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How do you seal a 4" male/femals adapter?

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:53 pm
by cwazy1
So i have a 4" male adapter and i need to make it airtight into a 4" female adapter. this is for a pneumatic.

so umm i've put on like 8 layers of teflon tape and it still leaks after a certain psi. prolly around 40 (no gauge yet, im gonna put one in there)?? i know that teflon tape is only suppose to be used up intil like 2" or so, but what are u suppose to use after that in large fittings like my 4" ????

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:58 pm
by MrCrowley
I picked up some thread sealer stuff from Ace Hardware, don't confuse with lock-tight. It just a paste that seals the threads and makes it easier to take apart, but cannot be used on PVC just galv pipe.

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:03 pm
by Mr.Russ
maybe try a whole roll of teflon.

??

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:05 pm
by SpudUke5
Sometimes my threads dont even have teflon on them all the way and they dont really leak. Hmm... well maybe it could be that there is sometype of passage way it is still getting through. Im not sure but i know what MrCrowley is talkin about. I live about 10 mins from a Ace Hardware but its not that big. I saw that stuff and thought about buying it, but i just went with regular, old fashioned teflon tape. Plus its cheaper :)

P.S. Mr.Russ, you have one of the best sigs on this site, i absolutely love it!!! :!: :!:

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:05 pm
by Lentamentalisk
I don't think that that pipe compund even works unless the pipes mesh together perfectly. I was just trying it on my sprinkler valve hose barb to blowgun connection and it just bubbled, leaking out all of the air.

edit: Lol! gross post count!

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:08 pm
by MrCrowley
I managed to get it to work on a full metal galv cannon with fittings around 1.5" diameter. You need a fair amount and at the start of the threads not the end, it also has seemed to harden, maybe let it harden first.

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:19 pm
by cwazy1
yeah, my fittings are pvc. ehh, any other ideas??

btw, i use a huge wrench and yet i still cant get the thing to tighten all the way, the chamber keeps slipping, how can i hold the chamber so its not slipping??

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:22 pm
by c19o
I used some gray stuff my dad calls pipe dope. Works just fine if you put alot on there. It saves me alot of Teflon tape when I'm constantly servicing the piston when making a new gun.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:04 am
by cwazy1
haha yeah i finally got it to seal 60psi

i used all 520feet of teflon tape. wow. good thing it was only like 1.50$

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:09 am
by c19o
cwazy1 wrote:haha yeah i finally got it to seal 60psi

i used all 520feet of teflon tape. wow. good thing it was only like 1.50$
WOW :o That right there is alot of teflon tape.... Wont it be a pain to put all that back on there if you have to service your gun?

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 1:40 am
by Mr.Russ
haha, he listened to me! lol. if i ever have something leaking i jsut take it off and wrap like a million layers of teflon on, until its like 2mm thick.

likis: lol, its pretty good aye.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:27 am
by SpudBlaster15
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:45 am
by psycix
I may get the picture wrong, but i assume you want to fit a 4"male into a 4"female?
Then use a piece of 4"pipe between ofcourse :)

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:35 pm
by jasonsmithmyer
you don't need to stuff the teflon tape on it to make it seal. using a covering of teflon tape and some 'pro-dope' or other thread 'sealing' compound usually helps. the problem with larger size threaded fittings, 3" and up, is what type of wrench you use to tighten them. if you are using channel-locks that is bad. a pipe wreng of proper size will work sometimes, proper size for that size adapter would be a 48" or maybe you could get by with a 36". what happens when using a pipe wrench or especially channel-locks is that when you grip the adapter more, you're actually crushing it slightley and that causes it to oval and seem tight even when it hasnt been threaded in the whole way. the best thing to use on larger pipes that size is not using threads, welding or soldering where applicable. but, since you are using the threaded adapters because that is what you have, try and acquire a strap wrench of suitable size to tighten it with.

In the original post, you said that teflong is only for 2" or lower, you can use it for any size. if the fittings are PVC, i think you said that in one of the posts, dont use 'pro-dope' or thread 'sealant' as per what it says on the can.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 8:12 pm
by cwazy1
hahah sorry, not 520feet, inches. (i used a whole roll of the teflon tape thats in the red reel) , i use a large pipe wrench, it started just fine..haha, i always run my fingers past the teflon to make it smooth so it starts easier.

psyciz, what are you talking about?? hahaha its a 4" female threaded into a 4" male threaded.

ahh a strap wrench was that i was thinking of! just didnt know the name. btw, what are channel locks??