[skoronesa]

I’ve had my eye on the new Milwaukee tri-stand pipe vise. Too bad my Ridgid 460 probably has another 15-20 years of service life left 😢

My Armstrong is 100yrs old. I love it but wish it had a chain vise instead of a yoke.

 

[skoronesa]

How much does those Ridgid chain vises cost that you can mount on a stand ? Could you mount one on your stand ?

I have several chain vises, a 2" armstrong mounted in my shed, a 4" reed mounted in my van, a couple other used ones, a brand new 4" reed in the box and a sweet 1950's ridgid 2" or 4" mint in the original box. I don't have to use the tristand if I don't want to, but I do because it's portable and puts a smile on my face. It was 20$ from a junkyard, just needed some bolts replaced and a leg chain added.

If I wanted to mount a chain vise to it I probably could, but it's an antique, I could never bring myself to do that.

 

[skoronesa]

The Ridgid is a 4" model, not 2". Those Schick pipe wrenches are as close to NOS as I've seen, one of the 14's even still has the sticker.

Like the "DOPE POT" on my tristand? Dope used to come in hard form as well because it's essentially a wax. You'd heat that cup with your torch to make it liquid so you could apply it.

 

[skoronesa]

Do these jaws wear out ?

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No.

Of course they do, all propress/pex tools wear out eventually. Our guys have gone through plenty of propress/pex tools/jaws. We've been using propress/pex for over a decade now though.

 

[skoronesa]

Always used an 1-1/2” 5 point. With a long ass handle. Could lift the water heater off the floor with it. Depending on how tight the element was in there.

Do you mean 6 point?

 

[skoronesa]

If you have a compressor then you can hook it up to a hose bib or the washer box and blow the water out of the tank that way. I’ve done it in a pinch. I splurged on the Milwaukee pump but was kinda disappointed on how quick it wore out. I do have the sump pump from Home Depot that can be a transfer pump also. That one works decent. Just set it over a bucket or the air relief will drip water all over the floor

Most hosebibbs have backflow prevention built in which would stop you from doing this.

One of the reasons we install Prier P-164 frostfree hosebibbs is that we can easily remove the rubber hood inside to blow out a house. Many frostfree hosebibbs have the bibb washer mounted on a nonremovable retainer that is spring loaded.

 

[skoronesa]

My poor wallet........someday.

 

[skoronesa]

Why?

Care to elaborate Socrates?

 

[skoronesa]

Yes. Why a $500 pipe wrench?

It's Titanium.

 

[skoronesa]

Copper for natural gas pipe. I found the rectorseal flare spin for $60 on eBay, unused.

I have a yellow jacket flaring tool for minisplit.
Amazon.com

Generally(not always) copper isn't supposed to be used with natural gas. Have you asked your supplier if their gas is compatible with copper? I wouldn't risk it. We only use steel for natural gas.

 

[skoronesa]

dont buy that one dude. trust me. they have issues with it. i wrote a post somewhere about our experience with it and the replacement unit they sent.

Most of our guys have the Ridgid RP200-B and they are great. I have that model, it spent 5years with our top newcon guy, got sent in for calibration a second time(he pressed the requisite number of joints, it didn't break), he was given the newer 12v version so I got his old one.

It does 1/2" to 1-1/4" copper and takes the same 18v batteries as my camera. Works perfect.

 

[skoronesa]

its the 12v verison we had issues with.

Some of our guys have the 12v versions. I haven't used one my self but I also haven't heard of issues with them. That said our supply house would swap one out in a heartbeat if we got a faulty unit. We also have spares in the tool crib so if one failed suddenly our shop guy would run it to the man on the job.

I just use my 18v and have no issues with it, but I rarely use it as I prefer to solder. I did use it today for fixing a hot water recirc at a grocery store. I am going to cut the propress 90 I removed in half and will post pictures.

 

[skoronesa]

That’s interesting. We almost never use a 12. It’s channel lock (knipex/whatever), spud/adjustable wrench, or a 14” pipe wrench or better.


