> Lead sheeting is both attractive and easy to work with. It also can be soldered using your plumbing soldering iron.

Working on a sheet of lead with a big plumbing soldering iron doesn't sound like a terribly good idea - couldn't it result in you breathing in lead-containing fumes?

Lead doesn't boil or vaporize at soldering temperatures. The main risk is getting it on your hands and then ingesting it. Always wash your hands after soldering, even when using lead-free solder as the resin in it isn't exactly healthy either.

Abatron (one of the referenced vendors) products have been used to restore historic US buildings, https://www.abatron.com/project-gallery/

> Fort Totten was established in the 1860’s by the United States government to protect the East River approach to New York Harbor. The fort, now owned by New York City, is a park and home to dozens of historic buildings ... Many of the buildings are still utilized today by New York City first responders. A structural beam in one of the historic buildings was beginning to delaminate and show signs of water damage and rot. The New York City Department of Design and Construction contacted Abatron for advice on repairing it. Richard Ahlstrom and Marco Caporaso were sent to visit the site and consult on restoring the damaged beam in-place ... Marco and Richard were invited to give a presentation at the offices of the NYC Department of Design and Construction. Over 30 construction and design professionals attended the educational seminar which included hands-on demonstrations of Abatron’s wood restoration materials.

The before/after picture would make sense if after was taken 5 or 10 years later. But a picture taken just after does not prove anything. And if the reason for why the wood rotted in the first place was not removed then the remaining wood will just rot anyway.

I wonder how it works after a few years. Many patches fail due to expansion/contraction not being exactly same in patch vs original material. I hope epoxy manufacturer took this into consideration

A very high quality epoxy and covering with sealant/good paint.

My house I just bought had some now obvious coverups using a cheap wood putty. About a year later all of that wood is continuing to rot. In my case the expansion and contraction broke the paint and allowed water in and so the rot continued

You’d have to do this on all sides of the wood or what is stopping mold from growing on it.

Epoxy is expensive, and so is all this labor.

In most cases, it’s better to just replace the wood.

No it is not always better. For example labor for woodworking and carpentry in my country is expensive.

A small kit of Abatron - 12 oz epoxy penetrant and 12 oz of epoxy putty - is $45. Replacing a clapboard is done by simply removing a couple of nails and sliding in a new clapboard. It's a lot less work. (I've used Abatron - it has its place.)

That clapboard was completely rotted. An attempt at patching it will only last a few years, at most. A new, properly painted (six sides) clapboard will last over forty years.

This is true for a clapboard, but not for a wood window or doorframe

I've replaced some rotted windowsills. You can patch them up to a point, but it's a losing game. In particular, replace any rotted casing or casing which is splitting at the bottom due to dry rot. You have to keep the water out. Prime new casing pieces six sides and be sure to flash the tops and caulk the verticals against the clapboards.

I've used similar stuff and it works well. It's best for when most of the wood is fine and just a little bit is rotten. The hardener goes in further than you would expect.

Loads of naysayers in these comments. I for one have never heard of this technique and think I will try it on some scenarios. It is not always easier to just to replace the wood.

I have a hard time believing that drilling holes every inch and jamming epoxy in there is going to thoroughly perfuse the surrounding wood.

What would you suggest instead?

Replace would be ideal, at least for siding. They used some dreadfully bad materials for siding in 80s which isn't worth keeping

T1-11?

Oh yeah, that one

Terrible siding but in the appropriate climates, as long as it isn’t rotted, you can stucco over it. Smaller sections that have failed or rotted can be cut out and patched prior to attaching substrate for the stucco.

Replacing it.

Kind of a weird question though. Just because I question the efficacy of an approach doesn't mean I have a better one. Maybe the wood simply can't be fixed in place.

I know very little about restoration so I was trying to learn more. What was weird about the question?

This is rust remover and Bondo on a used car.