Plumbing Mechanic wanted

Just wondering are you sign up with Plumbers local 1 or Steamfitters local 638.

Hired thanks any way
[Edited by SylvanLMP on 05 March 2001]

Disregard I hired a Mechanic Friday he starts Monday thanks.

Your still wiping joints & making lead shower pans?

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Originally posted by Russ:
Your still wiping joints & making lead shower pans?

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Yes I do about 6 pans a year using 4PSF sheetlead. The lead wiping is required because several of my town house accounts have inlaid wood ceinings and the existing 100+ year old piping is lead waste lines.

Rather then destroy the marble floors or wood ceilings we lead wipe flemco #1 warrenteed solder after removing the corroded section, rather then replacing everything up to the cast Iron stack.

Even at $225 per hr or any part there of it is still cheaper then destroying this work of art wood work.

The lead pans are custom made with solderless seams (corners) and last over 50 years.

Sylvan How do you get at the lead bend if it’s in between the floor and cieling?

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Originally posted by Wallingford Plm+Htg:
Sylvan How do you get at the lead bend if it’s in between the floor and cieling?

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GREAT Question FINALLY.

Depending on the severity of the damage of a lead bend whether it has to be replaced or can be repaired.

Obviously if the lead bend separated from the bad ferrule we have to replace it completely BUT if it is just a minor split I “lead wipe” from the inside of the 4″ lead bend.

The NYC Master plumber Exam would not allow any lead wiped joint to be made with a torch ONLY using a ladle and cloth

Thankfully having mastered this type of application we do not have to expose an open flame to dried wood.

By using proper preparation like shave hooks to remove the existing oxidation and using either sperm candle or non acid type fluxes I can take a small ladle of warranted Flemico #1 solder 40-60 and heat it in this ladle and then pour it on my wiping cloth and wipe the molten solder over the split and working it till it becomes very smooth to prevent rough edges to cause future stoppages.

Of course this “Art” form doesn’t come cheap as most lead wipers do not use gloves as we have to feel the consistency of this alloy.

Too hot burns a hole through the existing lead too cold and it sticks.

The preparation is everything the actual lead wiping takes about 6-10 minutes.

A lot of times this job can be performed without breaking any tiles BUT any “plumber” who does this type of repair for under $525 per HR or any part there of is giving away his/her talent.

Do folks ask a surgeon HOW much they charge per hour Or ask an artist how long the painting/sculture took to make?

THINK about how much damage you do when replacing a lead bend?

When most mechanics are finished the poor victims have to hire a tile man, painter, carpenter plus lots of dust and other debris. are scattered al over the place.

Here we do internal repairs and everyone wins INCLUDING the insurance companies as this kind of repair saves them a fortune

Hey dont forget to place a rag inside the lead pipe to

1- conserve heat so the solder doesnt go solid too fast AND

2-Keep the spilled alloy from causing a blockage down stream.
by using a rag you can remove the spilled solder and reuse it on another job.

You got to admit for under $4.00 worth of materials it feels great knowing you just created a work of long lasting art like an artist takes a plain piece of cheap canvas

Who is to say how much it is worth?

I don’t have that much knowledgs on wiping joints,not that I need too,but I cant see this working very often.You wouldn’t be able to get at the whole lead bend from the top without removing some flooring.I have seen lead bends go bad in various locations.If your repairing a lead bend then the cieling below would already be damaged,that would have been your first clue.What do you say we just open the floor or cieling,which ever one is easiernd replace this outdated lead bend with plastic.Yes,I said plastic,great stuff!!

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Originally posted by Wallingford Plm+Htg:
I don’t have that much knowledgs on wiping joints,not that I need too,but I cant see this working very often.You wouldn’t be able to get at the whole lead bend from the top without removing some flooring.I have seen lead bends go bad in various locations.If your repairing a lead bend then the cieling below would already be damaged,that would have been your first clue.What do you say we just open the floor or cieling,which ever one is easiernd replace this outdated lead bend with plastic.Yes,I said plastic,great stuff!!

