Rainwater goods

[tobydog]

Sonya - I was in Cambridge recently and took a walk through Gonville and Caius College, one of many fabulous colleges / buildings in Cambridge. I saw something that I had to take a photo of which I believe is exactly what you are after on your house. It's very hard to tell whether the downpipes are original or fitted later because the pipes blend in so well with the spouts and wall. Might be too much work on your house I think.

 

[DJH]

That's exactly what I had in mind tobydog. A picture says a thousand words.

 

[Sonyaclegg]

Thanks very much Toby. Just the thing we are looking for. We will have to adapt the spouts in some way but your photo gives us inspiration

 

[Sonyaclegg]

.

 

[LadyArowana]

This a Grade 2* listed house with spouts just up the road. They seem to have found a good solution for their spouts.

Yes, they look a bit algaefied, but maybe not from overflowing water as there are no tell take marks on the wall.

 

[DJH]

That's what I had in mind Sonyaclegg for your house. The rainwater heads used in that picture are much too small but I'm sure you noticed that and the pipes are much too straight and rigid looking not at all like lead pipes.

 

[Sonyaclegg]

dJH, I don't think we can put lead pipes up as metal theft is rife up here. Last weekend, someone stole the garden tap and water ran all weekend until a neighbour rang to tell us. Perhaps a lead hopper and different material for the downpipes.

 

[DJH]

Oh dear. You are obviously not in residence then. We used to put up plastic pipe as a temporary measure but the price of it has risen astronomically so much in fact that it could be next years copper. :shock:

Cast iron down pipes with lead heads are not uncommon on historic houses or even new build. The new villas in Regents Park along with several other properties near there have heads I made along with cast iron pipes.....

The head dated 1990 shown on 10th Nov. is one of them.

 

[Sonyaclegg]

The metal thieves up here do not know what they are looking for. They will take anything and cause lots of damage in the process. Even when we are in, it won't matter. The Planning Officer wants us to leave the front of our drive/house without gates so passing people can see the house. At that point, I had to disagree. Dogs foul on the front lawn and the owners do not pick up. We were up there last weekend and shouted from up on high for an owner to pick up the poo! They looked at us with disgust. My youngest is three and he needs to be kept in so gates will have to go up! Gates may not stop the thieves in the end but I may deter a few.

 

[DJH]

That's dreadful. What is wrong with some people?

 

[DJH]

Found some more pictures of these rainwater heads that went onto a new house in Dorset whcih won an architectural prize from the Georgian Group. I've turned the photos upside down ...

 

[DJH]

Going slightly off topic, although historically lead pipes and heads would have been been made using solder, when I was tidying the workshop I came across these essentials for soldering joints both by wiping the solder and using a soldering iron.



On the left is a tobacco tin with a wiping cloth,tallow and a small mirror to see that the back of the joint is complete. The large tin at the back has a selection of wiping cloths each one a different size for use making different size joints. The tin with white stuff in it is Russian Tallow which was thought of as the finest tallow and, in front of that tin, is a lead box containing Salamoniac. This is used for cleaning residue from the tip of the soldering iron and helps with 'tinning' the tip of the iron. The cardboard box at the front is full of resin which was used as a flux when drawing the solder along a lateral joint with the iron.

I haven't wiped a joint for about many years but they say it's like riding a bike. You never forget. The knack is getting the solder to the right temperature so that the joint doesn't either go sugary and fall to bits or too hot and the tin separates from the lead and sinks to the bottom of the joint. You can get it to climb back up by drawing the head of a hammer over it, if you're lucky that is.

Apologies if I've bored you again.

Doug

 

[JoceAndChris]

Not boring at all, quite fascinating in fact.

Have I mentioned Chris's grandfather invented the electric soldering iron? It's our one claim to fame.

 

[DJH]

Well, that is something. It would have revolutionised the soldering world. They are a bit small for plumbing work but still a good claim to fame!!
Doug