The repair itself was straight forward. It was the lead that proved to be a new challenge.

To remove the lead I had to drill multiple “pilot” holes into the lead to loosen the bars. This took about an hour which may seem excessive for such a small job, but delicacy was the key when the stone had to be saved.

Re-leading was the final step. New tools had to be made; a simple casting pot. This was made from a small piece of thick box section with a square plate welded to the bottom and some old bar as a handle. The lead was heated in the forge (I was stood outside due to the fumes from the lead) and the stone and bar was heated with a blow torch. Once poured, it was left to set and finished to be a very nice restoration.