stubborn nipple

theprofessor

any tricks for removing a frozen nipple on BP pistol? already broke one wrench on the initial torque trying to remove nipple.[:(]
Heard that I should soak in WD40 for a week ( the nipple end of cylinder ) another guy said to boil cylinder in water for about 1 hr and that would loosen nipple threads ?? Any tips in avoiding " nipple freeze" in future would be appreciated.

allen griggs

I have never had one freeze up. I put a little Hoppes Gun Oil on each nipple as I put it back into the cylinder. When all the nipples are back in I clean out as much oil as I can with pipe cleaners.

ken44-40

Plug the nipple, then put a little Kroil in the chamber (so the base of the nipple is emersed in the Kroil), for a couple days - it should come right out. Sometimes WD-40, balistol/water mix, or an automotive rust buster spray will work too. IMHO - Kroil works the best.

If you broke the nipple wrench, you need a better one. Thunder Ridge has some hardened wrenches that will take a lot of punishment.

I use balistol on my nipples when I put them back in the cylinder. Of course, I remove them and clean them after each match too.

Ken 44-40

theprofessor

Thanks for the tips. I will check it out ASAP.

mazo kid

Put a bit of anti-seize lube on the threads when replacing the nipples. Saves the aggravation of struggling to get them loose again.

Winston Bode

What I found to work well for this is to put a little, very little, oil on the threads on the nipple and then screw it down until it stops. Then back it off just about 1/8 of a turn. Leave it like that and it will not stick again.

I also take some small diameter wire and make a circle out of it then pound it flat on a vice or anvil. Makes a neat little washer.

Hope this helps.

Bode

eastwood44mag

You need a temperature gradient.

Simple explanation:

Freeze the cylinder, then use a heat source to warm it up QUICKLY! If done properly, the cylinder should expand away from the nipple, which should still be shrunk from freezing.

Wolf.

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Yeah, do a search on stuck nipple or frozen nipple, etc. You should find quite a bit in the way of fairly recent suggestions on this issue.

theprofessor has a good suggestion about freezing-warming the cylinder. Just a heads up: There is a product commonly used in the electronics industry that will drop the temp on a tiny, localized area (and your skin, so watch out!) waaaaaay down below zero, pretty darn quick. Then heat it up quickly with a propane torch (not for too long!! only for about 6-8 seconds!!). Now put the nipple wrench on it.

I order freeze spray on the Internet because I've never found it available locally. One source for the freeze spray product is:
http://www.action-electronics.com/freezespray.htm
I personally have not ordered from this company before, but I see no reason to distrust them.

Another piece of advice (my opinion): Don't use stainless steel nipples as stainless steels have a tendancy to gall. Just keep your gun clean and use a good anti-seize compound on the male and female nipple threads. A good brand of anti-seize compound that I use is called candle wax.

theprofessor

Everything is OK now with the previosly frozen nipple. in the future I need to do a better job of keeping the pistol clean and use the anti-seize tips which were posted. Soaked the cylinder in Kroil and all loosened up with a little pressure on wrench. Nothing broken or snapped !!
I actually do keep the pistols clean but the issue with the frozen nipple was with a gun that I bought used.

[:D] Thanks again for all the advise. [:D]