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Stainless Steel Fittings

Chonkski

Member
The only ones I have seen in SS are JIC flare.
SS-2404-06-06 - 3/8" JIC 37° x 3/8" Male Pipe - Stainless from the site listed above

They are pretty readily available, but if you have SAE hoses then you might be out of luck and stuck with lead free brass. I am sure someone makes them, but might not be cheap.

What is everyone using to adapt to filter driers? That's the only brass piece I have, and it really bugs me. The filter drier I'm using has 3/8" male NPT Flare, and I use 3/8" JIC..

Maybe it's time for the custom filter drier?
 

flatslabs

Member
NPT Flare? If its Male NPT you could do something like:

SS-1405-06-06 - 3/8" Female Pipe x 3/8" Female Pipe Swivel - Stainless
SS-2404-06-06 - 3/8" JIC 37° x 3/8" Male Pipe - Stainless
 

Chonkski

Member
NPT Flare? If its Male NPT you could do something like:

SS-1405-06-06 - 3/8" Female Pipe x 3/8" Female Pipe Swivel - Stainless
SS-2404-06-06 - 3/8" JIC 37° x 3/8" Male Pipe - Stainless

Yeah that was my mistake, I was talking about the 3/8" 45° flare. Sorry, I get them confused because I'm still having trouble understanding the differences in their practical use..


I think he meant SAE flare, most of the filter driers are 45 flares and it is hard to find SS fittings in 45.

It's probably pricey but these guys can do custom fittings

http://www.stainlesshosefittings.com/index.php?id=122

might be nice for those hard/impossible to find fittings.

Thanks, I might check that out.

I need to go with the custom build soon though
 
If you wanna go the super cheap route, ebay user tibwholesales has stainless fittings on the low, also dudadiesel.com. Milvac has instrumental fittings on the cheap too :dance013:
 
Anyone ever order from hydraulics direct? The prices are a lot cheaper than anywhere else..

http://www.hydraulicsdirect.com/stainless_steel_fitting_adapters_s/1818.htm

I'm trying to find out if they are cheap, and have nasty threads or anything.. They say that they sell Parker. But I feel like a lot of these fittings would not be that cheap if it were Parker.


Was about to pull the plug on a huge list of parts from them today but I realized all their threaded fittings are NPTF which is incompatible with regular NPT.
 

flatslabs

Member
It has been a while since I looked into this, but all of the information I have read suggests that NPT and NPTF are fine to be used interchangeably / together as long as you are using thread sealant, which I assume everyone is doing already anyways.

The threading is the same on both, but NPTF has different groove depth to provide a mechanical seal without the use of tape or dope. Please correct me if I am wrong.
 
PRODUCT ASSEMBLY

NPT threads are designed to screw together. In most cases there will be no interference between the root and crest of the threads at assembly. The thread is designed to be assembled with some form of sealant to assure a leak free joint.

NPTF threads will screw together with NPT threads and should have no noticeable assembly problem. There will most likely be an interference fit between the root and crest on either the major or minor diameter of the thread, depending on which part is NPTF. To accomplish a seal on the joint, a sealant will be required.

NPTF threads are designed to screw together. They are designed to have interference at the roots and crests of the threads on both the major and minor diameters. This interference should cause no assembly problem. The thread deformation caused by the interference fit and the wrench tightening is designed to make a dry mechanical seal.

Because of the gauging requirements of the NPTF Class 1 product thread, sealant should be used to assure a leak-proof connection. Because of the gauging requirements of the NPTF Class 2 product thread, the seal accomplished through mechanical deformation should require no sealant to make a leak-proof joint. This is critical in some applications where the pipe content is corrosive to chemical sealant.

http://www.ring-plug-thread-gages.com/ti-NPT-vs-NPTF.htm
 

montroller

Member
Just wanted to update this thread

The ball valves I ended up getting from stainlessstealfittings.com were Sharpe ball valves and mine came leaky. The seem to seal OK until solvent is actually flowing then I can hear them leaking a tiny bit. If I wiggle the handle a bit I can get the sound to stop but I am not convinced they are fully sealed.

I am trying to get set up in a new spot and don't have an air compressor yet so I can't investigate fully. After 4 runs in the machine I only lost 2 lbs of solvent without adding any so the leak can't be huge but any leak is unacceptable. Probably should have just spent the money for parker or swagelock :/
 

Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Just wanted to update this thread

The ball valves I ended up getting from stainlessstealfittings.com were Sharpe ball valves and mine came leaky. The seem to seal OK until solvent is actually flowing then I can hear them leaking a tiny bit. If I wiggle the handle a bit I can get the sound to stop but I am not convinced they are fully sealed.

I am trying to get set up in a new spot and don't have an air compressor yet so I can't investigate fully. After 4 runs in the machine I only lost 2 lbs of solvent without adding any so the leak can't be huge but any leak is unacceptable. Probably should have just spent the money for parker or swagelock :/

Do they have a packing gland nut that you can tighten?
 

Breakover

Member
I buy most of my stainless npt and compression stuff from BFO (buyfittingsonline). Probably not the cheapest around, but shipping is relatively fast and they have the vast majority of what I need. Their valves aren't too shabby either, and they just added some American made valves to,their catalog...
 

montroller

Member
Do they have a packing gland nut that you can tighten?


Packing nut?? Why is it that no matter how much I try to prepare there is always something I am overlooking lol. Thanks for the tip

So I already filled the RC tank with solvent, do I have to just vent that out to do maintenance on the ball valves? I tried contacting sharpe but haven't heard back.

picture.php


That is the cross section of my ball valve. Part #11 is the packing nut. It looks like the handle can just be removed and the nut can be tightened. It kinda sucks if I have to waste 11lbs of solvent but I would rather be leak free

Also if anyone can reply before sharpe, I didn't see how tight to go with the packing nut. Other manufacturers were saying 50 ft lbs but that seems way overkill on my little valves.
 

Breakover

Member
Yes, just remove the handle and tweak the nut until it stops leaking. No need to bleed off the solvent at this juncture. Most packing nuts have very little room for adjustment, so applying 'just enough' tweaking is paramount. Torque specs are great, but don't 100% guarantee against leaks. In these cases, I find feel is much more useful than the book specs.

If it does come down to swapping valves, it is possible to 'wet stab' a new valve on if you're quick and chill the tank down below it's boiling point.
 
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Breakover

Member
Just be careful doing that because, as you may already know, carbon steel doesn't like super cold temps and gets brittle.
 

montroller

Member
I was actually thinking more into how I would tackle that method if I needed to and I decided it would never come to that at this point. I would rather vent 10-13 lbs than possibly introduce atmosphere into the tank. If I was using those #125's than maybe in an emergency that would be an option.
 

Breakover

Member
Agreed. I'd only attempt it if it were the last option.

Working in the nat gas industry for over a decade, I've wet stabbed new valves on nat gas lines that had more than a few pounds of pressure on them numerous times, so it's old hat to me. Trick is to have high enough pressure to keep atmosphere out but low enough to not blow the new valve out of your hand while you're trying to thread it on. Not something I'd recommend anyone attempt, of course.
 
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