I made deli type dill pickles this year in a crock with a brine consisting of water, salt, vinegar, dill, garlic, and pickling spices. This is the first time I have done them this way. After I put the ingedients in the crock I put a plate on top, and, looking around for something heavy to weight the plate with to hold the cucumbers under the brine, I grabbed a sharpening stone and placed it on top, then put the whole thing in the fridge because I was going away for the weekend. The recipe said to leave it on the counter and skim off any scum or mold that might appear on the brine surface. I thought I should put it in the fridge to be safe, since I would be away. Well, when I got back I found that the brine had seeped up on top of the plate - the plate was now a little sunk in the brine and the sharpening stone was surrounded by brine. So now I'm concerned that the metal (could it be lead? or steel?) could have contaminated the brine. Should I discard my lovely pickles? I removed the sharpening stone right away and the pickles sat on the counter for another 2 -3 weeks before I put them in an industrial sized jar in the fridge. I tasted one and they're very good, by the way! What would you do?