Replies

1. 
   ring | Feb 04, 2009 04:05pm | #1

   If your clamps are old the edges on the plates in the tail are a bit worn down. You can still get years of life out of them by taking the tail apart and reversing the plates.

   David Ring

   http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e

2. 
   489tad | Feb 04, 2009 04:16pm | #2

   I have black and galvanized pipe and both work fine.  I put down packing tape on the pipe to prevent any staining.  Just a shot in the dark check the outside diameter of the pipe to see if it if its unusually small.  They should be around 1.062".  I checked a couple of mine and they were in .010" of each other.  Good luck.

3. 
   Dave45 | Feb 04, 2009 05:31pm | #3

   Did you clean the new pipes? Galvanized pipe often has quite a bit of cutting oil on it from the thread cutting operation and the tail clamp plates can't grip very well. I always give new pipes a good wash down with soap and water, Simple Green, etc before attaching the clamps.

   DO NOT, however, use sandpaper or an abrasive on them. I did that on two pieces of pipe and had to leave them out in the weather for a year while they "grunged up" enough the use them as pipe clamps. - lol

4. 
   hammer1 | Feb 04, 2009 06:07pm | #4

   There is electroplated galvanized pipe and hot dipped. You don't want hot dipped since it is very rough and the clamp tail piece won't slide. Electro can flake off, the clutch plates bite in and they get real rough. Black pipe can be a little like dipped in that the paint can be full of runs and drips. The best pipe is zinc. I put some short pieces of pipe insulation on all my clamps. These hold the metal off your work. Glue along with the iron in the pipe often causes oxidation that stains your work. The insulation also lines the screw up more with the center of 3/4" - 1"stock. I get most of my pipe for free. There is usually a lot of black left over from the sprinkler installers on commercial jobs. If I buy, I go with the zinc. Take what you read in magazines with a big grain of salt, especially from readers. Galvanized doesn't work well for long. Black is good but zinc is great and pretty, too.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

   
5. 
   bricofleur | Feb 04, 2009 06:23pm | #5

   The surface of galvanized pipes is hardened, being part of the chemical process. This is why clamps slip on them. I have few of them and I have the same issue as you do. To prevent the clamps from slipping I squeeze the claws (which I keep sharp) with spring clamps so there will be constant pressure (see attachments).

   The other way to work around is using standard black pipes. To prevent any stains from the glue I warp the pipes with short lengths of closet pole plastic covers and move them over glue lines. For more details, check my website at this particular page.

   Best,

   Serge

    

    

   - Learn from yesterday, work today, and enjoy success tomorrow -

   http://www.atelierdubricoleur.spaces.live.com

   
1. 
   fuzzychum | Feb 05, 2009 06:03am | #6

   Thanks, everybody. I tried cleaning my galvanized pipe, but it still slips. I'm back to the black pipe, I guess. I like the curtain rod cover idea. I'll give that a try.

1. 
   TonyCz | Feb 05, 2009 09:12am | #7

   Actually Galvanized pipe is not what you want to use at all because the material used to make galvanized pipe is zinc. Which is a very soft metal.

   That being said it is the softness of the metal giving away under the pressure applied by the clamp against the gavi pipe. Look close and you will see that the galvanizing is actually being pulled along with the clamp grippers.  It matters little if its hot dipped or electroplated, which I have never seen used  with water pipes. only emt.