Socket forming tool - plumbing

[Rob Whitton]

The other day I came across a 15mm socket forming tool for putting a socket onto the end of a piece of copper pipe. It consists of a former and handle in a slide hammer arrangement. I thought I would give it a go and happened to have a new piece of "half hard" copper tube to try it on. I found that after about 100 operation of the slide hammer the copper pipe only had developed the slightest flair and was no where near the point of having a socket on the end. So I assumed that the slide hammer arrangement was perhaps just for removing the tool from the pipe (as suggested on the monument website) after the socket was formed and that you needed to use a hammer on the end of the tool to drive it in. This worked better but again after about 100 operations I had a socket which was only about 3-4mm long and a sweaty brow!

Does anybody know how to use such a tool? Do they only work on "soft" annealed tube which doesn't appear to be readily available?

It certainly seems a lot easier to just use end-feed fittings (even though this results in twice the number of soldered joints) but I'm still curious to know what I was doing wrong.

Cheers

Rob

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yes. It won't work on table X stuff as supplied. Fine on the older softer stuff, though. It might work ok on modern stuff if you annealed it first, although I've a feeling the walls of current tube is thinner than of old.

It provided a stronger mechanical joint too.

[Andy Dingley]

Didn't "half hard" suggest something ?

You need to anneal the pipe before use (which takes mere moments). If you welly it hard enough in the hard state, then you'll manage to for a socket, but there's also a risk of forming unnoticed cracks and a future leak.

[Rob Whitton]

Of course but one assumed that the tool (which still seems to be for sale) would work with the pipe which was available.

Heat to a dull red and then dunk as I recall to anneal copper. I expect the copper will get quite oxidised and will required quite a clean before soldering.

I have actually just found that if I smear some grease on the former before hitting it into the pipe then a socket can be formed quite quickly with "standard" pipe - a bit of lube seems to make all the difference.

Cheers,

Rob

[Ian Stirling]

Dunking is optional. However, it does dislodge most of the oxidisation, and means that cleaning needed is almost none. Dull red is hotter than is needed.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Dunking will make no difference in the case of copper.

Vibration and flexing/bending reverses the process, so depending what you are doing to the copper, you might find it worthwhile annealing it again whilst working on it.

[Set Square]

It will at least mean that you can work on it sooner, after heating it!