Handbook-Non-Ferrous Metals

To weld lead is not extremely difficult if you use the proper technique. Whenever possible, lead sheets should be

connected by lap joints. That is, the sheets should be overlapped 6 to 12 mm, and welds made along each overlapped edge. The metal must be supported during welding. A small welding tip (orifice size less than 1 mm) must be used. The weld cannot be made on a continuous basis; it must be made as a series of overlapping spot welds. Use a flame with a slight excess of acetylene. Hold the torch so that the flame is almost perpendicular to the work surface, with the inner cone almost touching the metal surface. The instant a small puddle has formed, lift the torch away. Then make a new puddle, overlapping the first one. For a lap weld in lead, filler metal usually is not needed. For a butt weld, which may be required occasionally, filler metal can be provided by cutting sheet lead into strips, or by melting lead and pouring it into a channel mold of some kind. Perhaps the most important thing to remember about the welding of lead is that you must scrape all oxides from the surface of the metal before you try to weld it.