I’ve had a gate valve pissing out the packing nut and no matter how much I tightened it there was no stopping the leak. I unscrewed the nut, wrapped the stem in Teflon tape, and tightened the nut back down. Leak stopped and replaced it with a ball valve a couple days later
Sexauer Faucet Rebuilding Kit
I recently made a thread about tapping old style faucets for replaceable seats and was met with some confusion as to why I would bother. I understand that every area of the country is different and we are all ignorant to each others own ways of doing plumbing. It has become apparent to me that not all of you run into old fixtures regularly so I figured I would take a moment and show you the tools I use to fix old faucets, shower valves, anything with a seat and a washer.
This kit has darn near everything and if you think you need something it doesn't have you are probably wrong. In addition to this kit I have a couple more tins of washers and seats. This kit weighs a BRICK. The plus side is that I only make one trip and aren't searching my van for small parts, even if my wrist falls apart lolz.
This kit and several of the tins are from the 60's and 70's. Made by J.A. Sexauer Mfg. in white plains, NY. They also had a location in Louisville, KY. Sexauer makes the best plumbing service tools hands down. It seems to me that they may have been run by a methodical old machinist who made ultra-realistic n-scale train setups in his free time and had specific custom made tools for everything. Then one day he hired a plumber to fix his faucet and that plumber might as well have been writing calligraphy with a ballpoint pen because the proper plumbing tools hadn't been invented yet. Seeing this fellow struggle Mr. Sexauer knew he had to right this wrong and got to work at his mill devising all sorts of fine instruments.
The brown box is my faucet re-seating tool. I was lucky enough to get this set because it also has the four larger cutters and extension not found in most sets as it was an option. I actually have several complete sets(no larger cutters) which are newer but I like the bare brass and brown paint.
The leather roll holds a set of removable seat wrenches. Below it is my small tap set. I made both of those leather tool rolls. The large square tapered seat wrench on the right is custom made from 1/2" bar stock. I needed to make to remove some exceptionally large seats from a speakman three handle shower valve. The black wrench to its right has two spiral extractor ends for removing chewed out seats. It is a much finer spiral thread than standard spiral extractors. That blue plate is for checking the threads on removable seats and shows their correlating part number. Almost every seat has a different, special, extra fine thread and you won't find a tap for them in any tap set other than one made just for these.
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This kit has darn near everything and if you think you need something it doesn't have you are probably wrong. In addition to this kit I have a couple more tins of washers and seats. This kit weighs a BRICK. The plus side is that I only make one trip and aren't searching my van for small parts, even if my wrist falls apart lolz.
This kit and several of the tins are from the 60's and 70's. Made by J.A. Sexauer Mfg. in white plains, NY. They also had a location in Louisville, KY. Sexauer makes the best plumbing service tools hands down. It seems to me that they may have been run by a methodical old machinist who made ultra-realistic n-scale train setups in his free time and had specific custom made tools for everything. Then one day he hired a plumber to fix his faucet and that plumber might as well have been writing calligraphy with a ballpoint pen because the proper plumbing tools hadn't been invented yet. Seeing this fellow struggle Mr. Sexauer knew he had to right this wrong and got to work at his mill devising all sorts of fine instruments.
The brown box is my faucet re-seating tool. I was lucky enough to get this set because it also has the four larger cutters and extension not found in most sets as it was an option. I actually have several complete sets(no larger cutters) which are newer but I like the bare brass and brown paint.
The leather roll holds a set of removable seat wrenches. Below it is my small tap set. I made both of those leather tool rolls. The large square tapered seat wrench on the right is custom made from 1/2" bar stock. I needed to make to remove some exceptionally large seats from a speakman three handle shower valve. The black wrench to its right has two spiral extractor ends for removing chewed out seats. It is a much finer spiral thread than standard spiral extractors. That blue plate is for checking the threads on removable seats and shows their correlating part number. Almost every seat has a different, special, extra fine thread and you won't find a tap for them in any tap set other than one made just for these.
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In australia they use teflon string for pipe threads, it's like thick teflon floss. I have a tube of that. I also have a roll of cotton wicking and a roll of some special stuff you can't buy anymore if I really need it.
Lolz, like schit says, Most of the time I am too lazy and just use regular thick teflon tape, I dope it up and twist it into a long string. Works real good but wear gloves
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Lolz, like schit says, Most of the time I am too lazy and just use regular thick teflon tape, I dope it up and twist it into a long string. Works real good but wear gloves
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As you said there is the standard flat grinder or the much nicer version with contoured bits for making a proper round seat face. I have 4 full sets of the sexauer version, one of which has the 4 optional largest cutters and extension. You should use a beveled washer after you resurface a seat this way if you take off anything significant.
But if you just want to fix a nick then I use sanding cloth, similar to how you use the file. I take a mostly worn out piece and hold it with my left hand and use multi-circular motions to smooth the seat face. I rotate it a fifth or so of a turn every once in a while to make it even. Then I use the cloth to take the sharp edges off of the inside and outside so the washer doesn't get cut.
Filling in a nick with solder isn't too bad if the solder will take. You just end up with a lot more work to smooth it out if you have a big solder booger. You can use some stranded copper wire as solder wick to remove a little at a time.
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I posted this photo back in July 2011
Fits in with this post on grinding seats. But the seats are bigger eg: globe valves, and what not. Repair was the only way to go.
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Aww geez bill!!! Why do you have to post pictures like that?!:vs_mad:
Now there's another antique tool I have to spend lots of money on to rarely use.....lolz :biggrin:
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