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Is this why twin and earth is grey?

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Diver300:
We have recently had the loft boarded, and while installing some lighting, I came across some unused cabling.

At first sight, I thought it was just some old PVC sheathed twin and earth, but it was too heavy for that, and it turned out to be a two core cable, sheathed in a lead (Pb) sleeve, which was used as the earth. The copper conductors are insulated with rubber, in red and black0

I am wondering if the standard grey twin and earth is like that to look like the lead-sheathed version. Any thoughts?

T42:
Our cabling back in the 50s was red/black & rubber. Never saw a lead outer, though.

orienteer:
Cabling used to be lead-covered, as was the original in our 1920s house.

Jaded:
Lead covered wires. House near us was being demolished so I grabbed meters and meters of the stuff (note the SI unit  ;) ) then burnt it all and captured the molten lead.

What fun, jumpers for goalposts etc.

T42:

--- Quote from: orienteer on 18 April, 2014, 09:58:40 pm ---Cabling used to be lead-covered, as was the original in our 1920s house.

--- End quote ---

Ours was built in 1950. I wasn't old enough to notice and I never fiddled with the wiring once I was (on pain of death & stoppage of pocket-money).  I mostly got old cloth-covered appliance cable, enamelled copper wire & retired telephone-exchange backup dry cells bigger than milk-bottles from the phone engineer next door. Bunch of induction coils, pots & a genny once, too.  Great fun.

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