Double Extra Strong Pipe

Plenty of good lard oil or cotton seed oil should be used when cut ting pipe. The dies must be sharp, to make good joints; and when they are changed in the stocks from one size to another, all chips of iron and dirt should be cleaned off the dies and out of the stocks, as a small chip under dies, especially under one of a set of ad justable dies, will either cut a crooked thread or strip it.

Stocks are made in sizes from * inch to 4 inches. The small-size stocks and dies com monly carried in pipe-fitters' kits are made to thread pipe from * inch to 1 inch inclusive, right-and left-hand; and a larger size to thread pipe from 1 inch to 2 inches inclusive, right- and left-hand. A larger size stock is used to cut pipes over 2 inches in diameter.

There are a number of hand-power pipe machines on the market, which are very convenient especially for cutting and threading pipe 2* inches and over. Several makes are shown in Figs. 66, and 68 a and 68 b.

Pipe Tongs. Plain tongs, like all other tools, must be kept sharp and in good order, to do good work. Many fitters object to tongs because they have to be sharpened very often, and also because they have to carry at least one pair of tongs for each size of pipe; they prefer an adjustable wrench which will fit several different sizes of pipe.

There is one advantage in the tongs; that is, they can be worked in places where it would be im possible to use a wrench, such as making up pipe in coils, close corners, etc. Tongs should be made in such a way that when they are on the pipe, the handles will come close enough together to al low them to be gripped in one hand (see Fig. 69).

Adjustable tongs (Fig. 70) are made to fit several sizes of pipe, the most common sizes used being for finch to 1-inch to 2-inch, and for 2i-inch to 4-inch.

Chain tongs are made in all sizes and in several forms for from f inch up to 16-inch pipe.

Some makers furnish tongs with the handle and jaws in one piece. Others have the jaws removable. Still others have the jaws so arranged that they can be removed and reversed.

See Figs. 71 and 72.

Pipe Wrenches. Sev

eral types of adjustable wrenches are shown in Figs. 73 and 74. These wrenches will do good work if used as wrenches on the size pipe they are intended for. Some men who have little regard for tools use on a 2-inch pipe, for example, a wrench which is made to take, say, not over 1-inch pipe, the jaw of the wrench being extended as far as possible, and probably ing held by only a few threads of the adjusting screw, a piece of pipe 2 or 3 feet long often being used on the handle of the wrench to increase the leverage. After such usage, the wrench is of little value.

At times men will use wrenches in such a way as to make the strain come on the side, with the result that the wrench is badly strained if not broken.

The above described wrenches are used on wrought-iron pipe. For brass or nickel-plated pipe, wrenches like those shown in Figs. 75 and 76 should be used; otherwise the pipe will be marred and rendered unfit for use in connection with first-class work.

One of the handiest all-round tools is the monkey wrench, shown in Fig. 77. Open-end wrenches, illus trated in Figs. 78 and 79, are very handy tools, especially for use on flange fittings.

Wrenches for lock-nuts are made about the same as above, only they are larger.

The return-bend wrench is a very handy tool, and can be made by any good blacksmith. It is used principally on coil work, and is made of heavy bar iron, as shown in Figs. 80 and 81, in which two forms of this type of this wrench are shown.

Another handy tool is what is sometimes called, for want of a better name, a spud. wrench. This is simply a piece of flat iron about 10 inches long and made to fit the spuds of the unions of different sizes of union radiator valves and elbows (see Fig. 82).

Pliers. For small work, pliers may be used to advantage. Com mon and adjustable types are shown in Figs. 83 and 84.

Drills, Reamers, and Taps. Pipe drills, illustrated in Fig. 85, are made slightly smaller for a given size than the taps illustrated in Fig. 86. A reamer like the one shown in Fig. 87 should be used to start the tap, which should never be hammered in order the threads.

Fig. 88 shows a combined drill, reamer, and tap. Fig. 89 shows a pipe reamer for taking the burr from the ends of pipes.

A ratchet drill is illustrated in Fig. 90 and a breast drill in Fig. 91. Fig. 92 shows a handy tool for drilling pipe flanges which from any cause cannot be drilled in the shop.

Figs. 93, 94, 95, and 96 show cold, cape, diamond point, and round-nose chisels. respectively.

A good pattern

pean hammer is shown in Fig. 97 a; and a brick hammer is represented by Fig. 97 b.

Miscellaneous. Every fitter's kit should contain inside and out side calipers; a good set of bits k-inch to 1-inch; bit stock; augers 1} inch to 2-inch; saws; files; plumb-bob; gimlet; lamp; oil can; steel square; tape measure; etc.