Elements of Plumbing Part 5

Grease can be put on the pipe in between the pieces of paper and will keep the lead from oxidizing.

PLACING PIPE IN POSITION.--There is no need of an elaborate system of holding the pipe in position. Take a red brick and place the 4 by 8 face down. This will do for the bottom pipe. For the top of pipe to rest on, place two bricks one above the other; this will give the correct position. Place the pipe on the brick and with a ladle full of half molten solder pour a clamp of solder over the end of the pipe. This will hold the pipe firm for wiping. Place a catch pan under the joint for solder to fall in.

WIPING.--The method of wiping this joint is practically the same as wiping the horizontal joint. The catch cloth should be held parallel with the bench tilting a little from front toward the back. The ladle is held the same and solder is dropped on as before. The ladle should be continually moving while dropping solder, not allowing the solder to drop twice in the same place.

When the solder has been worked around the pipe and is at working heat, the solder is drawn up with both cloths and the top edge wiped first, then the bottom edge; the surplus solder is put on the underside of the joint, and then with three or four wipes the joint is made symmetrical and finished.

THINGS TO REMEMBER.--

_First_, prepare like the horizontal joint.

_Second_, use brick to place in position.

_Third_, hold tools as in horizontal joint.

_Fourth_, top edge cools first, therefore, wipe it first.

_Fifth_, hold the wiping cloth at an angle of 45 when wiping, with fingers placed as noted in previous joint.

_Sixth_, make solder clamp for holding the pipe.

ROUND JOINT 45--LEFT

When the preceding joint is well mastered and a number of good joints have been wiped, turn the pipe on an angle of 45 to the left.

PREPARATION.--The preparation for this joint is exactly the same as for the horizontal joint. The beginner should turn back and read carefully concerning the perfection of the joint. Bear in mind that the pipe must be correctly prepared or a good joint cannot be made.

The edge of the paper must be cut not torn.

PLACING PIPE IN POSITION.--This pipe can be placed in position the same as the preceding one. If heavy weights are placed on the ends of the pipe, a bad habit may be formed by the one learning to wipe.

That is, the habit of pressing hard on the joint when wiping. In the preceding joint, if the beginner presses too hard, the pipe will fall off the bricks.

WIPING.--Proceed as described for previous joints. The top edge must be favored a little. The hot solder will run down to the bottom edge; therefore less solder should be dropped on it than on the top edge. When the solder is at the proper heat for wiping it requires only a light touch to wipe the joint. If it appears necessary to press hard on the joint to wipe off surplus solder, it shows that the solder is not at the correct wiping heat.

ROUND JOINT--VERTICAL

PREPARATION.--This joint can be prepared exactly like the preceding one. In fact, the same piece of pipe can be used throughout. When preparing this joint the end that is to be on the bottom should be well covered with paper.

PLACING IN POSITION.--The best way to hold this joint in position for wiping is to stand the pipe upright on one end with the pan underneath. A piece of furring strip should be run from the top of the pipe to the wall. Secure the strip to the wall and drive a nail through the strip into the bore of the pipe. Place a weight on top of the strip and the pipe is ready.

WIPING.--The procedure of wiping this joint is entirely different from that in the other positions. The solder is thrown onto the joint from the ladle. The catch cloth is held up to the pipe and as much solder as possible is held on to the pipe. Move the ladle around the joint, throwing a little solder on as the ladle is moved. Notice now that all the solder runs to the bottom edge, leaving the top edge cold. The solder that acc.u.mulates on the bottom edge should be drawn up to the top edge with the cloth.

Then splash more solder on to the top edge and as the solder runs down the pipe catch it with the cloth and draw it up again. The solder can be worked around and up and down the joint, but always keep the top edge covered with hot solder. The solder is likely to drop off the joint entirely unless watched closely. When the correct heat is obtained, drop the ladle. Take the wiping cloth in the right hand and with the fingers spread, clean off the top edge quickly, then shape the joint with the one cloth. With a little practice you will gain this knack. The joint can then be wiped. The left hand can steady the pipe. Spread the index finger and third finger to opposite sides of the cloth and wipe around the joint.

CHAPTER VI

PREPARING AND WIPING JOINTS (_Continued_)

TWO-INCH BRa.s.s FERRULE

MATERIALS.--The beginner should continue wiping the vertical round joint until he is able to obtain a symmetrical bulb. A joint should be wiped in each of the foregoing positions for exhibition purposes, so that the beginner can have before him the best work and strive to make the next joint better. This next joint, the 2-inch bra.s.s ferrule, is wiped in an upright position. The materials necessary are the 2-inch bra.s.s ferrule, 6 inches of 2-inch light lead pipe, paste and paper, 1/2 and 1/2 solder, rosin, wiping solder, catch pan, and supports.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 24.]

TOOLS REQUIRED.--The tools necessary for this work are as follows: the saw, rasp, drift plug, dresser, file, soldering iron, bending irons, wiping cloths, shave hook, and ladle.

PREPARATION.--The lead pipe must be fitted into the bra.s.s ferrule.

The bra.s.s ferrule has to be tinned first. To do this, proceed as follows: file the ferrule for about 2 inches on the tapered end. Do not file too deep, but just enough to expose the pure bright metal.

