Stainless threads galling.

[husky]

so what's the gist of all this, i mean this could presumably happen to someone like me dicking aorund with stainless fittings, is teflon tape enough?? where is the anti seize goo, is it food safe?
if i get thread stuck in an elbow, im ganna be pissed, not 1900$ pissed, but still... pretty shitty.

Teflon tape is usually fine on its own for the home brewer. In the food industry we can't use Teflon tape but have other food grade options such as thread sealant for pipe fittings etc on water lines and anti sieze for nuts, bolts, unions etc. All food safe and I even use the anti sieze as a brewery lubricant for seals etc to get them to seal perfectly.

 

[husky]

It is interesting that I am hearing this from so many people now that I have started to investigate...

......... So yeah, I guess I, and every other contractor I have met here in Australia and Asia and New Zealand and Europe have just been lucky.

.

Hard to tell if that's sarcasm over the interwebs but it seems odd that the suppliers would not be recommending it. It was one of my first lessons day 1 out of uni and into the real world, no antisieze = grinder.

 

[Pnutapper]

Hard to tell if that's sarcasm over the interwebs but it seems odd that the suppliers would not be recommending it. It was one of my first lessons day 1 out of uni and into the real world, no antisieze = grinder.

Not sarcasm directed at you... more ill expressed irony directed at the supplier in question. I meant you no offence. (I really need to use more emoticons...)

I have now spoken to competing suppliers to ask if anti seize is necessary on their fittings, the answer is no. Even Keg King who source the cheapest sh!t they can find from China say they have not heard of basic 3/4" threads requiring anti seize.

It would not bug me so much if the supplier in question would just admit that they farked up, and perhaps meet me in the middle with my out of pocket expenses.(They have still not explained why the ball bearings in the snap lock adaptors are not stainless by the way.) It is perhaps of interest to note that in another lifetime, I worked for this particular supplier in both their Engineering Dept, and also their Service Dept. and never saw a can of anti seize the whole time I was there.

 

[husky]

Are the threads you use parallel or tapered? I could maybe understand if they're all parallel and well made there would be no friction and therefore difficult to gall. Tapered threads are another story and presumably what you are using if they need to seal against liquid.

 

[Matplat]

Are the threads you use parallel or tapered? I could maybe understand if they're all parallel and well made there would be no friction and therefore difficult to gall. Tapered threads are another story and presumably what you are using if they need to seal against liquid.

We use M12 bolts for securing aluminium drop side trays to their mounts where I work, and a while ago purchasing mistakenly bought a ton of them in stainless. Of the 12 bolts that secure a tray, at least 6 will bind up before they are fully tight if the fitters forget to put lubricant on, then its a pain in the arse job cutting them off with a grinder while the thing spins.... And for those that do make it on, you can bet they won't come off.

 

[Thefatdoghead]

Just hit it with wd40. First tighten about 1/4 to 1/2 a turn, then unscrew the fucker.
It'll be damaged but you'll get away with running a tap through the socket.
Dunno about using anti seize on this as it's not suitable for food grade equipment as far as I know. Tastes like shit too.
Bit of oring grease maybe.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

This thread, galling, anti-seize, tape thing is a very interesting thread

For instance, doing head, con rod, main bolts, they have specific tensioning depending on the lubricant used... ie...dont use engine oil...

This thread may go far











yeah....pfft to your puns

 

[Thefatdoghead]

Not sarcasm directed at you... more ill expressed irony directed at the supplier in question. I meant you no offence. (I really need to use more emoticons...)

I have now spoken to competing suppliers to ask if anti seize is necessary on their fittings, the answer is no. Even Keg King who source the cheapest sh!t they can find from China say they have not heard of basic 3/4" threads requiring anti seize.

It would not bug me so much if the supplier in question would just admit that they farked up, and perhaps meet me in the middle with my out of pocket expenses.(They have still not explained why the ball bearings in the snap lock adaptors are not stainless by the way.) It is perhaps of interest to note that in another lifetime, I worked for this particular supplier in both their Engineering Dept, and also their Service Dept. and never saw a can of anti seize the whole time I was there.

I Did my trade as a fitter. I've been a marine engineer for 14 years.
The only time ill use anti seize is bolts and flanges.
For pipework its locktight liquid Teflon or Teflon tape.
I've never used anti seize in my brewery. Why would you? If it got into the system it would be a nightmare.
It gets everywhere too

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

For all intents and purposes, it would be like ripping a weld apart,and make the manifold useless. The way things stand, I am still pretty confident of being able to rescue it.

