Re: "plumbago" and glycerine

[Donald Wilkinson]

Hey Ross: RE: "plumbago and glycerene made a good locktite Blasts from the past Ross in Tea Gardens" digitaldon presumes you are referring to a mixture of Litharge (yellow lead oxide, PbO), and glycerine, a truly hellfire cement from the old days. Used in chem labs (may still be) to cement glassware together. Will cement anything to anything, glass to metal (glass tubing), metal (steel or copper tubing to glass), etc. In olden days, plumbers useta use it to assemble otherwise corroded, shot and useless fittings, (saved a lotta disassembly & refitting). Will cement head studs in old engines, into threads so shot they would not withstand torqueing, such that head can be torgued down. (in olden days), digitaldon had success cold welding engine block cracks with this stuff. He more or less stole this notion from a guy who had a "secret" process, called "Excellsweld", where he would come to your shop or boat, erect a tent so one couldn't see what he was doing, & go to work. digitaldon, already familiar with litharge & glycerine, tumbled that that's what he was using, and he had paid someone big bucks for his "Excellsweld" franchise! Don TC 7993 Grand Island NY USA