Any Old Iron

[Lonsdale73]

After some iron items which I keep getting told can be found 'any old place' but I'm not having much joy. Could be such items no longer exist in the UK.

First thing I'm trying to find is cast iron hand wheels, c125mm with a bore that work with 20mm threaded stud. I can find the latter easily enough but would be nice to find somewhere capable of supplying both. I'm sure you can all probably guess it's intended purpose.

The next item is something I've head referred to as half-inch pipe, sometimes black pipe which can be threaded one end or both. This is something I've seen repeatedly stated as 'available from any plumber's merchant' but still I can't find it on Plumbersworld/Plumbersmate etc. Are these possibly American terms an we know it by another name?

 

[Fergal]

Electrical suppliers sell steel conduit in various diameters, galvanised or black enamelled, like this:
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index ... index.html

Would that do?

As for cast iron discs for handwheels, I've heard of people using weight training plates for this purpose.

 

[heimlaga]

In Finland black pipe is sold by every plumber's merchant.
Originally the size in inches was the inner diametre. The wall thickness has been reduced in later times so theese days the inner diametre of half inch pipe is around 14 mm. The outside diametre is something like 22mm

The pipe threads used in Europe go by the nominal (pre wall reduction) inner diametre of the adjoining pipe. Hence a half inch pipe thread is around 21 mm measured on the outside.
European pipe threads are Whitworth pipe threads also called BSP. Americans have another standard for pipe threads.

I usually buy cast iron handwheels at the local scrapyards. The handwheels come off valves on the sort used on pipes in industries. They usually have a tapered square hole in the center. I usually file the shaft or screw to fit the square hole but sometimes it makes more sence to bore out the center.
Sometimes I find good handwheels on scrapped industrial machines. The handwheels on my spindle moulder fence for instance came off a bandly mangled printing press.

 

[marcros]

the pipe is fairly easily available- pipeline centre (unless Wolseley have rebranded), BSS, etc. The problem is that it will be in long lengths and only threaded one end. You will need some proper kit to thread it, and even hiring it would cost you a few quid.

I would suggest https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BLACK-MEDIUM ... 3LY8MS7Zwg as an option. I am sure that they will do longer lengths, but postage pay be an issue.

note. https://pipeworksuppliers.co.uk/index.p ... uct_id=328 they do.

 

[Myfordman]

Google for cast iron wheels. Keystone castors for example?
Ideally you dont want to run a plain bore wheel on studding and it will wear quickly and wobble. 20mm bore bearing wheels are readily available and with nuts and washers you can tighten down on the bearing inner with the studding and get a smooth running result.
Iron pipe will be stocked in 6m ish lengths and the OD will be defined by the thread size to be used with it. eg 1/2 will use 1/2 BSP which is much much bigger than 1/2" on the outside.

 

[Bm101]

Used wds once and were fine for ball knobs. Looked to get wheel there too but never got round to it. Lots of options.

http://www.wdsltd.co.uk/product/3699/ca ... -wds-8193/

Another site is Berger Tools. Never used them though.
https://www.berger-tools.co.uk/Home/

Cheers
Chris

 

[Lonsdale73]

Used wds once and were fine for ball knobs. Looked to get wheel there too but never got round to it. Lots of options.

http://www.wdsltd.co.uk/product/3699/ca ... -wds-8193/

Another site is Berger Tools. Never used them though.
https://www.berger-tools.co.uk/Home/

Cheers
Chris

Oddly enough, they were two sites my google search threw up afore I asked the question on here. WDS don't appear to offer a wheel with a 20mm inner diameter; Berger do but at 8" diameter rather than five inch max I was hoping for. The idea is to use these to make a moxon and / or legvice, which our colonial counterparts seem to be able to do with consummate ease and for peanuts. I can buy components from Workshop Heaven for £94 or complete vice for around £40 more from either them or Axminster. But the threaded bars are only 240mm long which, when 40mm wooden chops are added, seems to be limiting the holding capacity of the vice. I have wondered if there's a practical limitation which keeps them down to this size.

