Lead welding

[Adam Marshall]

I have always wanted to try lead welding so I bought myself a cheap ish lead welding kit off ebay the thing is I know nothing about it or how to set the flame, I have had a few attempts after looking on YouTube but it burns holes in the lead so fast surely the flame is to hot. Any help would be great

 

[Tom O]

My dad just used a variable soldering iron for the lead in stained glass.

 

[julianf]

Just move it further away, or keep swapping it onto and off the work surface.

I'm no good at it really, but there's a point with lead where it goes to a, sort of, slush, or slurry, before it goes to a liquid. I'm thinking it's that point that you want to be working around.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Get a cooler nozzle, if you can.
Try the advice all ready given.

When heating the lead, keep a eye on the surface. As it gets hot, just before it flows. You will see fine cracks opening up. They look like silver rives against the dark grey of the surface.

Or look on the fay blay and find a big heavy Copper bit soldering iron. They are there, I have used a Hatchet type.

To use them, clean the tip and heat. When you see a green tinge to the flame it is hot enough to use.
A decent roofing company will be able supply a lead flux.

 

[Muppet]

Soft flame , use a filler and feed into the molten pool , keep the flame away from the lead as much as possible , in and out with the flame to the filler, number 3 tip if you have a choice, ,
Make sure the lead is clean as well , makes a massive difference,
Chose the lead as well , milled lead is a little softer and worked a lot easier,
Rolled lead can be a ba----d to weld ,

BE VERY CAREFUL when welding, ware glasses , a lot of lead these days has zinc impurities and will explode and cover you in molten lead ,

 

[500e]

Try the search box on this site type in " lead burning"

 

[OMV]

I can help you if you fancy a trip ?
Paul

 

[Hitch]

I made a little outlet thing for a church years ago, probably about 18/19 years ago now. Only time ive done it.

Scrape the surfaces back to bright metal just before you want to weld it.

I seem to recall holding the filler into the joint, and just moving the flame in and out to almost produce a series of tacks witout melting everything else.

Flame wise, i want to say carburising flame, but wouldnt put any money on tht being right. I know its not a neutral flame though, and ccant remeber the other type . Quite a cool flame, bit less oxy than youd have for cutting or welding steel.

 

[Seadog]

Oxidizing, carburizing and neutral.

 

[Brad93]

Unfortunately the lead burning kits on ebay are carp.

You need a very precise flame and sensitive adjustment to weld lead nicely.

Murex Saffire used to sell a torch, i can't remember the name, they go for good good money now.

They didn't make them themselves though. A guy used to make a batch of 25 or so at a time in his shed! They tried buying in from Europe and China etc, none were ever as good.
Apparently there was quite a wait time because the guy only made them when he could be bothered.

 

[eddie49]

Talking of lead burning, the roof of Notre Dame in Paris looks like it was covered with lead. I wonder if careless lead welding and lack of fire watch after work ended for the evening was the cause of yesterday's fire ?

 

[Muppet]

Type o lead burning your torch,

 

[Brad93]

Type o lead burning your torch,

That’s the one

 

[brightspark]

I had one with a full set of nozzles .sold it to a member on here as I would never use it . just an ornament .I already have another 4 torches

 

[Adam Marshall]

I have now been having a little play welding lead every night for about 2 weeks and I still don't seem to be getting anything that remotely looks like a bead. I have one of the cheap sets from ebay like an oxyturbo set, is oxy acetylene and a model o torch a bit easier to learn with? so what happens when i melt the lead onto the sheet the blob of molten lead doesnt bond to the lead sheet even though everything is clean. Any help would be great

 

[roofman]

I had one with a full set of nozzles .sold it to a member on here as I would never use it . just an ornament .I already have another 4 torches

That was me...great bit of kit too

 

[brightspark]

That was me...great bit of kit too

glad its of good use no point in hoarding ornaments

 

[slim_boy_fat]

...... no point in hoarding ornaments

Now you tell us .

 

[Muppet]

I have now been having a little play welding lead every night for about 2 weeks and I still don't seem to be getting anything that remotely looks like a bead. I have one of the cheap sets from ebay like an oxyturbo set, is oxy acetylene and a model o torch a bit easier to learn with? so what happens when i melt the lead onto the sheet the blob of molten lead doesnt bond to the lead sheet even though everything is clean. Any help would be great

I've used oxyturbo sets when I'm perched on the roof ,
The flame can be fat and not focused so might be why the blobs not bonding,
If your able give the lead sheet a tap that will gwt the blob to bond,
Used the flame to push the molten lead into the sheet

 

[500e]

Clean material is the main thing if it is blobbing are you getting the sheet hot enough here is a YouTube not the neatest but gives you a idea, really listen & watch the cleaning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch
I found a good scraper & used Killed Nitric-acid (not a nice material don't expect you can get it know) but used to use it on vintage, veteran radiators to clean the joints, knowing no better & it seemed to work.
Never tried tallow not wiped joints either.
Most lead roofers say you don't need flux at all.
First job was a whole lot of big roof lights some with new lead others were repair, the repairs went better with the flux even though I cleaned\scraped to what appeared to be bright lead, It was a inherited job as I stupidly said cant be that difficult, found it easier than learning to TIG weld