Composition of black pipe lead joint?

[randyrat]

What is that lead made of, in general. I ended up with a bunch of it. It's lead mixed with so called "horse hair" What kind of alloy is it? pure, pure/tin? Any plumbers out there?

[testhop]

thelead is dead soft the old plummers used it with okem (the horse hair looking stuff)
boy is it costly (8.00-12.00 per 5 lb) makes good bp balls any c.f loads need tin to be added

[GP100man]

i smelted some down & it checked 12 bhn on my lee hardness checker !!
so its basically clean it up & see.


GP100man :cbpour:

[Morgan Astorbilt]

Randy,
"Plumber's Lead" is the least regulated "lead" of any sold commercially. It can have any amount of other metals and contaminants in it, it just has to melt so the joints can be "run". In my youth, (over fifty years ago), I did this, working as a plumber's helper, for a few years.
The "horsehair" is oakum fibers. They're a tar oil soaked hemp rope, like Manila, which is packed the cast pipe hub with a caulking iron, before the lead is poured. Sometimes, on jobs, with vertical runs, if the "plumber" didn't have a furnace and joint runner, or was just lazy, he'll use "lead wool" instead of molten lead, pounding it in over the oakum, and melting the surface with the Prestolite torch, so it resembled a poured joint. This couldn't be done on horizontal runs because the lead would run out if melted with a torch.
Morgan

[Jim]

If it was bought new from a supply house prior to installation(likely the case), it is required to be at least 99% by manufacturing industry standards. I have no idea how bad 1% of anything could mess up a ton of lead, but there ya' are. When smelting salvadged "lead and oakum joint" material, be especially attentive to good ventilation and STAY OUTA' THE FUMES. Trust me, this I know what I'm talkin' about.

Morgan, If you know about lead wool and "Prestolite" torches, you been there an' done that.

[Pepe Ray]

I'm sorry that I don't have a MSA or MSD sheet for you BUT There was a product named "Leadite" used for thr same plumbing, joint fitting jobs. I know of it being used in the mid '70's. I surmise that the only reason to use it was economics. But beware that it is only similar to lead. If it's an alloy I know not what the remainder is. FYI
Pepe Ray

[runfiverun]

i have also heard of lead pipe made with 5%antimony.
and of a lot of tin being used on the joints.