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Remember When?
What is the result if solder contains too much tin?
The solder will be too fine, will stick to the wiping cloth, and will run off the underside of the joint, making a good joint a difficult matter.
What is the result if solder contains too much lead?
The solder will be coarse, and the joints liable to be porous.
Metals injurious to wiping solder.
Zinc is the first source of injury to wiping solder. The common practice of dipping brass work into a pot of wiping solder is one of the chief causes of the presence of zinc in the solder. This practice is followed in tinning brass ferrules, etc. Brass contains zinc in greater or less amount, and plumber’s brass generally contains a large amount. Therefore more or less of the zinc in the brass will enter the solder when the brass is dipped into it. The use of old lead in making wiping solder is another source of injury to the solder, as much lead often contains elements which act badly on solder. Antimony is another metal which affects wiping solder injuriously.
To purify wiping solder.
To clean wiping solder containing impurities, first heat it to a mild red heat. This will burn out the impurities, during which process a lump of sulphur about the size of an English walnut should be thrown into the solder and continually stirred into it. The sulphur will gather the dross and impurities, and bring them to the surface, from which they should be skimmed. After the solder has been thus cleaned, throw into the pot some powdered rosin or some tallow, to burn out the sulphur. The heating of the solder to a high temperature will result in burning out some of the tin, and in leaving the solder too coarse for use. It should therefore be tempered by the addition of tin of sufficient amount to meet the requirements of the workman who is to use the solder. If the above process does not produce clean solder, repeat it.
This was taken from the book "Questions and Answers on the Practice and Theory of Sanitary Plumbing, Volume III, Practical Wrinkles" which was published in 1919.
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