Painted metal

As with most questions - "it depends". I should avoid lead painted stuff completely - it's definitely bad if you grind/sand it off, dunno about burning it, but I would assume it's not healthy.

Best plan is to throw any painted metal on a bonfire and keep out of the smoke. Just retrieve next day when it's cold.

How long can you hold your breath? With the profusion of chemical strippers, there's no reason to heat painted stock. Sand or media blasting also springs to mind as an acceptable method of removal. Then there's always the wire brush and the flap wheel. Paint and fire don't mix.

Charly