What is the tin percentage in plumbing solder joints?

[BK7saum]

I bought 150 lbs of lead pipe at the scrap yard with 6 gallons of copper range scrap jackets a while back. I was noticing some of the pipe had solder joints. Not knowing anything about plumbing solder used, can I assume it is 30-40% tin as in 70/30 or 60/40 solder. I melted solder off of 5 joints and now have a little over three and a half lbs of solder. With the cabine tree tester the impression was about 0.065" deep.

Any suggestions on how to determine tin percentage?

Thanks, Brad

[runfiverun]

weight.
specific gravity of lead is about 11 and tin is about 7.
I'd guess at plumbers solder being 50/50 though.

[BK7saum]

For specific gravity do you calculate or measure the volume. I wish I still worked in a lab sometimes. Then I'd have access to all the necessary items. Maybe my brother will loan me a graduated cylinder.

[Mitch]

I have read about the lead pipe solder joints the common alloy use was 50/50.i melyed some off some joint a while back and mied it with pure lead and from what I could tell the 50/50 was about right.you can google lead pie solder joint and get a lot of info that way.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I have also melted some 'solder' joints in Lead pipe. I don't recall where I heard that it's typically 50-50...Maybe I asked a similar question as you just did here ;)
ANYWAY,
I use it when I want to add Tin to and unknown alloy like range scrap...since I usually used for plinking pistol boolits and attempting to recreate that alloy is a non-factor.

[bangerjim]

Just treat it as simple 50% tin when you are making up your boolit soup!

I use 50/50 solder all the time. I just whack off about a foot or so of the wire and stuff it into my 4-20 pot to get good fill when things are not filling out as I want them. It's good for "on-the-fly" adjustments to your mix. Do not worry about percentages. This is not rocket science!

3# is not a lot. If I were you, I'd just cast it up using a Lee or Lyman 1# ingot mold and only fill to 1/3 full or about 1/4" thick. That way you can just hold the small flat little ingots in your pot with pliers when you need a touch of tin.

And don't loose any sleep over it........life's too short!!!!!!!

banger

[Ole]

You could cast some bullets with your unk material and compare weight with a pure lead bullet out of the same mold.

I have some 63% SN solder that I melted into 265gr Ranch Dog bullets and they weigh around 200gr if memory serves.

[sirsloop]

for that amount its not worth the effort to figure out the alloy. Just treat is as 50% tin, 50% lead like others mentioned.

[ssnow]

Old lead pipe, you can bet the solder is 50/50......it's just what was readily available back then, and what most of the plumbers used.

Lead containing solder was outlawed in '86 for use in drinking water applications, these days the plumbing solder is 95-97 % tin for potable water use. 50/50 is used in other applications, radiators and the like.......lead pipe is long gone.

[Adk Mike]

When I get lead pipe like that I cut the joints out with a saws all . I use them as 50/50.

[BK7saum]

Thanks everyone. I'll assume 50% tin and add to my alloy accordingly. It was a bit of work but I melted the solder from the pipe with a propane torch, so even though its over 3 lbs, it is all solder without being further diluted with lead.

Brad

[bangerjim]

Lotta work for 3# of 50/50!

banger