Quite the reverse Ian, they used to 'get the lead out' - literally.
Trucks like my carryall were made of panels that were usually brazed
together, then any joints that were off square were 'leaded' using solder.
The technique involved cleaning the surface thoroughly, fluxing the
surface with an acid etch, tinning it with a flux / solder mixture, and
then 'paddling' solder on with a hardwood paddle till you had an
approximation of the surface that you could file down to suit.
It was very adaptable, and if properly done the solder could be beaten to
shape with the panel if required. Downside is that any such assembly is a
swine to work on with modern tools. Typically I have to roast a Carryall
panel joint to melt the solder out, then grind the brazing off before I
can use a MIG to work on the joint. I would consider solder to fix a
leaking tank only is if was damaged or split - if it was rusted through
the basic material probably wouldn't clean up well enough to take a proper
leading.
Gordon
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