Old lady at the hardware store gave me a 3 word tip that fixed my pipe threading

I was in the plumbing aisle at Ace Hardware in Rockford last Saturday. This tiny woman in her 80s just walks up and says 'more cutting oil.' She walked away. I had been fighting a die for 20 minutes. Three words saved my afternoon. Has anyone else gotten unsolicited advice from a stranger that actually worked out?

2 comments

2 Comments

ninal9121d ago

Rockford Ace Hardware, huh? That place has actual old-timers who know their stuff. One thing though - cutting oil isn't always the fix. Die quality matters just as much. Cheap dies from China will bind up even with perfect oil. You need a good HSS die, not carbon steel. Also check your pipe's burrs before you start. A quick file job on the end can save a ton of frustration. Your die threads will last longer too if you clean them after each use.

spencer66421d ago

Got a buddy named Dave who picked up one of those chinese die sets on Amazon for like 20 bucks, thought he was saving money. First pipe he tried, the die wouldn't even start straight, just shredded the first few threads and jammed. Took him an hour to back it out. He finally listened to @ninal91 and bought an HSS die from an old timer's shop. Night and day difference. Also found out he was skipping the file step, so the pipe end was all jagged. Now he's got a little routine going, hit the end with a file, wipe the die clean after, and his threads come out perfect every time.