Of course that might be me and my crew, I have trouble with my elbows and tend toward as big of a a wrench as I can use to keep from being in pain. I teach my apprentices that as well, because I don’t want them to have the same problems that I have.

It’s making me think maybe I need to look at 12”s instead of blowing up elbows with channel locks.

I have a 14" on my van(Not in my bag) and I use it quite often. Squeezing Channellocks is a great way to have sore hands. I do keep two 12" and one 10" pair of Channellocks in my bag, they are my first choice. When I need to squeeze really hard and turn really hard I go for a pipe wrench or Crescent wrench if it will fit.

I also agree, for disassembly bigger is better. Now that I have aluminum pipe wrenches in 14", 18", and 24" I don't hesitate to bring them in. I should have gone aluminum years ago. Even a pvc compression check valve can be a pain with the biggest Channellocks.

 

[skoronesa]

I know two guys that carry a 10 and a 14 in their everyday bag. Smallest that anybody else, myself included, uses is a 14. I know I just take 14 18 24 anytime I know we’re doing steel.

I have a 6" Ridgid pipe wrench in my bag. I mostly use it for 3/8" threaded rod when installing hangers. Friday I used it to turn the stem of a 2" gate valve up in the small access hole of a ceiling, made the job really easy. None of my Channellocks would fit/grip correctly, even my 6". I use that 6" pipe wrench more than I though I would.

I also have a 6" Ridgid OFFSET pipe wrench on the van

 

[skoronesa]

Do these other methods screw up the threads so the next guy cant get the nuts off? That always pisses me off, just did one the other day where a hack used a grinder

This is the main reason I don't cut Joni bolts and instead use the Set-Fast bolts. The newcon guys set a toilet once and never see it again. When someone falls and knocks that toilet, when it gets nasty from piss sitting overnight, when the seal goes bad from their teenager rocking the toilet, there are a bunch of reasons I might have to pull that toilet again, why make it harder on myself?

 

[skoronesa]

I also use a regular old toilet bolt. I usually cut them off with a mini hacksaw; if we aren’t doing a whole bunch. Then they get power tools.

Let us know how that goes. Most of the “bolt cutters” around aren’t worth their packing. Their jaws just don’t hold up. I’ve never seen the knipex ones; this might be worth looking in to.

I keep a hacksaw blade in my bag with electrical tape wrapped the first 5" for a handle. I use to use one of those aluminum handles that let the blade stick out but it's really not any better, the blade can still bend/snap and it's more bulk in my bag.

 

[skoronesa]

brass is soft, the nut backing off the closet bolt will straighten the cut threads.

The bolt is secured to the flange with a nut so it doesn’t spin.

I have no problem backing off a closet bolt nut with a nut driver and then reinstalling it over the same bolt.

The wolverine brass nuts are robust……and use a 1/2” nut driver to finish.

Frequently the bolt spins when the nut gets to the buggered threads and won't back off, not sure how you've never experienced this.

I will either use a nut splitter or lift the toilet and stick a screwdriver under it so the bolt is held up in the flange to resist spinning.

 

[skoronesa]

Because you bill by the hour…..?? ! ! ? 😉

We have more than enough work, no need to give myself more. Also, I don't predicate my income on doing the customer dirty by installing subpar materials. Besides, we often quote toilet replacements.

 

[skoronesa]

I use brass bolts with brass nuts that hold the bolt tight to the flange. There’s no spinning. Wolverine brass.

If I’m working behind someone else and the bolt spins then I hold the bolt of I can or saw or cut it off the best way for the situation.

If I need to take a bowl up then I just use a new set of bolts. I charge $9 a set for them. That’s nothing compared to my labor. But the ones I install don’t spin later, they’re tight.

I don’t use flange fixers, I make the flange right or list it as a temporary emergency repair.

 

[skoronesa]

I understand what they are and they cost too much for what you get IMO. I like to bolt my closet bolt to the flange, My person preference.

I see where we differ, you like to bolt your toilet to the flange, while I prefer to bolt my toilet to the flange. To each their own....