the wave solder line, where there is constantly an open vat of molten solder (63% lead) that is kept topped off with large solder ingots? If a one-time casting and handling session with lead is so dangerous that you felt you had to warn the world to not do it at all, then how can someone with decades of handling and melting lead under their belt even be alive? You suffer from "lead phobia".

You'd lose that bet.

No, I wouldn't. If someone were serious about the bet, and they put up enough money to make a blood test worthwhile, I'd gladly take a blood test, then pick up a bullet, then set it down, then eat a sandwich, then take another blood test, then collect my winnings.

There are thousands of documented cases at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, and law suits won that have prompted the MSDS safety data sheets.

If there are thousands then you shouldn't have any problem naming a relevant one. So what's the holdup? Of course, you seem to have a problem understanding the concept of relevance; perhaps that is the holdup.

The lead oxide on the surface of lead does transfer easily.  Whether hand washing removes all of the PbO or not is dependent upon how throughly you wash.  It isn't easy to get off as the gray residue on your fingers will show.

No, it doesn't. Why don't you make a video showing you wiping your finger across one of your "Do As I say Not As I Do™" brand lead fishing weights, and let's see if it leaves a nice shiny silver area where your finger wiped across it? According to your "theory", it should, you know, because it wipes off easily, like dust, right?

Handling lead with the hands, without protection or thorough hand washing (a plausible situation for a novice to experience when forming, by whatever means, lead into chess piece weights) and without the realization of the potential toxicity of lead and lead oxides can and will increase the cumulative amount of lead in the body.  No, it will not kill you immediately.  It may not accumulate sufficiently to cause illness if repeated handling is avoided.  But it is a potentially dangerous heavy metal element to handle and can and will cause illness in many persons over time.

A one time event of handling lead for a few hours and then eating without washing your hands, will do nothing. However, most people wash their hands before eating whether they've been handling lead or not. As I said, you have no plausible hypothetical scenario which could lead to lead poisoning in this context.

Virtually all lead containing items today are manufactured with anti-oxidation coatings.  Take your fingernail and scratch the surface of a lead fishing weight and see if you don't get a few flakes of varnish with a resultant dulling of the finish in a couple of weeks.

"Virtually all"? No. Centerfire bullets certainly aren't (as for other items, well, citation needed). Most unjacketed lead bullets are cast from an alloy similar or identical to Linotype alloy, which stays fairly shiny indefinitely - http://mycebu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/500-linotype-mold.jpg.

Wow.  I'll bet those primers are in great shape, too.

There's nothing wrong with the primers. Ammo from WWI will still fire fine, with no greater rate of misfires than newly-manufactured ammo. Ammo has no expiration date that anyone knows of. Additionally, the primers were manufactured in 2001; the bullets were cast in 1991. 

There is lead oxide on the surface.  Rub your finger over them, then suck on them and tell me if you taste lead.

See above.

By the way, your tacit concession on the matter of the definition of "cognitive dissonance" is noted. Your tacit concession on the matter of "lead vapors" is also noted.