Nick-- I've worked in the welding trade all my adult life- and know a little about metallurgy-- You can't cut lead, or cast iron, with an oxy-acetylene torch. Don't know the term you used in your post-- "welting" as it refers to metalworking- care to explain that one??

Although I agree in principle with friend Stan's post on this sad affair-- and he is right- the Muslims are not shy about listing their many world-wide terrorist schemes, I still tend to think they were somehow responsible for part of this tragedy- Granted, they may NOT have started the fire- but what's to keep them from disrupting the communications that occur after such a disaster is "called in" a major traffic jam in the heavy Paris traffic could delay the arrival of the fire trucks, for example--

My only real experience with the usage of lead comes from my Military service years- lead is a shield against radio waves- all the electric blasting caps used in EOD training were kept in a lead shielded wooden storage case, usually 10 caps per case. RWTF- but NO "riding to the foxes on my watch!"--

"The field is the touchstone of the man"..