The pipes are to make pipe clamps and/or a Jay Bates style vice so theoretically only need to be threaded one end however longer pipes threaded both ends could be cut to produce two clamps. Followed marcos suggestion and visited the Pipline Centre's website, entered "1.2" black pipe", "Black pipe", "Cast iron pipe" and various other permutations around that, each returning over 1000 products and I've now looked at page after page of couplers. connectors, terminals, brackets, valves and things I have no idea what they are called or what function they perform but so far nothing resembling a length of iron pipe, black, 1/2" or otherwise!

 

[marcros]

If you get them threaded both ends for clamps, you can join 2 lengths together if you need longer clamps.

I would call pipeline center, the website is dreadful and will probably give you a list price of £1000! 1/2" black iron pipe will be a standard product to them.

 

[lurker]

BSS
Units 3/4 Crofton Drive, Allenby Industrial Estate, Lincoln, LN3 4NR

 

[Myfordman]

Keystone do CI wheels from 100mm up.

 

[sunnybob]

The "black pipe" you are looking for is mild steel gas barrel.
Usually sold in 5 metre lengths to the trade, but available in lengths from 6" upwards in 6 " increments.

It is mild steel wrought iron, not cast. Comes in 1/2", 3/4" 1" and upwards from any national plumbers merchants. The size refers to the internal diameter. Galvanised water pipe is the same stuff and in the same sizes but (obviously enough) is a silver finish. All UK gas pipe fittings are in BSP thread

All American pipe and fittings are in NSP thread, these are NOT the same and can not be interchanged.

 

[lurker]

Bob,
About 20 years ago I was going back and forth "over the pond" and on every return trip I brought back a set of Pony clamps.
These fitted straight onto uk gas pipe, so the threads can't be vastly different.
Until just now, I had never thought about BSP vs NSP but I see your reasoning

 

[marcros]

half inch BSP and NPT are the same. the others are different.

edit the same for pipe clamps. I wouldn't know if they would be suitable to seal on a fitting.

 

[Lonsdale73]

In case we're talking at cross purposes thisis what I mean by pipe clamp.

 

[marcros]

yes, that is them. the handle end threads onto the pipe- threaded bsp or npt for 1/2" ones. The part that he has covered on the other end can be threaded or not, it doesn't matter.

 

[TFrench]

Either BSS as lurker said, or google a local pipefitter. Sure they would be happy to thread you up some lengths of 1/2" tube for some cash.

 

[marcros]

what lengths of pipe are you looking for out of interest and how many do you need?

 

[Lonsdale73]

what lengths of pipe are you looking for out of interest and how many do you need?

That's two good questions and I'm not sure what the answer is. I've got a pair of fittings on order to try them out so will need at least two pipes but whether that's one long pipe, threaded both ends and cut in half I don't know yet. If they work, I will want more because one can never have too many clamps, right? As for length, I have a number of Bessey KR clamps to 1.2m. It'the 600mm that are used the most although there are times when I could use a little more length (story of my life!).

I also like the idea of a pipe clamp moxon vice a la Jay Bates so that would be more pipes but probably no more than 500mm in length. Alternatively, I might bite the bullet and buy one of the offerings from Axminster or Workshop Heaven, see how I get on with that and if I find I do need some extra width I can buy a suitable length of 20mm threaded and at least I'll have the cast iron hand wheels from the bought version.

 

[marcros]

I was just looking at the Bessey K body actually, with a view to getting a few of the shorter ones.

 

[Trevanion]

I was just looking at the Bessey K body actually, with a view to getting a few of the shorter ones.

I was looking at them also a few months ago but decided that I would probably wear them out, I've already worn out two Bessey Duoklamps (The plastic around the reverse switch tends to break after a while, turns out that's where a lot of the pressure goes).

For about the same money (Even a little less in the end) clamp for clamp as the K-body I was able to buy brand new Record T-Bar 54" clamps for about £40 a clamp. They also have lifetime unbreakable guarantee, and I seriously doubt I would ever have to take up that guarantee. I suppose it all depends on what you're planning on doing with the clamps too, if you're not using them with day in-day out abuse with tonnes of pressure perhaps the k-body is a smoother clamp to use for most things.