- Thread starter
- #11
Joel_BC
Super Self-Sufficient
Okay, a report from my latest adventures.
I had several fittings that I needed to separate from galvanized water pipe, and these were fittings that had been rusted in place for possibly 10 years or more. I had long handled pipe wrenches, so I had good leverage. But it wasn't enough!
Of course, I tried penetrating oil on the exposed portion of the threads (with long seep-in delays before trying to unscrew the fittings). Nope. I tried that propane-torch heating with paraffin-wax method shown in the video above. Still couldn't budge the things apart!
On another site, I guy suggested to me that I heat the fitting very hot using a torch, then put penetrating oil onto the exposed threads and let it seep in. He said he'd had success and attributed it to the fact that the oil would thin enough, due to the heat, that the capillary action (of the oil getting well into the tight, rusted threads) would be much enhanced.
I tried that, used my big pipe wrenches, and it worked! Now the guy who suggested it said that he'd used a propane torch, followed by the penetrating oil. That did not work for me. It was only when I used an oxy-acetylene flame on the fitting, plus the p. oil, that it did the trick.
The diff? An ordinary propane torch (where the flame comes from propane mixed with unpressurized air) is about 3600*F (2000* C), while with the acetylene finely-mixed with compressed oxygen the inner flame is almost 6300*F (nearly 3500*C). The extra flame heat transfers more heat to the fitting faster.
I had several fittings that I needed to separate from galvanized water pipe, and these were fittings that had been rusted in place for possibly 10 years or more. I had long handled pipe wrenches, so I had good leverage. But it wasn't enough!
Of course, I tried penetrating oil on the exposed portion of the threads (with long seep-in delays before trying to unscrew the fittings). Nope. I tried that propane-torch heating with paraffin-wax method shown in the video above. Still couldn't budge the things apart!
On another site, I guy suggested to me that I heat the fitting very hot using a torch, then put penetrating oil onto the exposed threads and let it seep in. He said he'd had success and attributed it to the fact that the oil would thin enough, due to the heat, that the capillary action (of the oil getting well into the tight, rusted threads) would be much enhanced.
I tried that, used my big pipe wrenches, and it worked! Now the guy who suggested it said that he'd used a propane torch, followed by the penetrating oil. That did not work for me. It was only when I used an oxy-acetylene flame on the fitting, plus the p. oil, that it did the trick.
The diff? An ordinary propane torch (where the flame comes from propane mixed with unpressurized air) is about 3600*F (2000* C), while with the acetylene finely-mixed with compressed oxygen the inner flame is almost 6300*F (nearly 3500*C). The extra flame heat transfers more heat to the fitting faster.
