Saturday, March 12, 2022

sanity-preserving tool #314,159

 These are internal pipe wrenches.  Ever wished you could remove a close nipple from another fitting without destroying the threads on it?  Ever had a pipe snap off at a fitting, necessitating the removal of the short, thin threaded section from the female fitting... somehow?  At minimum this tool solves those two edge conditions for you.

 My general rule on specialty tools is that if I "wish I had", or if I actually need to borrow or rent some tool more than twice in a year (give or take, depending on what it is, how expensive, etc) then I buy it*.  Three times in the past six months I found myself wanting to remove and preserve pipe nipples, and a few years back I struggled to remove a broken pipe-end from an in-situ fitting.  It was time.  They should cost less than $10 each.

addendum, much later: get several sizes. If you get one to work but it's a bit too small, you may find yourself pounding it out of the removed nipple with a vice and a hammer.  Apparently I need at least two more (larger) sizes than the onces I got at a national chain store where I moonlighted a few years back.

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*within reason; use common sense and don't quibble.

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