Water pipe joint pics

[doghawg]

I've been lucky enough to stumble on to a bit of water pipe lately. I'm assuming the silvery outer ring on these joints is solder. Would any of you hazard a guess what it might be?? 50/50 maybe??

Also wonder if there is a proven way to segregate the tin from the pure PB? Will the solder melt first??

[Sprue]

I for one have never seen that stuff before. Thanks for sharing.

[doghawg]

All of the environmental hysteria over lead makes me wonder how many people in older homes even know they're drinking water from lead pipe.

Sprue...You need to buddy up with a backhoe operator working in an older neighborhood.

[Catshooter]

Lead piping was pure lead, all of it, as far as I know and have ever seen.

Lead and tin alloy so easily that the only way I know of to keep them seperate is to peel them apart by hand.


Cat

[StarMetal]

Some one on here posted about lead pipe saying it was extruded and because of that it had some other stuff in it so it would extrude better. Not sure if it was just tin or other alloy. The article said it wasn't 100 percent pure, but about as pure as we're going to easily find.

Joe

[Ron.D]

The pipe will be pure, or close to pure lead. If those joints were hand wiped they're probably 60% lead & 40% tin. 60/40 was standard wiping alloy. I was in one of the last tradeschool classes to be taught how to wipe a lead joint. 1967, if I recall. Ron.D

[StarMetal]

Lead pipe can be had both ways I've found. Pure lead and alloy lead. Pure lead was is a requirement for chemical use. Standard uses such as carrying water or sewage don't require pure lead.
http://www.gravitagroup.com/lead-pipe.asp

Joe

[Ron.D]

Good link Joe. The stuff I came across was strictly for water and drainage pipes and was quite soft. It could be beaten into almost any shape with a wooden dowel type of tool. I didn't ever come in contact with lead piping used in the chemical industries. Ron.D

[plumber]

I've been lucky enough to stumble on to a bit of water pipe lately. I'm assuming the silvery outer ring on these joints is solder. Would any of you hazard a guess what it might be?? 50/50 maybe??

Also wonder if there is a proven way to segregate the tin from the pure PB? Will the solder melt first??

Just melt that down! That DWV lead is about 98% pure plumbum. I know some plumbers wipe with 50/50 or 60/40, but I was taught to use pure lead as was the norm in these parts. As far as the lead hystera for drinking water, the risk is almost non existant in cold water. In Providence, 85% of the mains in the street are still lead and we have the best publc water in the country. Even in the old homes that still have lead plumbing there is no lead to be found in the water, the minerals in the water calcify the I.D. Lead on hot water is a whole 'nother story, homes that were built in the '30s have lead cold and brass hot.

[StarMetal]

Good link Joe. The stuff I came across was strictly for water and drainage pipes and was quite soft. It could be beaten into almost any shape with a wooden dowel type of tool. I didn't ever come in contact with lead piping used in the chemical industries. Ron.D


Even if it had a little alloy in it, it's so close to pure lead you can use it as that, such as muzzle loading projectiles and swaging, etc..

Joe

[doghawg]

Just melt that down! That DWV lead is about 98% pure plumbum. I know some plumbers wipe with 50/50 or 60/40, but I was taught to use pure lead as was the norm in these parts.

The first pic may not be as sharp as it could be but there is a distinct silvery ring of metal around the outside of the joints....apparently solder. I have a quite a few of these joints and am debating whether to melt them in one tin-rich batch or throw a few in each pot. Even if the solder portion WOULD melt sooner than the pure lead it probably wouldn't be too smart to be fishing over a pot of water pipe.
:shock: