Strange Lead

[FISH4BUGS]

I was given about 20 lbs or so of lead tubing. It is from a player piano restoration guy. Apparently these were the tubes that carried the air to each individual key. There is some small fitting on the end that is a "sleeve" that would, I guess, fit into a brass fitting to seal the connection.
Anyone ever see this before? It seems pretty soft lead but no way to tell.

[Alloy]

Is it possible that the tubes are organ pipes? Organ pipes are sometime composed of spotted metal a mixture of lead and tin. Mixtures I have seen are frequently in the 50/50 Tin/Lead range.

[FISH4BUGS]

....but I don't think so. These tubes are a quarter the size of a pencil and if they are from an organ it might be a small one. The inside of these tubes is quite small so there isn't a whole lot of air that being moved. The lead IS very soft, though it seems.

[Storydude]

They are air valves for an air powered organ. When you depress a key they open(Or close) those pipes and it opens(Or closes) a bigger valve downstream.

almost 100% pure.

[StarMetal]

They had a program on TV, one of those science channels about how organ tubes are made and repaired. The smaller tubes are indeed pretty much pure lead. As the tube get larger in size they have to alloy them to make them harder/stronger to be able to support their massive weight. I don't think you can go wrong getting any of this to supplement your bullet making material.

Joe

[felix]

Organ air pumps are typically set to maintain 5 PSI. The guy across the street where I lived in Houston had as his hobby building an organ from dismantled organs from across the country (and the world for that matter). Apparently these guys are SERIOUS and as crazy as we are if not more so. They typically don't care how much it costs when a part becomes available. They got to have it and will take great pains to obtain it. In twelve years I was there I heard it once for real, played by someone of significant stature in the trade. Prolly a 100 cars parked around the neighboorhood, about noon one Saturday. I never heard a better version of Bach's T & F as was done that day. That organ was BIG and was distributed in every room in that house, including the garage all sealed up against moisture. He was a Fellow Chemist working for Shell and had money to burn. ... felix

[Wayne Smith]

Maybe from an old pump organ, the type with the foot pumps?

[FISH4BUGS]

....to all.