I am getting more potential work to do with lead caulked flanges than ever before.

What sort of lead caulking and pouring tools are the bare minimum for doing that sort of work?

Thank you for any answers you share.

Inside iron.

Outside iron.

Runner and clamp.

Ladle.

Pot.


[mephistotools.com]

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638



Edited 1 times.

thin packing iron (not too long)
an all purpose caulking iron (does both inside and outside)
a ladle to melt the lead in.
use the brown oakum not the white.

the 'flat' irons are for the oakum

the angled (inside/outside) are for the lead



the oakum is packed into the bell and provides the water tight seal

the lead is packed (expanded) into the groove in the bell holding the oakum in place


theoretically

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

yeah... ericsandstone does not need the whole kit of tools that we oldtimers had.
he is just packing and pouring an XH closet flange.
melting the lead can be done right in the ladle. after all it is only one 4 inch upright joint.

BTW bern, i was never a fan of the white oakum. the brown oakum just seemed to pack better. the more oil in the oakum the better it packed. i used to toss some black asphalt roofing chips on top of the oakum. when the hot lead melted it there was never a question of a leak.

aaaahh ... the old days ... glad they are gone


[www.pipsisland.com].

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638



Edited 1 times.

Just curious, if the entire joint is right side up, can you just preload the solid lead in strips or bits into the joint and heat the hub to melt it into place instead of pouring?

Once poured, how much time is there typically to caulk the lead? Is the caulking further compressing the joint to make a better physical connection? Or is the caulking more a cosmetic finishing step for a professional look?

Can all upside joints be avoided by flipping the hub upside down?

if you preloaded the lead and then heated the joint...
1) you'd probably destroy the top part of the oakum
2) the hot lead would shrink downwards and you'd have to add some more.
3) one ladle full of lead is plenty to fill a 1" space in 4 inch pipe. and as you saw in the video you don't worry about the 'slag' sitting on top of the hot lead, it is left behing as you pour.
also...
the time you wait is dependant on the temperature of the poured lead. never more than a few seconds. by the time you put down your ladle and pick up the caulking iron and ball peen hammer, you are ready to go.
as for preassembling.. we used to measure carefully, put up the hangers and pack and pour as many joints as we could upright on the floor. then 2 guys would lift the assembly up and into the hangers.

last little note. it was not uncommon when testing that there would be a few tiny leaks. we just left everything full of water overnight and in the morning the wet oakum would have expanded and magically there were no leaks



Edited 1 times.

Sum,

The purpose of the lead is to hold the oakum in position. (and stabilize the entire joint)

There is a groove INSIDE the bell below the 'face'.

Said groove locks the lead in place.

Since the lead will contract as it cools it needs to be 'packed' so that it is 'tight'.

[th.bing.com]

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638