Good to test old pieces for lead
I was so excited when I found an old chinois that had very tiny holes to strain out raspberry seeds and such. I had been looking for one for a while. The piece was very heavy tin/metal with its wooden pestle but missing the stand. It looked like it might be either a turn of the century piece or early 1900's. For $2, I couldn't go wrong-or so I thought. I tested it for lead with a home testing kit and the test was reactive for a high amount of lead-the brighter the purple color on the indicator, the more lead! The indicator was a bright purple! Into the trash it went. I didn't need my gooseberry jam to be lead lined. I am so disappointed.
Antique pieces can be sturdy and well used but can be lead-laden. Home test kits are available at most hardware stores and are very easy to use. Lesson learned.