A new casting technique for the restoration of lead pipes in old organs

We have developed a new casting technique basing on old recipes from the 17. and 18. century to restaurate old lead pipes as well as to produce new pipes approaching the quality of the old ones. Materials studies of old and new metal probes were performed by metallography, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction analysis. Different casting variants as well as the influence of hammering the casted metal plates onto the microstructure were investigated. Moreover we investigated by PIXE (Proton induced X-ray Emission) the residuals of old glue on the old pipes which remaining from tin foil adornment. In this manner we positioned the pipe directly in front of an external ion beam and analysed it without cutting pieces away from the metal pipe.