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Thread: Composition of black pipe lead joint?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master


    randyrat's Avatar
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    Composition of black pipe lead joint?

    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?

  2. #2
    Boolit Master testhop's Avatar
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    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

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  3. #3
    Boolit Master

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


    GP100man

  4. #4
    Boolit Master Morgan Astorbilt's Avatar
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    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

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master
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    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.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    Heads up!!

    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
    The way is ONLY through HIM.

  7. #7
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    i have also heard of lead pipe made with 5%antimony.
    and of a lot of tin being used on the joints.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check