Now measure from the small end 1-1/4 inches down toward the beaded end. From this point to the bead, cover the bra.s.s with paste and paper. No paste must get on the 1-1/4-in. filed end. This end should not be touched with the fingers. If paste gets on it, the process of filing must be done over again as the solder will not stick where there is paste. If the bra.s.s ferrule is filed while the paper is on the bra.s.s, the filing will destroy the straight edge of the paper and an even joint cannot be made. It would therefore be necessary to re-paper the bra.s.s. Take some powdered rosin and cover the filed end of the ferrule with molten solder using the rosin as a flux. Do not dip the end of the ferrule into the hot wiping solder to tin it or pour wiping solder on the bra.s.s ferrule. This method of tinning the ferrule will spoil the wiping solder. Always use the soldering iron to tin the ferrule as explained above. A little practice will develop the use of the iron in the hands of the beginner so that this tinning process will be done very rapidly. The iron should be put on to heat when the paper is being pasted on the bra.s.s; the iron will then be ready for use when needed.

PREPARING THE LEAD.--The ends of the lead pipe must be squared with the rasp. All kinks and dents are taken out by using the drift plug and driving it through the pipe. Take a piece of smooth pine stick and start to beat in the end of the lead pipe to fit the bra.s.s ferrule. The pipe should be beaten in starting about 3/4 inches from the end. It should be beaten in very slowly until it fits the ferrule. The pipe is held in the hand all the time and considerable time should be spent on this as it is the first time the beating in of lead pipe has been called for. The knack of doing this comes only by slow and continued practice. The lead must be "humored"

into shape and not "driven" into shape. The end of the pipe is tapered still more by rasping off the end. About 3/4 inch should extend into the bra.s.s ferrule. With the bending irons, the lead extending into the bra.s.s ferrule is beaten against the inside wall of the ferrule. A good way to do this is to wedge the lead pipe in as much as possible at first, then lay the work flat on the bench, in which position it is more easily worked. The sketch should be thoroughly studied and each notation be perfectly understood, before proceeding with the work. Now that the lead pipe is perfectly fitted into place, it is prepared for wiping. The joint overall will be 2-1/2 inches. As we have already allowed 1-1/4 inches on the bra.s.s ferrule for the joint, the lead will have to be cleaned that much more. With the shave hook, shave the end of the pipe that has been fitted into the bra.s.s ferrule. A s.p.a.ce about 4 inches should be cleaned. This will give a cleaned surface free from dirt and grease for the paste and paper to adhere to. Next paste the paper in place. The lead pipe can be entirely covered, or 3 or 4 inches only, above the 1-1/4 inches allowed for the joint.

The s.p.a.ce between the paper on the bra.s.s and the paper on the lead should now be 2-1/2 inches. The paste and paper should now be allowed to dry.

SUPPORTING THE PIPE.--This joint is wiped with the ferrule down on the bench. A flat pan is laid on the bench and the ferrule stood upon it. A weight on top of the lead pipe is all that is necessary.

If this does not make the pipe rigid enough for the beginner, then a support similar to the round vertical joint support can be used.

The beginner is advised, however, to practice the wiping of this joint with only the weight to hold it in position. The beginner will then be required to wipe the joint while the solder is hot, when it does not require a heavy pressure against the solder to wipe it in shape. These wiped joints should be supported in place near the furnace that heats the solder so that the solder will be handy for wiping.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 25.--Two-inch bra.s.s ferrule.]

WIPING.--Wiping this joint brings in some of the methods of the round vertical joint. If that joint was thoroughly mastered, this joint will be wiped considerably more easily. The ladle is held in the right hand and the solder splashed on the joint. The catch cloth is held in the left hand and some of the solder is caught and brought up on the top edge. The top edge cools quickly as all the hot solder runs down to the bottom edge and into the pan. As the solder acc.u.mulates on the bottom edge, it is drawn up on the top edge, and in this manner the top edge is kept hot. When the solder can be worked freely around the pipe and the edges are hot, the joint is ready to wipe. The ladle is laid down and the wiping cloth is taken in the right hand and the top edge of the joint cleaned on one side. Then the wiping cloth is changed to the left hand and the other side of the top edge is cleaned. Holding the cloth in one hand with the index and the third fingers spread to the outside corners of the cloth, the cloth is pa.s.sed around the joint quickly.

To get an even and symmetrical joint, it is necessary to make two or three pa.s.ses around the joint holding the cloth first in the right and then in the left hand. The free hand is used to steady the work. This joint should be wiped very slim to allow room for the caulking irons to pa.s.s by it and get into the hub of the pipe.

Constant wiping on the bra.s.s ferrule will result in the tinning on the bra.s.s ferrule coming off. The ferrule will look black when this happens and will thus be recognized. The wiping should then be stopped and the ferrule filed and tinned in the same manner as it was done at first.

POINTS TO REMEMBER.--

_First_, material--6 inches of 2-inch light lead pipe and one 2-inch bra.s.s ferrule.

_Second_, tin ferrule, using soldering iron.

_Third_, use a soft pine stick for a dresser.

_Fourth_, fit the lead into the ferrule.

_Fifth_, clean and paper the lead.

_Sixth_, secure the pipe into position.

_Seventh_, using the catch cloth and ladle, splash solder on the joint.

_Eighth_, keep the top edge covered with solder.

_Ninth_, wipe the top edge first.

_Tenth_, shape and finish wiping with a few strokes.