Gunk

[paulb33]

Any ideas about a solvent and/or method for removing the gunk from this 1950s(?) basin?

I want to replace the taps but they're bonded tightly to the sink with this stuff. Slightly plastic feel.

Grateful for thoughts.

 

[DJH]

Looks like Boss White to me, which is a linseed oil based sealant much used back in the 50's and onwards along with hemp, or tow as it was commonly called, for sealing threaded pipes and smearing onto the faces of unions and compression fittings until it was realised that bacteria was attracted to the stuff so it's not used on potable water supply pipes nowadays.

The taps may well have been been replaced since the basin was first fitted but sanitaryware in those days had square holes in them for taps and the taps had lugs on them to locate and hold them in the correct positions over the basin so the chances are that you can use some force on the back nut to undo it as the taps will be prevented from rotating by the lugs holding against the square in the basin. The hot tap will be more difficult to undo initially as the compound will have set harder with the heat from the water running through it. Modern taps and sanitaryware now have round holes and the taps don't have lugs, not even for centralising them in the holes, and this has caused many problems where showers are fitted over baths and the taps below are not fitted exactly covering the holes and water runs through and down below.

A variety of jointing methods and compounds were used years ago including red lead, putty, putty and cement along with hemp and often washers cut from lead sheet as well.

Doug

 

[88v8]

Some careful heat with a small blowlamp might help.
Don't apply too much force to the taps or you could split the basin in half. Done that, many years ago.

The lack of square lugs is one of the most crass cheapenings ever inflicted on an ignorant public. When I fitted the (repro) taps in our Victorian basin, I Araldited two locknuts onto the tap stem, then cut and filed them into a square, so the tap was properly located and could be secured without overtightening.
And to make it worse, lead washers are not sold any more so the only friction keeping the modern tap in place is a nylon washer.
Pathetic.

Ivor

 

[DJH]

Very gentle heat... there is a risk that the basin could crack in which case the whole exercise is kind of pointless.

Can't agree with you more about the lack of lugs on the taps Ivor. They changed I the late or mid 70's from memory. Something to do with the Common Market as it was called then...

We used to cut out our own lead washers, Still got the punches somewhere. We had to do the same for slotted basin wastes and bath wastes with lashings of putty and red lead.

All different now...

Doug

 

[paulb33]

Thanks for your help and advice.

So, I used a heat lamp and rubber mallet. One tap came free. Happy days! The other proved more difficult...

Now looking for a supplier of 1958 hand-basins.

Paul

 

[DJH]

Oh dear. Bet that was the hot tap...

Doug

 

[paulb33]

Yep. :roll:

 

[JoceAndChris]

Well you tried, but that was clearly at then end of its life. Never mind.

Now, you could have a nice repro basin by Thomas Crapper or by Catchpole and Rye

http://www.thomas-crapper.com/

http://www.catchpoleandrye.com/

or something elegant by albion:

http://www.albionbathco.com/index.html

or a reclaimed one:
http://www.stiffkeybathrooms.com/products/antique-basins-sinks

Architectural salvage worth trawling through

http://www.salvo.co.uk/

 

[paulb33]

The basin was set in a large vanity unit.. :evil:

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh, dear. Is it a very nice vanity unit?

 

[Svenedin]

Oh dear. I sympathise. I have a vintage basin in a bedroom that had a lead u-bend that was forever blocking. I had to get the old u-bend off so that I could replace it (unfortunately with a modern plastic one but I kept the old lead waste pipe). It was absolutely jammed solid with ancient putty that had set rock hard and had lead washers too. Somehow I managed to get the old one off without damaging the basin. I was far too scared to use heat so I just cut it away with a hacksaw and then very carefully chipped away at the putty with a blunt chisel and a screwdriver. It took well over an hour, probably more like 2 hours.

I completely agree on round tap holes. They are absolutely daft. I have used "Fix-a-Tap" washers with success but there are alternatives. The top hat washers supplied with new taps are hopeless and I just can't ever seem to get the tap centred properly.

 

[paulb33]

The vanity unit is large and built in. Not particularly attractive - fitted in the late 50s. But, would have served my 8-year old daughter's room well for the next 10 years.

This started out with me trying to fix a leaking tap. Sigh.

 

[DJH]

I might well have been guilty of that myself years ago on the basis that the more sealant used the less likely a call back for a leaking waste fitting. Another result of too much putty was blocking up the slots in basin wastes so that the overflow in the basin would fill with water and not drain away. Experience made me clean out the slots with a bent piece of wire.

One of the most annoying things was being called back to attend to blocked basin wastes where the tiler had rinsed out his grouting tools and sponges in the basin and the resulting heavier than water debris collected in the trap and set hard... grrr.

Top hat washers were introduced to accommodate the lugs on sink taps when they were used on stainless steel sink tops so that the backnuts could tighten up without fouling the lugs.

A pet hate of mine is when basins in bathrooms are called sinks... sinks are in kitchens, utility rooms, slop rooms etc and basins are in bathrooms and cloakrooms ..... 8)

Doug

 

[paulb33]

A pet hate of mine is when basins in bathrooms are called sinks... sinks are in kitchens, utility rooms, slop rooms etc and basins are in bathrooms and cloakrooms ..... 8)

Doug

What's it called when its cracked and lying upside down in the garage? :?:

 

[DJH]

Fecked, as they say in Ireland... :lol:

To my eternal shame I remember throwing stones at old sanitaryware we had stripped out and thrown on the rubbish heap to see who could break it first... :shock: My excuse is that I was young, mind you at the same time I couldn't understand why people wanted to keep uneven walls and old doors and flagstone floors and anything old... then I saw the light.

Doug

 

[JoceAndChris]

I believe there are companies making bespoke basins but it doesn't sound like it's worth it. The other option which I'm sure you've thought of is to modify the top of the vanity unit to accept a larger basin, or any old basin if the vanity unit can be fitted with a new top.

But it is generally more expensive and tricky to repair the old things than to just get new ones.

 

[paulb33]

I believe there are companies making bespoke basins but it doesn't sound like it's worth it. The other option which I'm sure you've thought of is to modify the top of the vanity unit to accept a larger basin, or any old basin if the vanity unit can be fitted with a new top.

But it is generally more expensive and tricky to repair the old things than to just get new ones.

It's really rather crude and takes up valuable space. I'll probably rip it out and replace with a simple freestanding frame and nice Edwardian style basin.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Sounds gorgeous to me.