A Plumber’s
Tale – copper roofing
Paul smiled and waved and continued working but the old gentlemn persisted in hollering at him. He stopped to listen more carefully and was most surprised to hear that the old fellow was yelling, ‘Horse piss, horse piss.’
It was not clear to Paul whether or not this was a comment on his workmanship, so he decided to ignore it and continue his work. The bloke on the ground also carried on bellowing, ‘Horse piss, horse piss.’
Eventually, Paul decided to find out what the old chap meant by his comment, so he clambered down the ladder and spoke to him. He didn’t know what to expect but it transpired that the old fellow was an experienced workman, accustomed to working with copper.
He told Paul, ‘Use horse piss to cure the copper. It turns it green.’ In this way, apparently, a new copper roof can be ‘aged’ quickly to fit in with its surroundings.
I don’t know whether Paul took the advice – he’s only usually on nodding terms with horses, so I doubt it. In any case, how would he go about collecting it, and how many gallons would he need? How should it be applied? Would a paint brush do or would a bucketful at a time be sloshed over the roof? It would certainly be a messy and rather smelly business.
I imagine that, by now, many years later, the roof will have weathered naturally in the salt-laden air of Lulworth Cove.
uric acid is also present in bird's wee. Birds would be easier to get on the roof than a couple of hydrated horses, I am thinking.
ReplyDelete. . . but you'd need thousands of birds to complete the job!
DeleteYour questions regarding the horse piss are all valid? I kind of like shiny copper!!
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine polishing a copper roof? Rather a time-consuming job.
DeleteI have never heard of copper roofs, nor about the greening method recommended by the old man. (I'm trying to type with more than the usual two fingers so excuse any mistakes please). My dad was a plumber/gas-fitter, so I learned about copper pipes being the best, but roofing here in Australia are usually clay tile or galvanized iron in various colours.
ReplyDeleteCopper roofing can last for 100 years. Some well-known buildings around the world have copper roofs - Berlin Cathedral Church, Wales Millennium Centre, Minneapolis City Hall.
DeleteCopper is expensive and attractive to thieves.
I've never heard of someone wanting a copper roof. Was this some kind of replacement heritage rooftop?
ReplyDeleteIt was a heritage site. The Statue of Liberty is covered in thin copper sheets, hence the iconic green colour.
DeleteI understand that a copper roof can be very durable and last for 100 years with little or no maintenance...with or without the addition of horse piss I suppose.
ReplyDeleteA great story!
I think the horse piss only has to be applied once!
DeleteVerdigris would soon cover the copper if vinegar and salt was applied. I like the rusty patina on old corrugated tin roofs.
ReplyDeleteThe application of such a mixture might take even longer than horse piss.
DeleteI think I would prefer to let nature take its course. I've watched an apartment building with some copper featuring, and it was good to see it develop its patina.
ReplyDeleteSome people/planners are impatient!
DeleteHorse piss can reduce the oxidation of the copper. Really cool.
ReplyDeleteIf it reduces oxidisation, why would the old man have recommended horse piss? The whole idea was to age the roof quickly.
DeleteYou learn something new every day.
ReplyDelete. . . and sometimes it's something you could do without knowing! Might be useful in a pub quiz, I suppose . . .
DeleteWell I guess if you need the look of old copper fast, you have to find a way to make it work don't you. Just let's hope the horse didn't have to get on the roof.
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine a horse being craned up over the roof? I think there'd be a bit more than horse piss being dropped . . . everywhere.
DeleteMale or femald horse? If makes a difference to composting it might make a difference to copper?
ReplyDeleteThat I don't know. I know urine speeds up composting. I used to see an old man treating his compost thus in Germany.
DeleteI prefer the time honored way of aging: time!
ReplyDeleteThat's the sensible approach!
DeleteI've heard of pee used for various purposes although I don't know why you would want to speed up copper's greening. I can't think of any copper roofs where I live, although metal (galvanized?) roofs are becoming more popular, perhaps because of cost. I know of at least two near where I live.
ReplyDeleteThe price of things very often drives choice.
Delete🎃Interesting dilema
ReplyDeleteIndeed! 🐴
DeleteWow. It makes one wonder how that knowledge was gained!
ReplyDeleteWas it chance, observation or trial and error?
DeleteWho knew horse piss had just magical properties.
ReplyDeleteWho knows what else we're missing?
DeletePaul really has quite an adventurous job, hasn't he? And it just goes to show that there's always something new to learn :-) xxx
ReplyDeleteHe enjoys his job. It's varied and he meets many interesting people.
DeleteI wouldn’t mind waiting, lol!
ReplyDeleteI think I'd wait, too.
DeleteOnce again I learned something from reading your post.
ReplyDeleteI learn from others all the time - it's great. 😃
DeleteGreat story and I like the words on the plumbers mug.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
There was a whole series of such sayings, much like the '... do it standing up' and so on.
DeleteTo be pissed off or not. /AC
ReplyDeleteBetter to be pissed off than pissed on, I think.
DeleteI guess the old man was trying to be helpful and pass on his very specific knowledge of working with copper :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't think Paul followed the advice.
DeleteI wonder if any pee would do. Do horses have better pee or more quantity, I wonder. And uuummm.... how do you collect it?
ReplyDeleteGood questions, to which I sadly have no answers. 😂
Delete