100 year old tin roof? Useable?

[John Wayne]

A friend is about to have a 100 year old tin roof removed from his Mom's house. Is this pure enough for our use? If this has been discussed I could not find the thread.

Thanks

[Wayne Smith]

Are "tin" roofs actually tin? I thought they were steel and had to be painted/covered.

[KCSO]

They were tin plated sheet metal. Now if you had a BIG lead pot, say 10x20 feet and filed it with lead and dipped each sheet you might get a 1/2 pound of real tin off the sheets, but...

Now lead flashing and lead plumbing vents are 99% pure lead.

[D Crockett]

John what the other guys are saying is no it will not work. but in a way it can if you can get it .take it to a scrap yard and trade it for tin if they have any or lead or cash to buy some tin off the site here from someone that has it for sale . so in a way it can do what you want just not the way you think . D Crockett

[lwknight]

Most likely the roof metal is tinned with zinc-oxide aka galvanized.
Was there ever an actual tin tinned roofing material?
Even the old candy tins and snuff boxes were tinned steel or copper.

[frkelly74]

The old stuff was tinned with tin. There was a name for it that escapes me now but if I heard it I would recognize it. Made to last 100 years or so.

[John Wayne]

OK! Thanks for the input and suggestions. I would have had to drive 3 hours to get it. I'll let it go.