Sunday Fun...Passing on Lead Wiping skills to the next generation of Licensed Master Plumbers
Comments
-
Nice! Still do wiped lead shower pans around here.
Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
2 -
-
High temperature "pottery " & ceramics work. It is, very much artwork, science & great skill. Mad Dog
1 -
Wow, nice job, and 2 handsome men doing the work. If you are hiring' I would like to learn a new trade while there is still time.
2 -
Is there a big call for this in our trade in this part of the country?
0 -
-
that looks way less sketchy than the braziers i've seen in books
1 -
Funny my father when I asked him to teach me to wipe joints he laughed and told me not to bother. 30 years ago it was obsolete in Massachusetts. He also said it was just protectionism that NYC and Long Island required it. Funny the difference in perspective.
Cost is what you spend , value is what you get.
cell # 413-841-6726
https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/charles-garrity-plumbing-and-heating1 -
Chicago. 😀
Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.0 -
Wiping not so much, unless you're doing certain bodywork. caulking can solve a lot of problems.
0 -
-
Someday, there will be a similar Sunday fun day for soft soldering copper water pipes…….another fading art.
2 -
True. I will fight THAT battle to the bitter end. Another licensed plumber I know recently got a BIG kick out of Me getting a soft solder leak up against a floor joist....Pro-Pro-Press guy..Schadenfreude???? Ha ha...I think so...Not Guts No Glory. The only easy day was yesterday…Mad Dog
1 -
-
Check these puppies out...coming up on 100 years old.....not a drip. Imagine hand-bending your own lead trap on sight? Mad Dog
2 -
-
-
What is supposed to happen with the plug? seems like after about 10 years everything is just going to crumble and tear if you try to remove it.
0 -
Cool looking joint. It sure is dieing art. It's not allowed in most areas of this country for numerous reasons.
0 -
Matt,
I'm a big fan of most of what you do and how you do it. We are alike in many ways.
I started in this trade in the late 1960's spent the first 3 years of my apprenticeship packing okum and pouring lead joints. We would often huddle around the lead pot during cold weather. None of the Journeymen I worked alongside lived past 75. They poured molten lead, soldered with 50 / 50 solder, & handled asbestos and mercury routinely for decades.
I'm grateful that regulations & technology have made the trade I love somewhat safer. I haven't knowingly worked with any molten lead in over 40 years and hope that will help me live past 75.….....
4 -
Lead should not vaporize at the temps you use for soldering, pouring, or wiping. Where were you handling mercury? Some old regulators had open mercury.
2 -
What went with the lead and asbestos was usually some hard living. Who didn't have a pack of Lucky Strikes on the Econoline dash and beers at lunch? Was Plumbers Weight Gain a problem too? Lots has changed in the Trades,and it's not just the Trades.
2 -
We got rid of wiping for the license test in NYC back in the mid-'90s but when doing it we had to Splash the joint with the ferrule and stub standing up, then extrude an opening and wipe in a solder nipple for a tub waste, with a pitch and finish by soldering a flange on top without evidence of where the iron was pulled. We did it over a concave board with a piece of canvas painted with Soil (Plumber's Black) to be able to re-use the lead that dripped down.
I did so much of it practicing I could do it with either hand. Miss those days..
In Long Island they allowed the rolled wiping - guess those folks just couldn't get the hang of doing it vertically ;-)..
JG / NYC1 -
They still do. Many underground telco closures are lead sheathed. The wiring inside has paper insulation. The lead cables and enclosures are under slight air pressure to ensure they stay dry. On occasion they have to be chiseled open, repaired and sealed again with the lead wiping methods.
1 -
I was 9 years old when I was in charge of melting the old scrapped lead and skimming off the slag, and then molding into pig's of lead. I was also elected to recycle slabs of asbestos pulp to be reused . As a matter of fact, I was in the garage the other day, to look for silver solder, and I found a lead pot, and 2 joint runner asbestos straps and 2 ladles. I remember soldering with a blow torch that used white gas. I trashed all that stuff. Dad was probably turning in his grave while I flipped them in the dumpster…..
3 -
Mike. When I was lead for my 1998 Master Plumber Practical on Long Island I did the vertical splash wipe too. Little Vinny from Ozone Park taught me. He was a NYC LMP. This is another Vinny who did the one in this picture. Mad Dog
0 -
-
Matt. The lead is harder than it seems and the brass plugs come out with a little WD-40. Mad Dog
1
Categories
- All Categories
- 86.3K THE MAIN WALL
- 3.1K A-C, Heat Pumps & Refrigeration
- 53 Biomass
- 422 Carbon Monoxide Awareness
- 90 Chimneys & Flues
- 2K Domestic Hot Water
- 5.4K Gas Heating
- 99 Geothermal
- 156 Indoor-Air Quality
- 3.4K Oil Heating
- 63 Pipe Deterioration
- 916 Plumbing
- 6K Radiant Heating
- 381 Solar
- 14.9K Strictly Steam
- 3.3K Thermostats and Controls
- 53 Water Quality
- 41 Industry Classes
- 47 Job Opportunities
- 17 Recall Announcements