Dark and Light Cutting Oil
Black Swan is one of the leading manufacturers of plumbing chemicals and accessories. We have over 250 products in our line. One of our more popular items is Cutting Oil.
In some metal piping systems, the pipe and fittings are sometimes connected by "screwing" the pipe into the fitting. In order to do this, there must be threads on the pipe. Many times the pipe comes with threads already on the pipe. But, there are many situations where there are no threads on the pipe and the plumber or end user will have to machine the threads onto the pipe.
The machine that is needed to cut these threads is called a thread cutting machine. What a good name! Now, this is the best part. You just can't use the machine to cut the threads. If you use the just the machine, you will have problems. You won't be able to cut good threads with the dies and the dies will get so hot that the dies will melt and weld themselves to the pipe. It just won't work. So, you will need cutting oil to help the dies make better threads and this cutting oil will also cool down the whole operation so the dies won't get so hot.
We say this is the "best part" because this is why you will need Black Swan Cutting Oils. The thread cutting process can't work without our great products.
Black Swan produces a Dark Cutting Oil which is to be used when using high speed machines to make threads in metal pipe. Black Swan also produces a Light Cutting Oil which is use when working with a hand threading machine. Both formulas are very similar but the Dark Cutting Oil has more additives because there is more heat generated when you use a high speed machine than when you are just using a hand threading machine.
If you go to our web site you can get lots of information on both of these fine products. The link to both products is below:
www.blackswanmfg.com/DARKCUTTINGOIL.htm
www.blackswanmfg.com/LIGHTCUTTINGOIL.htm
Black Swan Cutting Oils are outstanding products and have been on the market for many years. You can purchase these products at the leading plumbing wholesalers accross the nation. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Jeffrey Lichten
President
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Pipe-Lube, Adhesive-Lube and No-Hub Sealant
Pipe-Lube, Adhesive-Lube and No-Hub Sealant
Black Swan manufactures three outstanding products that are used in connecting cast iron soil pipe-Pipe-Lube, Adhesive-Lube and No-Hub Sealant. We will discuss all three products in this article and give you a little idea about these products.
Pipe-Lube
The Black Swan Pipe-Lube has been on the market for many years. This product is basically a soap and is used to slip gaskets into place when you are trying to connect cast iron soil pipe. Without a lubricant, it will be very difficult to slip the gaskets into place and you will have trouble making good connections.
There are many lubricants on the market and some plumbers even use any liquid soap they can find to use as a lubricant. You must be very careful in choosing which product to use. You don't want to use a product that will soften or swell the rubber gasket. If this happens you will have leaks in the future. You will also want to choose a product that does not freeze in the cold weather. There is nothing worse than going out on a job and finding that the lubricant won't work because it has frozen. (The reason some lubricants freeze is because the formula has too much water in it. There is a lot of water in these formulas to make the product cost go down. Yes, sometimes people cut quality to have a sharper price.) You also don't want to use a lubricant that will liquify in hot weather because the lubricant will fall off the pipe before you can slide the gasket into place. One last feature-you do want to have a lubricant that is slippery and that it will work.
Thus, we recommend that you use the Black Swan Pipe-Lube. It is an outstanding product and it is NSF Certified.
Adhesive-Lube
Sometimes just slipping the gasket into place is not enough. This is especially true in large diameter pipe. If you just slip the gasket into place, there is still some potential to have some leaks. In this situation it is nice to have a product that is both a lubricant and a sealant. Thus, the Black Swan Adhesive-Lube was invented. This product is a black liquid that acts as a lubricant to slip the gasket into place and, after it is applied, will start to dry and act as an adhesive. It will improve the seal between the gasket and the soil pipe. This is a great product.
Now, the Black Swan Adhesive-Lube is for use on service weight gaskets. It is not formulated for use on no-hub couplings. The reason is because the solvents in the Adhesive-Lube can possibly attack the no-hub couplings and cause them to swell. This could cause leaks. Despite this fact, Black Swan knows that many plumbers are using the Adhesive-Lube on no-hub couplings with great success. We have never had a complaint that the Adhesive-Lube has caused a failure.
When in doubt, use Black Swan Adhesive-Lube when working with large diameter soil pipe. It will make your life better.
