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Special length brass nipple

In spite of all my calculations the Kohler nipple for the hand held shower elbow does not stick out far enough. Kohler specifies 9/16", and it wound up to be 3/8". The current nipple is 3", and the next size is 3 1/2" which is way too long. I think the reason is the cultured marble guy was a a bit too generous with the mastic goop, as I did very careful measurements and shimmed it perfectly for the maximum thickness the marble plus mastic was supposed to be. Be that as it may, the question now is what to do about it.

Here are the options I know of so far:

  1. The flanged elbow is mounted to a 1"x4" cross piece with screws that I can get to through the hole in the marble. I could break through the wall from the other side to allow sliding a thicker shim behind the elbow. Other than the work of breaking and repairing plaster, the only downside is that the nipple would assume a slight downward tilt.

  1. Make up a nipple with two male adapters and a short length of 1/2" hard copper tubing. I've watched the plumbers do the soldering, but never done it myself. Looks easy. Downside is possibly breaking the solder joint while tightening. I've no idea how strong these soldered joints are in twisting.

Which options is best? Anything I've missed?

TIA

Ed

Reply to
Jag Man
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You go down to the maintenance department at work and tell the guys you need a 3 1/4" (or whatever) nipple in brass. For the price of a coffee or two they can make whatever you need.

Go to the plumbing department of the hardware store and buy a coupling and two smaller nipples to get the combination you need..

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

coupling and

Thanks, Edwin. Being a machine shop student in highschool and working my way through college in tool shops, I liked your first idea! The thought of throwing a 4" nipple in a lathe, parting off a bit, and "single-pointing" a NPT with a bit ground to the proper angle sounds like fun. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the equipment, and I imagine a machine shop would charge me $50, if I could even find one that would bother. Apparently, nipples this size are too short for using the normal thread cutters.

Maybe I misunderstand your second suggestion, wouldn't it be impossible to get something as short ad 3 3/16" with normal 1/2" pipe fittings? Or, are you talking about the second idea I mentioned, i.e., use the short section of hard thin wall copper tubing and sweat a male adapter to NPT at each end?

Ed

Reply to
Jag Man

Why not cut it with a hacksaw, and rethread it (by hand) with a 1/2" pipe die? You will still have some of the original threads left to help start the die straight, and brass is easy to cut.

It seems like you are looking for something difficult.

Best regards, Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

If you are in Red Sox Nation I'd be happy to loan you the use of my 1/2" NPT die and die stock so you could shorten a standard nipple and rethread it.

You sound like a perfectionist and there's nothing wrong with that if feel good doing things "just right".

Email me if I can help.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

Home Depot (and presumably most other places, though I haven't tried) will cut and thread iron pipe for free. Presumably they would do the same for a brass nipple.

Or is there something that is going clean over my head?

Reply to
toller

Some pipe threaders will not allow a short length to be held in the jaws and threaded. There are ways of doing it, but I have no idea of HD will have the capability. No harm in asking though.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Well, I have been known to find complex "solutions" for simple problems. But in this case all I wanted to do was get that fancy elbow on there.

Actually, I am guilty of believing them when both the local Ace HW store and a first rate plumbing supply house said they couldn't rethread anything that short. I now gather that this is simply because they would not stoop so low as to use a pipe die and do it manually. Guess I can temporarily attach it to a longer length with a coupling in order to hold it for the rethreading.

Thanks for opening my mind!

Ed

Reply to
Jag Man

Thanks, Jeff. Unfortunatly, I am in Angles territory, so can't very well drop by and pick up the tools! But now that I'm on the right path, I'm sure I can borrow, rent, or buy what's needed.

Ed

Reply to
Jag Man

He could buy a longer piece (e.g. 12") and have it threaded for, say, 5 inches at one end, then cut off what he needs.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

Reply to
Doug Miller

IIRC, he needs it threaded at both ends.

Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

And your point would be....?

I believe he only needed about three inches, right? So thread *five* inches, and cut off the three-and-whatever that's needed. No harm done if it's threaded all the way, is there?

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

Reply to
Doug Miller

"Edw> >>

Yes. If he needs it threaded at both ends the threads turn different directions...or does it?...hmm, damn, now I have to go looking in my junk pile for a pipe threaded both ends.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

*five*

In addition to that (if true) IPS threads are 'tapered' so you can't just thread a length and cut it off.

It's too early and not enough plasma.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

Harry K wrote: ...

If that were true, you'd have one r-h and one l-h thread...somewhat inconvenient at best...

The taper would be a possible problem though as it would be tougher to get a leak-tight connection.

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

Tapered threads.

Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

I've asked around, although not at HD, but seems that the HW stores and plumbing supply houses only offer threader machine service, and they won't work on short nipples.

I intend to try to do it with a manual die and handle today, either rented or purchased. I'll just buy a 3 1/2" brass nipple, cut 1/4" off with a hacksaw, and spin the die down 1/4". I'll report back on progress.

Ed

Reply to
Jag Man

Not an issue for a shower nipple, though, as it won't ever be subjected to any kind of significant pressure.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

Reply to
Doug Miller

Try again.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

Reply to
Doug Miller

Won't matter. It's a shower nipple, so one end of it will always be open, and there won't ever be any significant pressure on the joint.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

Reply to
Doug Miller

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