Yeah, totally get where you're coming from—I've had a similar experience myself. Thought I scored big with some vintage copper fittings for my shower, but sure enough, two weeks later... drip drip drip behind the tiles. Learned my lesson the hard way too. Still, props for trying to repurpose and DIY—it’s always a gamble, but when it pays off, it's pretty awesome.
Vintage copper fittings... yeah, they can be tricky. Had a client once who insisted on using reclaimed brass fixtures from an old hotel—beautiful stuff, honestly—but man, did we run into some headaches. Everything looked great at first, but after about a month, the leaks started popping up. Turns out the fittings had tiny hairline cracks we couldn't even see until water pressure did its thing. Ended up having to redo half the plumbing behind the wall, which wasn't exactly fun.
Still, I gotta admit, when vintage or reclaimed materials work out, there's nothing quite like it. Adds so much character to a space. Curious though, did you end up replacing your fittings entirely or were you able to salvage any of them?
"Turns out the fittings had tiny hairline cracks we couldn't even see until water pressure did its thing."
Been there, done that. Vintage fittings can be a gamble—beautiful but risky. I've found pressure-testing reclaimed fixtures before installation helps catch some of those sneaky cracks early on. Still, even then, no guarantees. If you're determined to go vintage, keep backups handy and be ready for some troubleshooting down the line... character comes at a price, I guess.
"character comes at a price, I guess."
True, but honestly, vintage isn't always worth the headache. After dealing with similar hidden cracks and leaks, I switched to quality reproduction fixtures—still get that classic look without the constant worry. Sure, they're not original antiques, but peace of mind counts for something. Plus, fewer surprise puddles on the bathroom floor...
"peace of mind counts for something."
Totally agree with this. Had a similar situation a couple years back—thought I'd scored big with a vintage sink, but ended up chasing leaks and cracks forever. Eventually swapped it out for a modern eco-friendly repro fixture. Honestly, best decision ever. Looks just as good, saves water, and no more midnight plumbing emergencies... Character's great, but I'll take reliability (and lower water bills) any day.