Aligning Pipe direction (mechanically) ... - can you explain this?

[roofman]

He SPECIFICALLY in bold, doesn't want to use PTFE tape?

Can you explain why as i dont think the OP has..if its for pure looks then all you do after the fittings are buttoned in is hit it with a gas torch to burn the tape from view on the outside. If its because his wife run off to a hot country with the inventor of PTFE then i fully understand his hatred of it

 

[gordon stephenson]

Use a copper washer to do the sealing, Figure out how thick it needs to be to suit your finishing direction, annealed copper will give you a a small amount of flexibility in the tightening process,

 

[daleyd]

If 1000 people did this job 999.9 of them would use ptfe tape/liquid sealant and be done having a brew with their feet up after about an hour. I really don’t see why it’s being made out to be so difficult, other than the OP is maybe expecting absolute angular perfection from things which just aren’t going to be that way. When I’ve done stuff like this then there’s always an element of knowing when to stop tightening/tighten a bit more - it sometimes takes a few attempts but as said above it’s not rocket science.

If ptfe/sealant isn’t acceptable then I’d be questioning if the parts that are available for the job are the right ones. There are other ways of getting some air from one place to another if you are dead set against screw in fittings...

 

[Barking Mat]

Lock nut and loctite thread goo.

 

[a111r]

I've never modified a brand new compressor but I would advise you against building your own biodiesel plant from a large number of nipples and BSP elbows, as I did.
Respectively, that is one hell of a 3D 'kerfuffle', with metres of d'angulation, tweak-age, re-doubling and Bullworking.

 

[bricol]

I KNOW - but he also said why, so I suggested a way to avoid his worry . . .

I never really got on with thread cord either - it was the new next best thing 20 odd years ago - still got 1 and 9/10ths of the 2 dispensing tube thingies I was given to try then.

 

[bricol]

If 1000 people did this job 999.9 of them would use ptfe tape/liquid sealant and be done having a brew with their feet up after about an hour. I really don’t see why it’s being made out to be so difficult, other than the OP is maybe expecting absolute angular perfection from things which just aren’t going to be that way. When I’ve done stuff like this then there’s always an element of knowing when to stop tightening/tighten a bit more - it sometimes takes a few attempts but as said above it’s not rocket science.

If ptfe/sealant isn’t acceptable then I’d be questioning if the parts that are available for the job are the right ones. There are other ways of getting some air from one place to another if you are dead set against screw in fittings...

I'm guessing its a first time caller, sorry, user - when you first used tape, fittings etc, where you working with someone who gave you an initial steer on what to do? If you were presented with tape, fittings and told to install it with no previous knowledge or experience, you'd probably be a bit less than robust with it.

And I still see fitters winding the damn tape on the wrong way - and it annoys me!

 

[Submariner1]

Thanks Guys, the penny dropped why grinding the nipple does not work.
- one either has to grind the face of the elbow down enough to make the half turn; or lose some ground clearance and fit a shim washer.
Got 2 makes of elbow arriving, and will pick the best and grind down any needed.

 

[Submariner1]

The mating face on that elbow will always be in the same place relative to the male thread however much you cut it down. if you need to move the fitting 180° then measure the thread pitch and grind it down by half of that.

Seemed odd one has to grind the elbow, until the pan y dropped lol; as grinding the nipple does nothing to the angle. I.e. cut off half a male thread, then the female doesn't engage for that half a thread.
And the angle of lock up remains the same.!

 

[Submariner1]

with all due respect I believe you are overthinking this. I have never heard of anyone grinding down threads to adjust the angle of fittings like that. It’s usually just a case of deciding whether to try for another turn! I would balance the effort against the risk a little more. If it leaks it’s a tiny bit of air. Where do the various bushes come in?

The bushes were just to get from 3/8” in the tank to the 1/4” pipe work going to the auto drain and direct drain.
I was just looking to see which combo used more space under the tank. E.g. reducer bush plus 1/4” elbow or parallel nipple and 3/8” elbow etc. Plus different types/ sizes of reducer until the fittings arrived and I realised just how little clearance there is. If you lift the front handle 5mm! Then I only have 5mm clearance for the drain Elbow.
even as delivered there was only 14mm clearance, which reduces as you lift the handle because the drain is behind the axle of the rear wheels.
Dummies should have put the drain at the handle end!

 

[Submariner1]

I didn't read it all....but you are relocating the drain point?

Go to a hydraulics place and get a flexible hose made up.

Install hose.

Beer.

I have the hose its connecting with only 10 mm of ground clearance thats the issue.

 

[Submariner1]

Is that a BSPP nipple going into the compressor? or BSPT?

If you're that pushed, a BSP Banjo would have saved a lot of room...and easily adjustable.
Or even a swivel elbow.

Hmm wish I had thought of the banjo idea.
Sort of avoided the swivel due to clearance and always wondered how long they are leakproof.

 

[Submariner1]

If space is a bit tight try a bonded washer between the elbow and the bottom of the tank.

Thanks rejected that as 3/8” is 2mm thick. Clearance is 5mm with the handle lifted, so reducing it to 3mm ....
bound to snag on anything other than super flat tiled floor lol

 

[Submariner1]

That what I bought the locking nut for, but even that is 7mm so the elbow would ground!

 

[Submariner1]

grinding back the face of the elbow will make the fitting turn further round. you will just loose a bit of thread

This is my chosen option ... to maximise ground clearance. Plus ordered a reducing elbow 3/8 to 1/4” hoping its a little shallower.
wrote to manufacturer, to see if the bigger machine wheels being 250mm diam will go on my machine which has 175mm wheels and give me another additional 37mm clearance ( what it really needs)

 

[Turbo]

For parallel thread fittings is is where the faces of the 2 fittings meet that dictates where the fittings end up. If you use a good locking compound like green loctite it will fix the item in place even if its not fully tightened but even the 577 will be good enough - you are overthinking this!

If you want to gain height under the tank why not mount the existing wheels lower by making a couple of brackets & adding a bit to the rubber foot.

 

[daleyd]

I'm guessing its a first time caller, sorry, user - when you first used tape, fittings etc, where you working with someone who gave you an initial steer on what to do? If you were presented with tape, fittings and told to install it with no previous knowledge or experience, you'd probably be a bit less than robust with it.

And I still see fitters winding the damn tape on the wrong way - and it annoys me!

I have had the benefit of doing an apprenticeship but don’t recall doing much in the way of formal learning with airline pipe fittings/ptfe - it’s just something you pick up I guess? I do remember doing it for the first time and it being “awkward” - but a few goes of trial and error and even I managed to have it weighed off.

But this is the end of quite a long running saga (this isn’t the first thread, excuse the pun) with these air fittings in which everyone has suggested pretty much the same thing over and over again...but it sounds like the op is now sorted so all’s well that ends well I guess.

 

[grim_d]

I have the hose its connecting with only 10 mm of ground clearance thats the issue.

Fit bigger wheels or put the existing wheels on a bit of wood

 

[Kayos]

The traditional method was a long thread with a hemp and paste "washer" with a back nut. Set the fitting however you want.

Nothing wrong with ptfe or sealant to do the same thing

 

[Agroshield]

If the space is really tight, consider a smaller BSP size. What you are doing does not need a large bore to maintain a specific flow rate. A 3mm internal dia. tube would allow the fluid to go where you require.