Ideally, I still want to be able to use the female thread in the pipe manifold, even if I need to create a new one by getting another socket welded in as TheWiggman has suggested.

If I can't rescue the manifold I am up for at least another couple of gorillas.


Respect Brother

You have taken the path of " I dont want to **** this... I will work it out"... Its the BEST way to learn something, something you will use in the future, unlike, lets just say, an angle grinder

30yrs latter as a Tradie, I still use this method

 

[Pnutapper]

Are the threads you use parallel or tapered? I could maybe understand if they're all parallel and well made there would be no friction and therefore difficult to gall. Tapered threads are another story and presumably what you are using if they need to seal against liquid.

Yes mate they are 3/4" BSPT

 

[Pnutapper]

Just hit it with wd40. First tighten about 1/4 to 1/2 a turn, then unscrew the fucker.
It'll be damaged but you'll get away with running a tap through the socket.
Dunno about using anti seize on this as it's not suitable for food grade equipment as far as I know. Tastes like shit too.
Bit of oring grease maybe.

WD40 would be as effective as water. the threads are fused. Even with a breaker bar, the thread will not budge at all. This is effectively a weld we are talking about here.

The Loctite product I linked earlier is allegedly being used in breweries around the world. Once I have reintroduced beer to the manifold tomorrow, I will be able to comment on whether I agree it is a beer friendly product.

 

[Matplat]

I'm confused as to why teflon isn't considered food grade, if I'm not wrong, my fry pan at home that gets heated to 250° with food all over it is coated in the stuff???

 

[Pnutapper]

I'm confused as to why teflon isn't considered food grade, if I'm not wrong, my fry pan at home that gets heated to 250° with food all over it is coated in the stuff???

My belief is that it is safe until it is over heated. (I don't know how hot that is.) When you breathe kitchen air polluted with fumes from overheated Teflon, you're at risk of developing flu-like symptoms. I have read stories about pets becoming gravely ill and or dying from "Teflon Flu"

 

[Matplat]

Wow, never heard of 'Teflon flu' before.... I specified 250° because I bought a new fry pan a week or two ago, and it was advertised as having a max temperature rating of 250°.... aside from a gas burner (if you use one) I can't imagine any piece of brewery/serving equipment that's functioning correctly reaching anywhere near that temp.

 

[Matplat]

Wikipedia says:

"Polymer fume fever or fluoropolymer fever, also informally called Teflon flu, is an inhalation fever caused by the fumes released when polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, known under the trade name Teflon) reaches temperatures of 300 °C (572 °F) to 450 °C (842 °F).[1] When PTFE is heated above 450 °C the pyrolysis products are different and inhalation may cause acute lung injury.[citation needed] Symptoms are flu-like (chills, headaches and fevers) with chest tightness and mild cough. Onset occurs about 4 to 8 hours after exposure to the pyrolysis products of PTFE. A high white blood cell count may be seen and chest x-ray findings are usually minimal."

 

[2cranky]

I'm confused as to why teflon isn't considered food grade, if I'm not wrong, my fry pan at home that gets heated to 250° with food all over it is coated in the stuff???

I think it will be more of an issue with the tape in layers wrapped around the thread. Plenty of nice cosey places for bacteria to live.
Anything food grade will be inert and not provide a home for bacteria.

 

[2cranky]

Wikipedia says:

"Polymer fume fever or fluoropolymer fever, also informally called Teflon flu, is an inhalation fever caused by the fumes released when polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, known under the trade name Teflon) reaches temperatures of 300 °C (572 °F) to 450 °C (842 °F).[1] When PTFE is heated above 450 °C the pyrolysis products are different and inhalation may cause acute lung injury.[citation needed] Symptoms are flu-like (chills, headaches and fevers) with chest tightness and mild cough. Onset occurs about 4 to 8 hours after exposure to the pyrolysis products of PTFE. A high white blood cell count may be seen and chest x-ray findings are usually minimal."

huh! I get the same when I burn chilies!

 

[Matplat]

I think it will be more of an issue with the tape in layers wrapped around the thread. Plenty of nice cosey places for bacteria to live.
Anything food grade will be inert and not provide a home for bacteria.

Righto, that makes sense...

 

[husky]

double post

 

[husky]

I'm confused as to why teflon isn't considered food grade, if I'm not wrong, my fry pan at home that gets heated to 250° with food all over it is coated in the stuff???

Teflon tape breaks off and contaminates the product.