The Bé à Ba of Diy plumbing
Decorative objects or everyday objects made from floor flanges, fittings, pipes and plumbing plugs is not very complicated and so original!
If the possibilities are almost endless, here is the Bé à Ba of making your own objects ! Also know that we are fond of the achievements of our customers, so remember to share your creations with us. Moreover, if you make an order error we will always find a solution.
Identify the support on which you will fix the object
A creation with cast iron fittings and pipes represents a significant weight and many creations are designed to be fixed to the wall, to the floor and sometimes even to the ceiling.
If this is the case with your DIY creation idea, you will find on each product sheet the weight of the element in its description. So you can realize what is the overall weight of your achievement.
Check if your wall is able to support its weight. If it is a Placoplâtre wall, remember to bring adequate dowels.
The diameter of the fittings
We mainly use four diameters on site:
- 1/2" (15x21) 21mm outside diameter.
- 3/4" (20x27) 27mm outside diameter.
- 1" (26x34) 34mm outside diameter.
- 1" 1/4 (33x42) 42mm outside diameter.
For more information on inch to centimeter diameters and correspondences.
On the item sheets you will find the designations Male / Female, which corresponds to the screw-on end.
The Male tip is the one whose thread is visible. The female end is the one whose thread (tapping) is hidden. So you can assemble a Male element of ½ diameter with a Female element of ½ diameter.
Below, on the left a female connector, on the right a male connector.
How to clamp two elements together
You have several options:
Quite often a strong enough hand tightening allows the elements to hold in the desired position, in this case it is not necessary to use the other possibilities.
If hand tightening doesn't get you exactly where you want it, you can use a Teflon roller. If Teflon is originally used for sealing, you will use it to tighten your fitting by simcores wrapping the male end a few turns of Teflon.
Do you want a strong grip? Use Loctite-type metal glue. This metal glue will durably unite the two fittings. However, make sure that the positioning is correct because this type of glue is really very powerful. You will not be able to reposition your fitting after gluing.
Or, if you are a handyman with a Adaptator SW/Male station, Adaptator SW/Male is certainly the most reliable way of joining two elements.
You can play with color
Indeed, in the plumbing fittings you will find mainly 3 colors:
- black cast iron
- The galva
- Brass
Alternate the colors according to your desires for a personalized creation. The range of galva (galvanized steel) and black cast iron is almost identical, although richer in black cast iron. On the other hand, the brass range is quite different.
However, be aware that in professional plumbing, the color of pipes and fittings is not a priority. So you will almost always find differences in color between two elements, whether in black cast iron or in galva.
If during your visits on the internet you find the DIY object that you would like to make and you are wondering about the diameter used, do not hesitate to send us the photo or the address of the web page (https:// www.) that you have and we will answer you as soon as possible to confirm which diameter was used or to be used for an optimal rendering of your creation.