No-Hub Sealant
Since the Adhesive-Lube is not recommend for use on no-hub couplings, Black Swan decided that we should come out with a product that can be used on no-hub couplings. We thought very hard of a name and we did a tremendous amount of research, did market surveys and asked every plumber we knew for a name. After spending thousands of dollars, we finally arrived at the name "No-Hub Sealant". We like this name.
This product is an amber color product and contains no solvents that can attack no-hub couplings. Thus, we can strongly recommend this product. It is a good lubricant and it is a great sealant.
One last point is that the No-Hub Sealant is an excellent product to use when your connections have to pass an air test. Passing an air test is very difficult and just using the no-hub couplings might not work. The Black Swan No-Hub Sealant will help you pass this test.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article and if you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call at 1-800-252-5796.
Black Swan manufactures three outstanding products that are used in connecting cast iron soil pipe-Pipe-Lube, Adhesive-Lube and No-Hub Sealant. We will discuss all three products in this article and give you a little idea about these products.
Pipe-Lube
The Black Swan Pipe-Lube has been on the market for many years. This product is basically a soap and is used to slip gaskets into place when you are trying to connect cast iron soil pipe. Without a lubricant, it will be very difficult to slip the gaskets into place and you will have trouble making good connections.
There are many lubricants on the market and some plumbers even use any liquid soap they can find to use as a lubricant. You must be very careful in choosing which product to use. You don't want to use a product that will soften or swell the rubber gasket. If this happens you will have leaks in the future. You will also want to choose a product that does not freeze in the cold weather. There is nothing worse than going out on a job and finding that the lubricant won't work because it has frozen. (The reason some lubricants freeze is because the formula has too much water in it. There is a lot of water in these formulas to make the product cost go down. Yes, sometimes people cut quality to have a sharper price.) You also don't want to use a lubricant that will liquify in hot weather because the lubricant will fall off the pipe before you can slide the gasket into place. One last feature-you do want to have a lubricant that is slippery and that it will work.
Thus, we recommend that you use the Black Swan Pipe-Lube. It is an outstanding product and it is NSF Certified.
Adhesive-Lube
Sometimes just slipping the gasket into place is not enough. This is especially true in large diameter pipe. If you just slip the gasket into place, there is still some potential to have some leaks. In this situation it is nice to have a product that is both a lubricant and a sealant. Thus, the Black Swan Adhesive-Lube was invented. This product is a black liquid that acts as a lubricant to slip the gasket into place and, after it is applied, will start to dry and act as an adhesive. It will improve the seal between the gasket and the soil pipe. This is a great product.
Now, the Black Swan Adhesive-Lube is for use on service weight gaskets. It is not formulated for use on no-hub couplings. The reason is because the solvents in the Adhesive-Lube can possibly attack the no-hub couplings and cause them to swell. This could cause leaks. Despite this fact, Black Swan knows that many plumbers are using the Adhesive-Lube on no-hub couplings with great success. We have never had a complaint that the Adhesive-Lube has caused a failure.
When in doubt, use Black Swan Adhesive-Lube when working with large diameter soil pipe. It will make your life better.
No-Hub Sealant
Since the Adhesive-Lube is not recommend for use on no-hub couplings, Black Swan decided that we should come out with a product that can be used on no-hub couplings. We thought very hard of a name and we did a tremendous amount of research, did market surveys and asked every plumber we knew for a name. After spending thousands of dollars, we finally arrived at the name "No-Hub Sealant". We like this name.
This product is an amber color product and contains no solvents that can attack no-hub couplings. Thus, we can strongly recommend this product. It is a good lubricant and it is a great sealant.
One last point is that the No-Hub Sealant is an excellent product to use when your connections have to pass an air test. Passing an air test is very difficult and just using the no-hub couplings might not work. The Black Swan No-Hub Sealant will help you pass this test.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article and if you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call at 1-800-252-5796.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
PTFE Tape
PTFE Tape
PTFE Tape stands for polytetrafluoroethylene. Just thought you should know.
PTFE Tape is used when connecting threaded pipe. The tape serves two purposes. First, it serves as a lubricant and allows the user to tighten the pipe and fittings a little tighter. Second, if there are any imperfections in the threads of the pipe and fittings (which would allow leaks), the PTFE Tape will plug these imperfections and stop the leaks.
