I've been known as "the cleaner"

I've made threading taps and dies frequently out of pipe nipples and couplers to fix a plumbing connection into a wall that typically broke off while doing a remodel.

(For a die: when room permits use a "tee" and for a tap, use a 3-4" nipple. On one side cut flutes but not all the way through; my first few times I just cut notches through the end of the pipe, but the pipe will collapse, so now I use angle grinder and cut flutes only 3/32" or so deep.

On the other side, cut four notches that you can use with a big screwdriver etc. as a handle to turn it.

Most recently when adding a bathroom in my dad's basement: had to connect to a lead pipe going into a concrete floor.

I cut the pipe off about 1.5" from the floor and made a threading die from a 1-1/2" "tee". Cut threads and screwed on a PVC "tee" so in could connect the new sink and shower.

During the destructive removal of the axle above I messed up the threads pretty good for the lugs, so I turned one of the lug bolts into a tap to clean the threads, a trick I've used dozens of times including my first repair on my e53; PO replaced the driver's seat and cross threaded one of the bolts it was not even close to tight. When I removed it I discovered the cross thread and no way I could get the bolt to start on the proper course until I cut the sides into tap flutes.

A minute of careful trials I found the original thread course and cleaned out the threads and bolted it down with the same bolt that was cross threaded basically making a giant self tapping screw.

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2011 E70 • N55 (me)
2012 E70 • N63 (wife)