Lead birdbath needs repair

Q. Fifty years ago I acquired a figured lead birdbath, but it has fallen in disarray and its ankles refuse to support it. No one here can do the mending. Can the birdbath be melted down and remolded and, if so, where? Could I sell it for the lead? Mrs. Walter H. Mahan Spartanburg, S. C.

A. Of course the birdbath could be sold as old lead for plumbers and roofers, but that would be mre commercial redemption.

Could it be melted and remolded? No doubt, but the mold might cost more than the birdbath is worth.

If it were mine, I'd try harder to find a nearby person who is familiar with statuary and ask his advice.

Otherwise, having just discussed this problem with Roberto Mendez, a sheet-metal mechanic of Nogales, Ariz., I'd ask an experienced craftsman to resolder the ankles back onto its shins.

Is a lead birdbath acceptable to environmentalists these days? I'm nto sure.