How the berkeley do I get it out?
See title. It's flush with the tank bung and I already tried slotting it and turning it out with a large flathead. All that netted me is a broken off piece of steel wedged in what's left of the drain valve.
Drill out until just before the threads and scrape?
Is the two inch bung at the bottom right hand or left hand thread? So I can work on it on the bench.
Other?
Ez out? Although I've heard of way more breaking than actually working.
But hit it with some penetrating oil for a bit and a lot of heat and maybe you'll have luck.
Worst case, try to drill out and remove threads. Drill and tap for larger size if fail. Optional: weld on a new threaded bung/nut
How much is a new tank? Reason I ask is if it fails they do so quite spectacularly.
In reply to jfryjfry:
I'm leaning towards attempting to drill it out tonight then scrape the threads. I've had mixed results with EZ-Outs over the years. It either goes really well or terribly, but when it goes terribly there's now hardened steel in the way. I never tried it on brass before.
Fully drill and retap would probably work too since it's a 1/4" fitting now I could step it up to a 3/8.
The big concern is that it's an NPT fitting so the insert tapers. I guess if I'm careful and use the brass tools it shouldn't be an issue, minus the FOD in the tank.
In reply to dean1484:
A new pressure vessel appears to be about 250 dollars, which is about what I paid for the tank. I'm not super worried about damaging the pressure vessel since I'm only working the bung which has a hex on it. I'd really prefer to remove the bung but I can't tell if it's right hand or left hand thread and it doesn't move in either direction when I hit it with the 1 1/8" wrench it takes.
It's just a Craftsman 33 gallon upright for reference.
I'll take a picture of my misery tonight so everyone can laugh at how bad I berkeleyed it up. This is a bit easier to think through when I'm not so angry.
Square EZ-outs work much better than spiral ones on smaller pipe fittings, especially brass. Good quality, name brand, don't cheap out. Size it right, don't go spindly. Use heat on the bushing if you can as mentioned too.
I removed dozens of flush broken 1/8"-1/4" NPT brass on high speed turrets at an old plant. We went through 'em like popcorn. Shop had square Irwin, I use Proto, both are good for brass. Size it right.
Never broke a one.
There are special tapered extractors for this. I doubt the reducer bung is left hand thread, probably just rusted in there solid if it's a used tank.
I have this same issue at home on a cool old dayton 2 stage I have. I got as far as buying the right size quality easy out and haven't come back to it.
BrokenYugo wrote: There are special tapered extractors for this. I doubt the reducer bung is left hand thread, probably just rusted in there solid if it's a used tank.
Best million dollars I ever spent with Matco, as a bonus the part number begins with sex....
In reply to chandlerGTi:
HF sells the set for under $10, probably good enough for occasional use, especially on brass.
In reply to BrokenYugo:
Oh yea? Guess I have a stop in the wrong direction on the way home then.
I really miss having access to the tool set I had as an A&P. Now it's back to my commercial aviation box which is way less extensive than the company owned military boxes.
If you're going to drill it out use left hand threaded drill bits. HF sells a set.
Oftentimes the drill bit will bite and spin the offending bastid out on its own.
The only thing I would expect harbor freight extractors to do the same as a name-brand is be next-to-impossible to remove when it breaks. :)
I would definitely buy the best if you plan on going that route.
Here's the carnage.
I made the mistake of installing the replacement valve with the sealant that Kobalt applied out of the package with my 3/8 ratchet.
Ovbiously the shear strength of brass is pretty low, and the valve is hollow, so as it met more resistance from way too much sealant it snapped.
I'll drill it out tomorrow. That seems like the safest course of action. Then I'll get an elbow and ball valve so I don't have to do this again.
Heat it with a propane torch to cook the blue thread sealant. I would hold off on drilling it and use a round head cold punch (get the green jumbo set from hft while your there the ones with the CR-V stamp). You have the option of hitting the exposed brass to unthread it or just hammer/break the brass into the hole. It's super soft and brittle brass it will come out easy in chunks or unscrew if your carefully with the chisel. A 1/4 inch wood chisel might do ok too just tap lightly.
Drilling will mess up your threads if you make a little mistake and the extractors... Well that's been covered.
A square extractor of the right size should have that brass for berkeleying lunch. Add the heat if necessary, bushing only not the brass.
Uh....I am probably missing something here, but I would remove the pipe hole cap, and replace with a new cap that I drilled and tapped for a new drain valve.
Yes? maybe?
Rog
In reply to boulder_dweeb:
That would be the ideal option quite honestly. Just need to find one. I've never had any luck matching replacement parts for Craftsman anything.
Of course I need to get it out of the tank. It seems thoroughly fused in there.
If my serves me correctly a 1/4 npt uses a 27/64 drill bit. Then use a pipe tap to cut new/clean the threads.
If all else fails there might be enough meat in that reducer to just punch it out to 3/8 NPT.
jfryjfry wrote: The only thing I would expect harbor freight extractors to do the same as a name-brand is be next-to-impossible to remove when it breaks. :) I would definitely buy the best if you plan on going that route.
For normal square or twist extractors I'd agree with you but I doubt the pipe nipple extractors are too hard for a good HSS drill to go clean through. No point in making a tool super hard when the hardest thing it will ever encounter is dead soft ASTM A53 pipe steel.
I just came here to say
Petcock
Huuuhuhuhuuuhuh.
Also, Jumper K. Balls has a berkeleying JAWBREAKER avatar, in case you haven't noticed.
Huh huh, he said petcock...
poopshovel again wrote: I just came here to say Petcock Huuuhuhuhuuuhuh.
Dont forget bung holes.
God has my tank been down for a month? So I fixed it, here's the underwhelming conclusion.
Start by breaking off a 23/64ths bit in what's left of the drain valve, because you want to get as much tool steel in the bung as possible.
Admit you're an idiot, get a quarter inch bit and start stepping up the bits in size until you reach your largest, a 3/8 bit.
Get a round file and file down one area until you can just start to see the threads peeking through. Hit the thicker part adjacent to the thin area with a chisel and pull the piece that comes loose until you find where the threads start.
Insert 1/4-16 NPT tap carefully making sure you're not going to cut a brand new set of threads into the bung and twist.
Try to shake out all the FOD you've introduced into your air tank and install a quarter turn ball valve so you never need to do this again.
If anyone needs a 1/4-16 NPT tap let me know and I'll drop one in the mail to you. Apparently I bought a five pack instead of a single so I have four I'll likely never use. Also Boelube I need to pick up another can of it. Using a tap just isn't the same without it.
I'll take one! and I will think of you every time I use it :)
Congrats btw. Nice to finish a job
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