Can you hot caustic dip-strip lead?

[Freddy]

I need to remove many layers of paint from what turns out to be a rather ornate lead rainwater hopper and down pipes. The pipes are in need to some repair to the lead and I have removed them from the house.

Can lead be caustic dip stripped? My recollection from school chemistry lessons is that lead is a fairly unreactive metal.

 

[Gervase]

I've used a strongly alkaline poultice stripper on lead (at normal temperature) with no ill effects, and sodium hydroxide used to be added to water to reduce its abililty to dissolve lead, so I can't see a problem. Why not find a bit of scrap lead and put it in the stripping vat to see what happens?