PTFE Tape is one option to connect threaded pipe. The other option is to use a pipe joint compound. Many people prefer PTFE Tape because it is less expensive, not messy to work with and it gives you 100% coverage of the threads. Sometimes by using pipe joint compounds you do not get 100% coverage over the threads.
Judging quality on PTFE Tape is difficult. The standard in the United States that most companies mention is MIL-27730A. This is an old military specification that requires a minimum thickness of 3.5 mils and a minimum purity of 99% . But, a PTFE Tape that meets the above specification can still be a poor quality tape.
The other quality consideration is the density of the tape. You can have a tape that is 3.5 mils thick, but it could be filled with "air" and not much PTFE. This is where density comes into play. The PTFE tapes in the market seem to range from .37 g/cc (.37 grams per cubic centimeter) up to 1.6 g/cc. This is a big difference. In one PTFE Tape there is over four times the amount of PTFE than in the other tape. This represents a big quality difference. The more PTFE present, the beter chance you have to make a good seal.
The standard color of PTFE Tape is white. Over the years other colors have been introduced into the market for special purposes. Yellow tape is for gas lines, pink tape is for water lines, green tape is for oxygen lines and gray tape is for stainless steel lines. It is Black Swan's opinioin that this more of a marketing stategy than anything else.
Most of the PTFE Tape sold today is imported tape. There are a few domestic manufacturers remaining in the United States. They produce high quality tape at very high prices. The imported tape can be very good quality tape at very competitive prices. And, price is very important.
Black Swan is a major distributor of PTFE Tape. We offer tape from the U.S. ,Malaysia and China. We offer tape that is classified as low density and high density. We also offer all of the different colors.
The next time you have any questions on PTFE Tape or if you need to make a large purchase of PTFE Tape, please give Black Swan a call.
Jeffrey Lichten
President
Black Swan Mfg. Co.
4540 W. Thomas Street
Chicago, IL 60651
Tel: 800-252-5796
Fax:773-227-3705
E-Mail info@blackswanmfg.com
PTFE Tape stands for polytetrafluoroethylene. Just thought you should know.
PTFE Tape is used when connecting threaded pipe. The tape serves two purposes. First, it serves as a lubricant and allows the user to tighten the pipe and fittings a little tighter. Second, if there are any imperfections in the threads of the pipe and fittings (which would allow leaks), the PTFE Tape will plug these imperfections and stop the leaks.
PTFE Tape is one option to connect threaded pipe. The other option is to use a pipe joint compound. Many people prefer PTFE Tape because it is less expensive, not messy to work with and it gives you 100% coverage of the threads. Sometimes by using pipe joint compounds you do not get 100% coverage over the threads.
Judging quality on PTFE Tape is difficult. The standard in the United States that most companies mention is MIL-27730A. This is an old military specification that requires a minimum thickness of 3.5 mils and a minimum purity of 99% . But, a PTFE Tape that meets the above specification can still be a poor quality tape.
The other quality consideration is the density of the tape. You can have a tape that is 3.5 mils thick, but it could be filled with "air" and not much PTFE. This is where density comes into play. The PTFE tapes in the market seem to range from .37 g/cc (.37 grams per cubic centimeter) up to 1.6 g/cc. This is a big difference. In one PTFE Tape there is over four times the amount of PTFE than in the other tape. This represents a big quality difference. The more PTFE present, the beter chance you have to make a good seal.
The standard color of PTFE Tape is white. Over the years other colors have been introduced into the market for special purposes. Yellow tape is for gas lines, pink tape is for water lines, green tape is for oxygen lines and gray tape is for stainless steel lines. It is Black Swan's opinioin that this more of a marketing stategy than anything else.
Most of the PTFE Tape sold today is imported tape. There are a few domestic manufacturers remaining in the United States. They produce high quality tape at very high prices. The imported tape can be very good quality tape at very competitive prices. And, price is very important.
Black Swan is a major distributor of PTFE Tape. We offer tape from the U.S. ,Malaysia and China. We offer tape that is classified as low density and high density. We also offer all of the different colors.
The next time you have any questions on PTFE Tape or if you need to make a large purchase of PTFE Tape, please give Black Swan a call.
Jeffrey Lichten
President
Black Swan Mfg. Co.
4540 W. Thomas Street
Chicago, IL 60651
Tel: 800-252-5796
Fax:773-227-3705
E-Mail info@blackswanmfg.com
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