# Vintage lead sheath



## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

Pulled this from a crawl space

Sent from my SPH-L710T


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## gnuuser (Jan 13, 2013)

those cables would last forever as long as they weren't flexed too much

if you split the sheath off of the cables both the lead and the copper can bring good money in a scrap yard but it must be separated to get top dollar


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

Verizon/Bell Atlantic/Nynex/New England Telephone just took down the last remaining lead cables in my area. There were still miles of it in operation before they changed over to 100% fiber. Of course the land line business is rapidly dying so it probably wasn't needed even without the fios. :laughing:


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Long as the ends stayed sealed those things are bomb-proof. The only downside is that once moisture gets in, it ain't never getting out again.


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## GrayHair (Jan 14, 2013)

*Lead-sheathed TELCO cable*

I don't roam the roads anymore and don't know if they are still there, but 5 years ago there was still lead-sheathed aerial TELCO cable around here. Easy to spot since they cable-tied plastic covers on them (I assume to keep rain from leaching the lead into the environment).

Probably the reason the TELCOs abandoned it was the EPA. And oh yes, it did last; lead sheathed aerial cables installed in the '50s, 40's and probably earlier, remained in service into the 70s and 80s. I remember seeing nitrogen bottles tied to telephone poles with a hose run up to a fitting on the cable. If moisture entered through a pin-hole in the sheath, the nitrogen (low-pressure) kept more moisture from entering, dried the cable and bubbled the soapy solution applied from the ground.


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## jw0445 (Oct 9, 2009)

Shock,

Just scrapped some of that without breaking it down. Got $ .45 for it.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

OMG..... I knew it. Talking on the phone causes lead poisoning. 








I could pull a JFK joke out about this, but I will let it slide.....


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## Ty Wrapp (Aug 24, 2011)

GrayHair said:


> I don't roam the roads anymore and don't know if they are still there, but 5 years ago there was still lead-sheathed aerial TELCO cable around here. Easy to spot since they cable-tied plastic covers on them (I assume to keep rain from leaching the lead into the environment).
> 
> Probably the reason the TELCOs abandoned it was the EPA. And oh yes, it did last; lead sheathed aerial cables installed in the '50s, 40's and probably earlier, remained in service into the 70s and 80s. I remember seeing nitrogen bottles tied to telephone poles with a hose run up to a fitting on the cable. If moisture entered through a pin-hole in the sheath, the nitrogen (low-pressure) kept more moisture from entering, dried the cable and bubbled the soapy solution applied from the ground.


The cable-tied plastic is squirrel guard. Squirrels love to chew lead cable.

I have worked on lead cables that have been in service since the 1930's. When you look at cable prints, it tells you the year the cable was installed.

Lead cable had the copper pairs inside insulated with paper which is susceptible to moisture, therefore the nitrogen bottles. Also all the pairs are red and white (no modern color code). Each pair had to be toned from both ends during the splicing of a damaged cable requiring a minimum of 3 men. The pairs also have very little twist which is known to cause cross-talk. You can hear it on a voice conversation and not good for data at all.

Wiping and soldering lead cable is a lost. Because inhaling lead dust is a health hazard, shaving cream is applied to the lead at the point where it needs to be cut. The shaving cream contains the lead dust so that it is not inhaled. Smoking and eating while in contact with the lead is also a no-no. Washing hands, arms and face is required after working on lead.

It served it's purpose. but the new modern PIC cable is a superior product in all respects.


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

jw0445 said:


> Shock,
> 
> Just scrapped some of that without breaking it down. Got $ .45 for it.


Got a $1 a pound for it yesterday.

Sent from my SPH-L710T


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## metal.management (Jun 24, 2015)

Hi

looking for some #10 to18 AWG Lead Sheathed pair/multi-pair cable,
we got some interesting project on historical restoration of Switch Boards.
Any decent length.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

I can only imagine you'd need a lead cert & moon suit to buy it these days....~C:jester:S~


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