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Wallingford Plm+Htg: You will never be a “plumber” give it up dude your screwing everyone you work for.

Only a stoned face idiot would make your kind of statement.

This type of wiping is becoming a lost art in other industries also. The last time I saw lead work done with this precision was done on my Jeep Wagoneer at the vocational school. The bodywork instructor could have told the class to do it in Bondo fiberglass, but he loved his art and wanted to teach them how to do it with lead. Most shops 40 years ago used fiberglass filler and cloth, but this could crack the bond and the paint on top.

The repair was done during the energy crisis when gas lines were a daily grind. I left my car in the class shop while they repaired and painted my car. They did it for free for me, but I would have gladly paid for the work.

I had been a mechanic for European cars earlier when the Mercedes body mechanic welded patches and leaded the surface. I could never find the spot where the work had been done. I guess the choice is whether you want to be a Mercedes plumber, or a Jugo.

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Originally posted by Harold hydronic.net:
This type of wiping is becoming a lost art in other industries also. The last time I saw lead work done with this precision was done on my Jeep Wagoneer at the vocational school. The bodywork instructor could have told the class to do it in Bondo fiberglass, but he loved his art and wanted to teach them how to do it with lead. Most shops 40 years ago used fiberglass filler and cloth, but this could crack the bond and the paint on top.

The repair was done during the energy crisis when gas lines were a daily grind. I left my car in the class shop while they repaired and painted my car. They did it for free for me, but I would have gladly paid for the work.

I had been a mechanic for European cars earlier when the Mercedes body mechanic welded patches and leaded the surface. I could never find the spot where the work had been done. I guess the choice is whether you want to be a Mercedes plumber, or a Jugo.

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Hi Harold you must realize Wall is not a mechanic WILL NEVER be a mechanic let alone a plumber.

He is why Home centers are thriving as why use a stumble bum when the average home owner can do it better then a guy like him?

He is a self confessed non mechanic by just suggesting a close radius fitting for a waste.

Harold this “lost art” is still being taught by the phone company and Con Edison where longevity is needed

I was lucky enough to see a Con Edison Employee lead wipe a a lead pipe over some heavy electrical lines.

This person was an a fantastic craftsman and when I asked about signing up for this class it cost slightly over $800 for non Con Ed employees WELL WORTH the money.

Thankfully the stumblebums in these trades are on the way out as more folks are reading how to books and are able to do the job RIGHT them selves rather then relying on a Billy Butt crack dabbling in their homes.

The home centers are doing a fantastic service to enlighten folks on how easy installing plastic PVC/CPVC systems are.

I saw a retired plumber explaining how anyone with a hacksaw and ruler and the desire to learn can install their own complete bathrooms.

Knowing the Up State is known for lack of training is the reason I fully encourage all home owners there to do most of the “plumbing” themselves and leave the heating to real experts.

Rather then try to teach the unskilled thinking they know a trade I think it would be better to just ignore them as they know in their hearts they are losers.

Look at frank a 3rd year apprentice from Canada and read what he writes compared to WALL plumbing and heating.

I would love for Walls Victims to ask him just the basics from section IV of the ASME code

Harold your words are lost on the new no talent folks entering these fields.

Thank you anyway for trying to get your point across.
Sylvan STILL learning everyday

Hey you normally get what you pay for MY top mechanic gets $55 per hr IN THE ENVELOPE not bad for a “WORKING MAN”

I’m not sure if I should respond to Sylvan or Bob.Maybe I’ll just call you Bobvan.I think Harold said it best when he said that lead wiping is becoming a “lost art”Whenever anything becomes a “lost art” there’s a reason.Most likely it’s because something better and more practical has come along.Remember when carpenters woulb build a house with a hand saw and a hammer,now that was a real art.I’m sure you can find some old time carpenters that would criticize todays modern tools and pratices.We can flashback to the past all day and find a thousand examples of change and you’ll always find someone who is bitter about it.I have never said that wiping joint’s wasn’t an art.If I dated back that far I’m sure I would have done it myself.