[Boatanchors] Western Electric (Nassau) solder

[Roger Ruszkowski]

Jim, 

I see the 1-A Fire Detection Wire which appeared to be simply rosin core solder with a red fabric insulating jacket over it.
used in two ways. It is a  very low temp alloy.

There were a number of door closers in my school house.
If you pushed the door open it would set open.
The low temp alloy as a wire with the red fabric insulating jacket over it went between to points on the
closer assembly arm. If it broke or melted it released a link and cam and let the door close "automatically".

The other door closers had the alloy used as solder between two plates about an inch long and 1/2 wide that provided
the tension link. The boys would melt the alloy with a cigarette lighter and then the doors would not stay open.
So the melting point is not all that low

I do not know if the  red fabric insulating jacket  was just an indicator that the correct alloy was
in place and not a chunk of bailing wire, or if the jacket was suppose to combust and speed up the 
melting of the alloy.

Now we use the magnet latches that will let all the doors be released long before the
temperature in the halls get up to an alloy melting point.

Roger Ruszkowski