lead welding ?

[L05tB0y]

Hi all, at the moment ive got myself an Oxy Turbo mini welding kit to practice on, but the bottles dont last very long.
What do i need to look for to get longer welding time for welding lead. Is their a specific type of welder i need to get and is it just oxy- cyetaline type gas i need.
Thanks Dave

 

[Shox Dr]

I've used a Rothenberger torch for lead work, with the Yellow MAP/Pro bottles, they seem to last for ever. I also find using Pre Fluxed plumbers Lead solder works a treat

 

[invicta]

Lead burning is the term used for joining lead. The fuel used can be MAPP gas or propane as an alternative to acetylene. However you will need to use more oxygen. The expense is in the hire of oxygen bottles which are similar contract arrangements for mig welding gas.
You will also need a torch with suitable nozzles for the finer flame required.You might be better of getting a lead plumber to do the work for you but they are few and far between.

 

[brightspark]

Lead burning is the term used for joining lead. The fuel used can be MAPP gas or propane as an alternative to acetylene. However you will need to use more oxygen. The expense is in the hire of oxygen bottles which are similar contract arrangements for mig welding gas.
You will also need a torch with suitable nozzles for the finer flame required.You might be better of getting a lead plumber to do the work for you but they are few and far between.

a plumber soldering lead most have never heard of wiping a joint they think its cleaning a pipe before they put the neoprene adaptor on to convert from lead to copper

 

[Tigman]

I do a little Lead burning I use Oxy Actylene , I make a filler rod from the lead sheet I am using , I get away with it rather than I am good at it ! lol .
Im a pipefitter and have worked on lead pipe but have never sweated a joint , use leadlocks or Johnson couplings now ! I wouldnt know where to start if im honest !

 

[brightspark]

ive done a few joints and sweated a boss in to a copper cylinder using one of these with a big stick of solder and a leather wiping cloth and a tin of fluxite soldering flux http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-Ek5g97vv8

 

[pedrobedro]

Plumber, from the word plombier. Plomb, French for lead. What would they know about lead then ? A friend of mine was a plumber and in those days they even used to do the leadwork on roofing jobs.

 

[Sean]

a plumber soldering lead most have never heard of wiping a joint they think its cleaning a pipe before they put the neoprene adaptor on to convert from lead to copper

copper! you dinosaur its all "hep" and "speedfit" and "flexi"s plumbers tools are a set of snips and a tin of silicone spray

 

[brightspark]

copper! you dinosaur its all "hep" and "speedfit" and "flexi"s plumbers tools are a set of snips and a tin of silicone spray

u mean these ratchet cutters for plastic pipe and plaggy conduit lifes tough nowadays

 

[Sean]

good grief metal handles and a ratchet thats way over the top

mine are yellow though.

 

[Shox Dr]

good grief metal handles and a ratchet thats way over the top

BS's were the only type you could get at one time, for cutting Blue water pipe, you needed the ratchet, the first time I saw some the waterboard were issuing them to employees, and were like hens teeth. I managed to blag a pair from one of them, at that time 1988ish there were over £100 a pair.

 

[mike os]

you might want to use a smaller flame... my oxyturbo lasts several roofs on lead.... i have it because it is cheaper than a portapac for the amount of leadwork I do now.

as a previous thread I find the "localised" heat & shielding of oxy acet to be the easiest, not tried mapp, propane I find puts too much heat into the sheet, but that may just be needing to learn a new technique.

small nozle... i use a 2 or 3 for up to code 8

 

[L05tB0y]

Yea thanks, but i am a roofer and ive always used a blumber or someone who can lead burn, but i want to learn to do it myself so i can save some time and money.
Is their anyway you can get hold of some small oxy/asetaline bottles and get them re-filled just like i have with my pub style bottle for my Mig welder.

 

[mike os]

unlikely for either.....just the way it is these days, though you might be able to get from someone like hobbygas?

 

[Wedg1e]

Plumber, from the word plombier. Plomb, French for lead. What would they know about lead then ? A friend of mine was a plumber and in those days they even used to do the leadwork on roofing jobs.

Er... actually both words share the same root: 'plumbum' was Latin for lead. I knew those 4 years of wasted lessons weren't erm, wasted

 

[Wedg1e]

I've been welding lead for a while now using TIG, it certainly sorts out the pro's from the wannabe welders

Well I don't know about the second bit but I've ben TIGing lead for a while; here's a shielding box I made from 6mm sheet. In order to make it leak-proof all the joints have to overlap so I milled a 3mm x 6mm step round the pieces.
When I build the big irradiation shields we use 50mm thick lead, cast and milled by the foundry, goes together beautifully... but the pieces are hernia-inducing to lift!

This box is to house a £16000 monitor that is used to establish the precise dose given to rodents for cancer research purposes: the instrument would be fried by the doserate in the chamber so the box keeps it to a safe level (obviously it has a lid - 12mm thick!)... it's painted black to avoid skin contact to appease the elfin safety bods.

The blocks of steel in the background of the first pic are 18Kg test weights awaiting drilling and tapping for handles.

 

[hotrodder]

I would have thought that it's just the oxy that doesn't last for a useful length of time? As Shox the MAPP/Maxi gas things typically last well enough as they're stored as a liquid. You can get rent free oxy from several sources (two that come to mind are Adams Gas and Southwest gas). Check out the gas suppliers section. Those cylinders will be a lot bigger although still 'pickupable' with one hand. You'll need a proper industrial regulator too.
There's also this sort of kit... http://www.migtigarc.co.uk/FlameKit/flamekit.html which'll remain smaller/more portable but you may be very limited regarding refills
Albee are also now doing both oxy and acetylene, initial costs will be higher as you buy the cylinders but they come with built in regs, choice of small or smaller and should have plenty of choice for agents as they're AirLiquide. There's been a thread or two about these recently and should find contact details in the gas supplier section too

I've no idea what the score is regarding flashback arrestors with the oxyturbo/rothenberger kits... i'm guessing they use a little one way valve rather than proper flashbacks?

 

[KemppiFrog]

When wondering what to do in my youf, I did a year at St Albans Building College. On Wednesdays mornings we did practical stuff. One was lead burning. As the filler is the same as the base material (welding), getting the speed right is tricky. One needs to melt it enough to fill, but avoid the whole lot dropping away. Soldering would be much easier as the temp is lower.

As for the French Plombiers. Copper rules. The only lead pipe you see is the stuff (still) being pulled out of the roads to update the systems. (might account for their voting..)
Personally, I use Aquatherm plastic. Fast, cheaper than copper, and if frozen, does not burst.Plus, and a big one, no chance of leaks. You have to remember that there are no roof tanks here. It all runs at mains pressure. Up to 6 bar in cases. So push fit is not a good idea.
And for roofing, it is all zinc. Bit more rigid than lead, but less saleable on the 'secondary' market.
KF

 

[TechnicAl]

Plumber, from the word plombier. Plomb, French for lead. What would they know about lead then ? A friend of mine was a plumber and in those days they even used to do the leadwork on roofing jobs.

Arent they all from the Latin word Plumbum (hence Pb) which was the term used for both Lead and Tin.

 

[mike os]

tin is stannum