Industrial Rolls of Square Lead? Solder?

[Woodtroll]

Hello, folks,

I was wondering if anyone might have some idea of what type of lead I have found. I located some old sheet lead at a scrap yard that was very thick (almost 1/4" thick), relatively hard (much harder than pure), and had straight well-done solder joints in it that resembled arc welding on steel - I'm guessing it was some type of wall or floor lining?

But with this sheet lead was a roll of squared lead of some type, about 3/8-1/2" across the sides of the squares, and there must be at least 20' or so in this roll. Think of square rope 1/2" thick, but made of lead, in a roll about 2' in diameter.

I can only guess that this may be the solder for some kind of industrial machine that would solder this thick sheet lead? Does anyone have any experience with anything like this? I'm curious about the content, of course, but I'm also curious about how this would have been used (and what does the machine that solders thick sheet flooring look like?).

Thanks for any information or ideas you might have!

[Winger Ed.]

That heavy of sheet Lead is odd.
Most X-Ray rooms had 1/8th inch or so, and behind the tile in old school bathrooms was a little closer to 1/16th inch.

I'd wonder if it is used as shielding around a nuclear power plant somewhere, or a MRI room.

The solder might be for sealing/joining pieces of it together.
As far as the alloy goes, ya might have to send off a piece to be analysed .

[too many things]

tig weld but bet it was used on one wall. rest would be thin it should be pure lead the weld would just make that area harder till melted .

[NyFirefighter357]

I have gotten 1/4" lead sheet that was removed from X-ray rooms renovated in the 1970's, probably installed in the 1940-1950's NYC hospital.

[samari46]

Maybe not mean much, but lead was/is used to make gaskets. Place where I worked had old oil lines made from steel but with cast iron flanges and lead gaskets in between the flanges. Really old lines. Frank

[kevin c]

Can you throw up a picture of that roll? I have no idea what it is, but seeing it might bring something to mind, and, once ID'd, it could serve as a reference.