Existing comment:
Drop Shot Process
* Workers would hoist the lead to the top of the tower by means of block and tackle which used livestock, ropes and a system of pulleys.
* Lead was smelted and arsenic added, making it more pliable and easier to pour into the giant sizing sieves.
* Sizing sieves were like big pasta strainers with different sized holes in the sieves. Using multiple sieves gave them the advantage of making more than one size of shot.
* Once the molten lead was poured into the sieve, it free fell through the tower into a kettle of water at the bottom. Water did not cool the shot; however, it acted as a cushion to prevent deforming the shot.
* The shot was then retrieved, dried, and polished with graphite to be sold on site or shipped down river to nearby towns. |