The Cloths.
—Solder cloths for underhand joints should be from 1⁄2 in. to 7⁄8 in. wider than the joint for which they are to be used, and about 1⁄2 in. longer than they are wide. Most plumbers use the same cloths for underhand and upright, but it is preferable to use a special cloth for 4-in. upright joints with the length 1 in. less than the width. For getting up the heat of an underhand joint on a small pipe a larger cloth may be used until the worker is sufficiently skilled in joint wiping not to burn his fingers when using the correct size. For 3-in. joints and upwards a large cloth must be used first to get up the heat, the wiping cloth being kept warmed and ready for use when the heat is right. This large cloth, as used by some plumbers, is often long enough to lay on the worker’s arm, but this is clumsy to use when the joint to be wiped is in a cramped position, and is liable to let the pipe get burnt, as the metal it holds cannot be readily distributed round the joint; 8 in. by 9 in. is a good size to practise with on the bench, and as more skill is obtained it can be reduced to 7 in. by 7 in. A diagonal strap should be stitched to the back to take the little finger and thumb; the position for this can be obtained by laying the cloth face downwards and placing the hand on it with the finger slightly spread; the wrist should be over the right-hand corner, so that when the cloth is being used the edge is readily kept parallel with the sides of the pipe. Branch cloths are made from 11⁄2 in. to 21⁄2 in. wide and about half as long again in width. These cloths should be about seven thicknesses of material, all others being nine or ten.
White moleskin cloth is obtained from the tailor’s for making these solder cloths, is usually 1 yd. wide, and costs about 3s. per square yard. The usual method of making cloths is to cut a strip down the selvedge of the material and fold up the strip till the desired size is obtained; it can then be cut off the piece, and any odd ends left may be used for packing a larger cloth. Another method is to cut a square piece the required size, and then fold it three times each way. This makes a rather clumsy cloth for small sizes, but makes a very good “blanket.”