Plumbers' Materials
To bring it to perfection, both the architect and the plumber must work in harmony, and together do whatever in them lies to produce such a result as will be both creditable to them, and a blessing to the community at large. The noble and now venerable monuments of the past before alluded to, were not produced by magic—modern science having fairly disposed of the brownies or pixies, gnomes, and fairies of our youthful ideas—they were produced by each individual in his own sphere doing well the work that lay to his hand. The smith had to make and sharpen the tools, the mason had to use them, and though they were often only classed and looked upon as " labourers," yet we see what grand results able supervision could cause both the Egyptian slave and the English labourer to produce.
So we said in the first edition of this book, brought out in 1976. Since then the plumbing trade has come through a rare experience. It has been patronised by Parliament, and from a handicraft has been making great strides towards the dignity of a profession. The mere mechanical or rule-of-thumb worker is developing into the educated craftsman whose work is based upon assured theory, and who can give a sensible reason for everything he does. A good plumber may by-and-by be looked upon as a benefactor of humanity.
Plumbing is fitting itself not merely to become the handmaiden of the noblest of the professions, but, when education has further advanced the race, the physician and the plumber may come to be looked upon as brethren, not to the lowering of the dignity of the former, but by raising the qualifications and status of the latter.
Copper, as will be referred to farther on, is also used for pipes, and as sheet copper, and the same with tin. Zinc is also used in the shape of sheets, while iron is employed in many ways, as for pipes, gutters, ridges, &c. Both iron and copper are utilised in the manufacture of the plumber's tools. Even silver, as plating, makes its appearance in many of the better class of plumbing jobs, especially of late years. Lead has been the principal material with which the plumber worked until about the middle of the present century, when other metals or materials largely usurped its place, and often ousted it from many places or situations where it formerly reigned supreme. Notwithstanding all this the quantity of lead still used by plumbers in their work, both on the outside and in the inside of buildings, is still great.
On account of its nature and applicability it is difficult to supplant lead with anything better for many purposes, and especially at less cost. The plumber of to-day, while also using other metals in the course of his work, has yet to be largely a lead worker, and unless he can handle this metal properly his title to the old and honourable designation of "plumber " will be apt to be called in question.
The plumbing craft existed not only in Rome coeval with the Caesars, but also in Babylon long before, and anterior to either in Egypt as far back as the reign of Menes, about 5,000 years B.C.* Among the finds discovered in the Lake Dwellings of Central Europe, .crucibles for melting metals have been found. All this tends to show the high antiquity of the use of metals by man.
As a metal lead (chemical symbol Pb.) is comparatively soft, and is one of the heavier metals coming after iridium, platina, gold, tungsten, palladium, and mercury. Taking a cubic foot of water at 40° Fahr. as 1000 oz. avoirdupois, the specific gravity of lead is 11*352, or 11,352 oz. to the cubic foot. That is to say that lead is eleven and one-third times heavier than water. Its colour is greyish, or a sort of bluish white, with a metallic lustre. Clean lead is even brilliant, but it soon gets tarnished by exposure to the atmosphere or to damp in consequence of the formation of a thin film of oxide on its surface. Being durable, easily fusible, flexible, malleable and plastic, lead can be used for a large variety of purposes.
When exposed to the air during fusion lead oxidizes, and so is styled a base metal. Gold, platinum and silver do not oxidize when so exposed but remain bright, and hence are designated noble metals.
Lead is obtained from lead ore, or sulphide of lead, a mixture of sulphur and lead otherwise named Galena. This mineral Galena when pure is composed of 13*3 parts of sulphur to 86 of lead according to Chambers, or 86*55 of lead to 13*45 of sulphur according to other authorities. Silver is often found in the lead, sometimes in considerable quantities. Maguire says from 2 oz. per ton up to—in the mines of Colorado—as much as 800 oz. per ton. Copper, zinc, and antimony are also found mixed with it. For the plumber's general use lead as pure as possible is preferable. Hard lead implies adulteration. When the silver amounts to 4 oz. or even less in the ton it is separated from the lead either by Pattinson's process, or by Kartin's more recent improvement upon it.
Lead mining is carried on at various places in England, especially in Derbyshire and the North, also in Cornwall in the South. Likewise in the Isle of Man and at Lead-hills in Scotland. Nq doubt the Romans were acquainted with and worked some of these mines. In Europe, however, Spain produces the most lead. P. J. Davies, quoting from Heir Landsberg, gives the following estimate for the year 1981:—Spain, 120,000 metric tons; Germany, 90,000; England, 67,000; France, 15,000; Italy, 10,000; Greece, 9,000; Belgium, 8,000; Austria, 6,000; Russia, 1,500.