• April 2025 Turning Challenge: Turn an Egg! (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Kelly Shaw winner of the March 2025 Turning Challenge (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Ellen Starr for "Lotus Temple" being selected as Turning of the Week for 21 April, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

How to get this broke pipe out (w pic)

Brad Hays

Brad Hays

Joined
Mar 24, 2021
Messages
71
Likes
8
Location
Lexington, KY
So my ladder falls and hits the (cheap) aftermarket regulator I have attached to my compressor and breaks the (accompanying cheap) connection pipe off flush with the compressor component leaving about 1/3" of threaded pipe inside the compressor component itself. If it would've broken on the regulator side I could just remove the rest of the pipe and replace the whole thing. But as it stands I'm gonna have to work the last bit of this male pipe out of the female threads. The pipe is copper so maybe that'll end up being to my advantage. How would you go about removing something like this? My camera takes bad close ups but to give some perspective the I.D. of the pipe is .40 in. Drew that line in there to show the end of the pipe.

I've got easy outs for rounded nuts but I'm not sure if there's anything like that for this situation. Can't be the first time it's happened to someone.

I'm afraid the pipe is in there fairly snug so I don't think prying one side up with a pic and then trying to work it around with some needle nose pliers is gonna get any kind of result.

I'm all ears. Thanks.


pipe.JPG
 
Last edited:
Yes, I just had to remove a broken plastic nipple from my pool pump, I used a square tapered punch and gently ran the flats over the grinder until the four corners were sharp, gently tapped it into the inside of the nipple then carefully turned the punch while pushing it into the broken nipple end, came right out. Several store bought ones on the market, two that I can think of, one is square like my punch but the corners are very sharp and designed to bite into the offending broken nipple.

The other has reversed tapered very course threads that as you tighten those course threads into the broken nipple, they bite and being reversed force the nipple into the removal direction. Harbor Freight has a set for $8.99.
 
If you have a smaller size copper tubing that is a close fit inside the broken nipple, you could tin the end of the smaller pipe with low melting point solder, clean up the inside of the broken nipple, put a little acid flux inside the broken nipple, put the smaller pipe that has been tinned into the nipple and then heat the smaller pipe wits MAPP torch to sweat solder the two pipes together. Copper is an excellent heat conductor so hopefully you can get enough heat to make a strong enough connection.
 
Like Tim and Marvin said they do make pipe nipple extractors (Easy-Outs) you can buy or if you have any plumber friends they would probably have one for you to borrow.

I'm afraid the pipe is in there fairly snug so I don't think prying one side up with a pic and then trying to work it around with some needle nose pliers is gonna get any kind of result.

You are on the right track here, but there is help...................

If you can't find any easy-out, I would cut a small groove across the threads into the broken pipe with a hacksaw. Be careful not to go into the female threads, but right up to them. You don't want to want to damage the female threads, but you can feel when you reach them with your cut. Then take a small chisel and tap up on the copper pipe on both sides of the groove you made. This should "crack it loose" (it helps that copper is soft material) and you can loosen it out by continuing to tap it left with the chisel until you can grab it with some needle nose pliers (or whatever else you have handy) to turn it out. The secret is to "break the bond" by providing a little relief with the hacksaw cut and chisel.
 
Kind of hard to tell what part of the compressor that block of metal is and if heat would affect it or not. If there is no bottom in the hole, a pipe easy out will more than likely work. I'm guessing that is a 3/8" NPT, which is tapered.
 
The easy out like John has a pic of in his post is a good option. I also picked these up at I think Northern Tool or Harbor Freight, I get them mixed up. Can adapt to odd sizes and one of those tools that sits unused for a long time but when you need it they're a lifesaver. Essentially just a reverse twist bit but they work great as well. The last time I used it was to remove the broken nipple on my neighbors power washer hose connection - took 30 seconds.

IMG_6204.JPG
 
You just found the perfect use for the oddball lathe tool that never gets used, grind it to shape and use a hammer to tap it into the end of the broken pipe fitting and use an adjustable wrench across the flat of the lathe tool shank and back the broken fitting out.

You could use a rat tail file and clean up the broken end of the nipple fitting and epoxy a smaller rod or nipple into the broken fitting, let it cure and use a pipe wrench to extract the broken fitting.

If you have a large dimension flat screwdriver you could grind a couple of reliefs in the end of the broken pipe fitting and use a hammer to tap the screwdriver into the end of the broken fitting and use an adjustable wrench on the shaft of the screwdriver and back the fitting out.

Go old school and use a steel chisel and hammer to tap on the edge of the fitting in a counterclockwise direction to see if you can get the
threaded connection to break loose.

Sell the broken air compressor on a garage sale and go buy a new one. :)
 
Mike Johnson said:
You just found the perfect use for the oddball lathe tool that never gets used, grind it to shape and use a hammer to tap it into the end of the broken pipe fitting and use an adjustable wrench across the flat of the lathe tool shank and back the broken fitting out.

You could use a rat tail file and clean up the broken end of the nipple fitting and epoxy a smaller rod or nipple into the broken fitting, let it cure and use a pipe wrench to extract the broken fitting.

If you have a large dimension flat screwdriver you could grind a couple of reliefs in the end of the broken pipe fitting and use a hammer to tap the screwdriver into the end of the broken fitting and use an adjustable wrench on the shaft of the screwdriver and back the fitting out.

Go old school and use a steel chisel and hammer to tap on the edge of the fitting in a counterclockwise direction to see if you can get the
threaded connection to break loose.

Sell the broken air compressor on a garage sale and go buy a new one. :)
Click to expand...
Don't know how many times I've used a large screwdriver and a crescent wrench, come to think of it, I've fixed quite a few broken pipes in my 70 years...lots of ways to skin a cat!
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions. In the end I bought both a set of the tools John pictured and a set of easy outs. Thankfully the threads were tapered NPT and as soon as the broke end of the pipe started turning it was virtually out...just needed to break the grip and it was done.

Of course, I need absolutely no encouragement to buy new tools so I'm glad to have added to my collection now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top