wiping solder

[twotoescharlie]

cleaning shop this morning,found two five pound ingots marked'

BELL SYSTEM
WIPING SOLDER
didn't know I had it, don't know where it came from, had about 1/4 inch of dust on them. (been living in this same residence for almost 40 years)
would like to know how to add it to wheel weights.

thanks
TTC

[ANeat]

From what ive heard wiping solder is 60% lead 40% tin. Good stuff

Adam

[Rick N Bama]

I retired from a Bell Company in '02 after 31 years. I've seen a lot of solder, but nothing like that. The last we had was a solid core and came in 5# rolls.

Rick

[grumpy one]

This same question came up several weeks ago, and I posted the same reply then. Wiping solder is a very low-tin solder which was made for the purpose of enabling plumbers to produce "wiped joints", especially with lead pipe. The purpose of the low tin is to ensure that the alloy is a long way away from the tin/lead eutectic point of roughly 60% tin, 40% lead, so that the mushy stage of solidification will be prolonged as long as possible -thus allowing the plumber to "wipe" the mushy joint with a cloth, to give a neat result without wasting solder. There has to be enough tin to enable the wiping solder to bond to the lead pipe, but no more than that. Typically wiping solder is around ten to fifteen per cent tin, with no antimony.

Geoff

[drinks]

Yes, wiping solder was used to wipe plumber's joints , as well as being used to make splices in lead jacketed cables, both communication[telephone/ telegraph] and power, underground and underwater power cables.
I was trained to wipe power cable in the early '60's, but the only groups still using lead sheathed cable then were US gov. agencies, as usual 10-15 years behind the current technology.

[Rick N Bama]

I was trained to wipe power cable in the early '60's, but the only groups still using lead sheathed cable then were US gov. agencies, as usual 10-15 years behind the current technology.

The phone companies had stopped installing new lead sheathed cable when I went to work in '71 but the existing stuff would sometimes be cut, develop leaks, etc. The last lead work I knew anything of was sometime around '99 when a big & important cable was cut by a city utility crew. As far as I know, that cable is still in use today. If it gets cut or damaged again it'll have to be replaced.

Rick

[twotoescharlie]

rickinbama,

the " Wiping solder " is cast into the ingots, so it must be the real thing. bell system



TTC

[Rick N Bama]

rickinbama,

the " Wiping solder " is cast into the ingots, so it must be the real thing. bell system



TTC

Understand that I never did any wiping, only watched or helped. The splicers always seemed to have a pot full of metal ready to set on the furnace. I assumed that metal came from sleeve scraps. Outside the manholes, the sleeves were closed using a torch & the roll solder I spoke of. I've never seen a sleeve wiped above ground.

I would imagine that your ingots are at least 50 or more years old.

Rick

[Uncle Grinch]

This thread brings back many memories. I retired two years ago from BellSouth (Southern Bell) after 38 years and the mental image is.... standing on a pile of dirt, looking in a hole where the cable techs are closing up a splice sleeve using lead and a wire brush and paddle. A propane torch is used to keep it soft enough to work. I was an Installer-Repairman and was waiting on the cable trouble to get cleared.

I wish now that I had the insight to stockpile some of that stuff.

[twotoescharlie]

looks like I have two C&R's. I think I'll just keep them as is . I already have more wheel weights than I'll probably use in my years that I have left.
who knows,maybe someone will see them on the "Antique Roadshow" someday.

regards

TTC

[Rick N Bama]

:hijack: Sorry Guys[smilie=1:


This thread brings back many memories. I retired two years ago from BellSouth I was an Installer-Repairman.

I also retired from Bellsouth (South Central Bell) as an Installer-Repairman/Service Tech. I spent 31 years in the same town and that was the only work I did with Bell. Health problems & ADSL forced me into retirement (& the offer of SIPP:) I went out with the "Re-Alignment" of '02.

Rick