50/50 Solder on Old Lead Pipes?

[Hanzy4200]

I recently picked up a small 8-10 lb piece of lead pipe from my local scrap yard. I is clearly near 100% pb as it is an inch thick and easily bendable. I usually look for harder stuff, but figured it would be good for BP. Anyway, I was setting to melt id down, and noticed something odd. Both ends, which were clearly joints as they were larger, melted off before the rest of the pipe. I poured it aside, and it is MUCH harder than the rest of the pipe. Is this likely 50/50 solder?

[imashooter2]

Most likely, yes.

[44man]

The solder joints were usually pure tin. You will have some lead mixed in when it melts off.

[bangerjim]

You will get a very tiny bit of solder (probably 50/50 or some mix like that from melting) on old lead pipes. You will need a LOT more than 8-10# of them to garner any useful amounts of solder for boolit use. Look for some pewter at junk stores if you really want decent amounts of Sn.

[imashooter2]

The solder joints were usually pure tin. You will have some lead mixed in when it melts off.

Completely disagree. When lead waste pipes were in general use, plumbers were not using lead free solder.

[tinsnips]

A lot of the joints on old lead pipe were just melded lead an wiped on with a leather glove to form the joint. My father did it many years ago. It was an art.

[dondiego]

The joints that I found on the lead water main pipe at the valves and T's was quite a bit harder than the soft lead of the main pipe. I suspect it had an amount of tin in it.

[Hanzy4200]

Well I guess the general consensus is that it is likely a high tin alloy. The more I fool with it, the more believe this to be so. I poured a few little "ingots" out on concrete that are about 4" long and maybe 1/8" thick. I can only bend them with a LOT of force. WW alloy in this shape bends with ease. What I have now is probably enough to sweeten one pot. The purpose of my asking, is not so much concerning the small amount I have now, but for the future. New time I am at the yard and they have smaller lead pipe, I can cut off the joints and actually get a decent amount. At $.60 a lb, and probably 95% weight retention after fluxing, that would be some seriously cheap tin! Thanks for the input guys.

[44man]

Tin was preferred and I found a lot of it on pipe and cable sheathing. The low melting point made it easier to solder and flow into the lead without melting a hole in the pipe.
It was not that easy to come by so many plumbers did use lead.

[imashooter2]

40/60 was preferred for wiped joints due to the longer slush stage. That's what Bell Telephone used for lead cable. Most plumbers just used the same 50/50 they had on hand for soldering copper.