DIYbanter - View Single Post - 1930s cast iron downpipe fixings

Robin

On 20/09/2017 14:19, wrote:
On 20/09/2017 10:05, Robin wrote:
On 20/09/2017 00:50, wrote:
Some numpty (not me) seems to have dropped a long length of hardwood
down one of the downpipes on my "new" house - presumably when
clearing the hopper some years ago. I need to get the bottom
discharge "shoe" off to get the wood out but it probably hasn't been
touched since it was built (1930s) and I can't work out what the
fixings are. I've got the paint and render off the fixings and the
heads seem to be domed, but no slot or other means of undoing the
things.
HELP!

Is this with a view to separating the "shoe" from the downpipe?

Yes, but others are making me rethink that idea.

Ah, so even after you remove the lead or other sealant you face 80-odd
years of rust

As a variant on some other options, do you have ladder access to the
top? If so you could drop string down the pipe to attach to the wood.
Several lengths might enable you to make a cat's cradle. But the snag
is it'll tend to snag on the way up on all those lovely bits of rusty
iron - the more so with the string attached at the bottom .

All in all, I think I'd be telling myself that removing 20mm at a time
with a multitool must be good for me in many ways - eg blood pressure,
karma, a chapter for "Zen and the Art of House Maintenance"

--
Robin
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