Thread: pipe clamps....where to buy pipe?

You can get various lengths that are threaded both ends,also other fittings that you will be able use to join short pieces together from bunnings or masters.
If you get a few differant sizes you can make up the lengths you need.
Plumbing trade centres will most likely sell only long lengths,which mean you need to cut and thread the ends.
I got a old pipe threader at a garage sale,then buying long length will work ok.

Any of the metal merchants should be able to supply gal pipe, Metaland for instance. If you have a scrap merchant that sells to the public in your area that could be a cheaper option.

seen them at bunnings & miter 10 in the plumbing sections I thought they were that size anyway
regards Michael

I used about 15m of 3/4" galvanized pipe for my reticulated compressed air lines in my shed and I ended up buying from "Valve and Fitting Supplies", a WA company that supplies valves and fittings to the WA mining industry.

The price was $50 / 6m Length which is about half the Bunnings Price.
Fortunately I have my own BSP threading gear.

Recently I went back and bought 2 more lengths and made 4 x 10' pipe clamps our of them

And then about 2 weeks later I found 3 x 6m lengths in a skip.

All mine have come from hard rubbish collection and the like. With some of the clamps you do need to have the ends of the pipe threaded.
The arms of a rotary clothes line are the right diameter but are not heavy enough for long clamps

Thanks for all the quick responses.

I was able to get a 6.5mtr length from Narellan Steel Supply for $28.00 including cutting.

The guy at Masters Gregory Hills made the recommendation.

Bunnings and Masters only had short (600mm) lengths. By time I bought enough pieces and joiners, it would have been 3 times the price.

Now to find a friend with a pipe threader......

Originally Posted by aldav

Any of the metal merchants should be able to supply gal pipe, Metaland for instance. If you have a scrap merchant that sells to the public in your area that could be a cheaper option.

yes, metaland and you can also buy downgrade from them which is quite good enough for a pipe clamp and cheaper still

regards david

Originally Posted by jw2170

Now to find a friend with a pipe threader......

An older plumber would be the go. I doubt that most of the young guys would know what a pipe threader was, let alone know how to use it.

Hi all,
The purchase of the pipe is the least of the cost my local steel supplier is about $20.00 per 6.5m length but they want $15.00 per end to thread. I used to have many set's of these starting from 1m up to 3m in length, but then you could go to any plumber and he would cut the threads for you for next to nothing but as previously stated not any more you need a specialist to do the job and they charge accordingly.
Regards Rod.

One trap for young players is that some of the pipe clamps are fussy about the pipe used.

I have a pair of older clamps that will not work on the imported pipe.....most of the multi plate clamps are fine though.

Yeh....that threading is your issue.....I have threaders.....but it was easier to buy pre threaded pipe from my local bunnings....they had600, 900 and 1200mm lengths.

A few years ago, I did supply a few pipe threading kits to forum members......have not looked at the price and availablity from my source recently.....but if ya can get em else where....I can investigate if needed......from memory...um $60 ish per set...but that was a few years ago.

If ya paying $15 per end.....buying a manual threader may be viable

cheers

A 3/4"-14 BSP die costs about $20 on ebay - it won't be high quality but you are not worried about leaking pipes and it will cut enough threads for to make a couple of clamps.
The killer is that these things are typically 55mm in diameter so even a 2" die hold won't hold them so you will need to find a larger one still
Some especially cheaper die holders that can hold this size die also have handles that are too short.

My BSP thread cutters come from my FIL who got them from his father so these are circa 80 years old and they still cut perfectly.
They must have been pretty strong in those days because when I had to cut a heap of threads for my retic compressed air I found the handles were too short so I made a longer set which made things a lot easier.

Don't even think about cutting pipe threads with more or less normal dies.

The proper plumbing pipe threaders are very different.....the cutter head has a much longer lead in, very generous waste clearances and usually a long handle with a ratchet head.

They work using an all forward threading action and do not require back turning like normal threading dies do.

You will need a good vice very firmly attached to something solid...preferably a pipe vice.....but a good plain vice will get you by with care.

I have pipe threaders up to 3 inch......but manual pipe threading over 1 inch nominal bore is hard work let me tell you.

Even with 3/4 Nb pipe, and a proper plumbers pipe threader....unless you are a gorilla.....you will be using both hands and workin hard.

what you are looking for is something like this......checked my previous supplier...no longer in the catalogue.

cheers

Originally Posted by soundman

Don't even think about cutting pipe threads with more or less normal dies.

The proper plumbing pipe threaders are very different.....the cutter head has a much longer lead in, very generous waste clearances and usually a long handle with a ratchet head.

They work using an all forward threading action and do not require back turning like normal threading dies do.

You will need a good vice very firmly attached to something solid...preferably a pipe vice.....but a good plain vice will get you by with care.

I have pipe threaders up to 3 inch......but manual pipe threading over 1 inch nominal bore is hard work let me tell you.

Even with 3/4 Nb pipe, and a proper plumbers pipe threader....unless you are a gorilla.....you will be using both hands and workin hard.

what you are looking for is something like this......checked my previous supplier...no longer in the catalogue.

cheers

I bought a set similar to your picture from McJing Tools with 2 cutters.

It was such a slow and painful process, I thought the cutters must be at fault.

I hired another set from Kennards and, clamping the pipe in some stillsons, as recommended, I was able to finish one pipe and make the clamp I needed.

I was stiff and sore for 3 days after.......LOL.

I will give the set from McJings another go shortly.

Jim mate, there are two problems you may have encountered.

#1 lubrication and lots of it is imperitave.
One of the threading paste lubricants like "Trefolex" or similar...if you can't get anything else good old fashon lard works.....tapping or threading with out adequate lubrication is very much harder work.....good lubrication can be the difference between feeling like you have been whacked between the sholderblades with said piece of pipe and feeling like you have been run over by a herd of bufaloo the next day.

#2 The imported chinese pipe does not thread as freely as the much more expensive australian manufactured pipe...AND..the chineese pipe has an ever so slightly larger outside diameter..this makes the work quite a bit harder.

as with a lot of things, the right tools help.....a proper pipe vice mounted to something solid makes a hell of a difference.

cheers