Ill fitting... fittings.....

[AndyBWood]

Evening All,

Received these in the post today from BES.

Look nice don’t they but………

After ½ a hour of playing I think I’ve found one or maybe two combinations of a lock nut that will freely rotate along the length of a running nipple. How ever hard I try the nuts just won’t turn, jam solid and nipple n’ nut need forcing apart with the aid of mole grips and adjustable spanners.

Some of the nipples screw right in as far as poss into the elbows and some lock up after a couple of mill.

Not happy and this lot will be going back in the post for replacement or refund but this is going to put back my xmas / new year build.

So, am I expecting too much ? There’s quite a few quids worth of metal in the photo and I don’t want to start messing too much if I’m going for my money back.

Is this just the general quality of fittings out there ? Is it just a case of getting the emery paper out and smoothing off the high spots and rough edges ?

As above, I don’t want to fettle too much if its not going to get me anywhere.

Your thoughts please.

Cheers

Andy

 

[Fil]

a bit of fine tunning with a diamond file may be needed, and a bench vice and big spanners with scafold tube lever extensions.. well thats how i delt with my last order from bes.

some of the threads may just need working in, thing is SS is bloody hard :), looks like you could use a hex nipple to work in the elbow threads.. mild steel or brass fittings is maliable enough with a 6" spanner on the job, SS however needs more force,

and pfte to help lubricate..

 

[Vossy1]

Hi Andy,

I too have had the same problems as you, we even had problems on the stainless steel bulk heads we had made, the BES lock nuts had to be 'cleaned up' a great deal before they would rotate freely. I've tried to clean up the threads myself but using the everyday tools I had it was simply too hard. The quality of the threads both male and female leaves a lot to be desired and is very hit and miss.

FWIW, eskimobob came round to mine the other day with a load of fittings from the Bearing Boys and they are the mutts compared to BES....but they also cost more. The fittings were thinner but the standard of the finish was immaculate compared to the BES fittings I had for comparison.

 

[AndyBWood]

Fil / Vossy,

Thanks for the responses – in a fit of ‘poetic temper’ at around 12:30am this morning I tried to ‘coax’ one of the lock nuts into revolving around the nipple and fulfilling it’s destiny. Result – nut completely jammed on the threads. I succinct email swiftly followed to BES who have responded this morning as follows :

Unfortunately P/n 14462 1/2" Nipple is BSP Par to BS21 rather than true Parallel and this will be causing your problems. Unfortunately this was identified after our catalogue was printed and will be amended in our catalogue and online by our Technical Author.

So, it would appear I’ve trying to bang the proverbial round peg into a reluctant square hole. ( Or to put it another way; I’ve been trying to force my nuts onto the wrong nipples….. )

No idea what ‘BSP Par to BS21’ is but the after a bit of a conversation with the nice lady on the phone BES are sending me 6 replacement brass nipples that are ‘true parallel’ and refunding the difference between the stainless and brass prices. ( Vossy – ie - the ones you quote in your ‘how to’. Should have stuck to your guide but I was blinded by the shiny… If I need anything else I’ll look at what the B Boys have on offer )

They also offered to arrange for UPS to collect the odd nipples but after I explained I couldn’t wait in all day, etc, they basically said forget it and hang on to them.

So – a general festive offer to anyone out there. If you would like 5 shiny nipples as described above and can make use of these fittings I’m happy to pop them in the post for you free of charge.

Andy

 

[borischarlton]

The problem is the lock nuts. I have had a bit of a "conversation" with BES and it turns out that the lock its are not BSP thread. They told me that they would change the wording on the website but that has not happened yet. I now have a stainless 1/2" BSP tap and if I run the nuts through they are a good fit. If you pm your address I can send you some nuts that are sorted if you send me some in return.

Cheers

Rob

 

[AndyBWood]

Rob,

I'll certainly take you up on this offer and it is much appreciated.

I've got 7 nuts ( the 8th one is stuck fast and cannot be moved )

I'll PM you -thanks again.

Andy

 

[Aleman]

I too fell foul of this and sorted it getting a couple of 1/2" (and 3/8") taps to sort out the threads on the nuts and the elbows.

I managed to get one nipple so stuck in an elbow that I had to buy a metalwork vice to get them apart . . . although it's a great toy , and has proved useful in other projects.

I'm happy to sort out nuts and elbows as well :thumb:

 

[Vossy1]

A bit naughty of BES really, I wonder how many have fallen foul of this :hmm:

 

[Down2die]

have had the same prblem with some bes fitting would like to get 1/2 tap whos the cheapest out there on the interwebs?. I might take someone up on the offer to retap and die some of my couplings and nipples?

 

[highlander101]

I have had the same issue with the bulkheads I produce for people.
Thing is I always make sure I run a Die across the thread of the nipple on its tightest setting. This normally cure's it

 

[AndyBWood]

Well; it looks like it isn't just me then…….....

Aleman - thanks for your ECS offer ( elbow corrective surgery ) Much appreciated and PM sent. :thumb:

Cheers

Andy

 

[Mark P]

Just a thought,BSP fittings normaly have a tapered thread,also stainless on stainless is a bugger for picking up or galling therefore ether locking up or tearing the thread.
regards Mark P

 

[Aleman]

Just a thought,BSP fittings normaly have a tapered thread

BSP fittings cone in two flavours BSPT (British Standard Pipe Tapered) and BSPP (British Standard Pipe Parallel) . . . The BES Fittings are , supposedly, BSPP, however it appears that there are 'several' BSI standards that apply to thread sizing and specification, and the BES ones are made to the lowest possible standard :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Out of the dozen or so sets I had for Sight Glasses and fitting ball valves on my brewery vessels, I only had two that actually could have fitted together without fettling, and even they were dodgy. . . . I obtained some nipples from a trusted source (Thanks Bru) which I knew were properly BSPP and none of the fittings would screw up properly on that :twisted:

 

[Vossy1]

I obtained some nipples from a trusted source (Thanks Bru) which I knew were properly BSPP and none of the fittings would screw up properly on that

So why didn't you tell me when I asked (no don't tell me, I'm not sure I want to know), you just said the nipples were fine (true) thanks T,

 

[cnelsonplumber]

Ah the joys of plumbing