tri clamp parts

[jaroporter]

hey guys, just a quick wondering if any of you have bought triclamp fittings from ebay/china? and if so what the quality is like and whether they're genuine stainless steel or some kinda "chinese steel"

i've looked back on some old threads a few years back where people had some suppliers in the UK, but i'm struggling to find all the different bits i want from places like brewbuilder, etc.
and unfortunately the exchange rate makes ordering from the USA a crazy idea..

cheers for any thoughts or alternative places to look

[chris2012]

I've bought quite a few tri-clamp parts from china, mainly from - http://stores.ebay.co.uk/doubleturbo201 ... =861496619

They seem fine to me.

[barneey]

Never had an issue with the Chinese Clamp fittings.

However I do have quite a few Blichmann Clamp fittings & the quality is better in terms of weight & feel (no doubt a higher quality stainless as well?).

Some/most UK homebrew shops simply sell on Chinese fittings.

The most important thing is to understand the relationship between bore & flange size, most domestic homebrew stuff is 1.5" Triclover - 50mm flange. It can get very lost in Chinese translation, the better sellers post diagrams with dimensions.

[jaroporter]

brilliant cheers both of you that's the reassurance i was after! that was actually the seller i was looking at chris, so i think i'll give it a punt and report back when they arrive.
fortunately that seller does explain the sizing or it seems like it'd be a bit potluck what you get..

did either of you get any weld ferrules? i see brewershardware offers a long and short ferrule length. do you know if the chinese ones would be long enough for welding onto the side of a keggle?

[barneey]

I have used triclamp weld ferrules in the past, in fact I have a couple sitting on my desk at the moment. Fine for mounting on 1.5mm - 2 mm thick flat stainless plate, they are quite thin though, are you welding yourself or soldering?







Edit check the thickness of the "bracelet" part of the clamp you have + thumb turn to determine is the offset is enough.

[jaroporter]

to be honest i've considered soldering but thinking it might just be better and not much more expensive (i only got a propane torch that i don't think will cut it) to find a welder to chuck them on. i was thinking the curve of the side of the keg would mean a fair bit of the neck would have to push through inside. maybe 10-ish mm is enough? is it soldering you need thicker parts for?

[chris2012]

I have bought weld ferrules from that seller, but I've not had them welded yet alas, so can't really comment.

[barneey]

To be on the safe side with the curve of the keg I would go for a longer weld ferrule than those I have pictured.

[jaroporter]

cheers bud.

[jaroporter]

just to update, i bought a load of 1,5" and 2" triclamp fittings from that ebay vendor. can't have been much over a week or so for delivery and the quality of metal seems perfectly fine. the 1,5" are grand, however none of the 2" mated with each other - the grooves were misaligned or missized. the seller immediately offered to refund so no complaints there and i haven't lost anything, but i think i'll have to order again and just hope for better. it was a bit concerning that it was three different types of 2" union that didn't match each other. will be annoying if i have to bastardise the gaskets just to get them to fit!

on another note, having researched the strength of a good solder joint, i reckon i'm going to give that a go first. thinking i'll fishmouth the ferrules and solder on to the side face as it'd be easier to guarantee good all round solder contact than drilling a larger hole and jamming the ferrule in tight first. i'm sure the second method will give a stronger joint ultimately, but i'm thinking either should be good enough for these purposes, and able to take the odd ding.. anyone managed to bang a solder joint off?

[Pinto]

A good soldered joint is almost as good as a weld:



..but never as neat as a proper TIG joint(which can be works of art !)



Silver solder rods are also rather expensive, and decent flux can be a pain to get too. You're also going to need to purchase a MAPP gas cylinder for your torch as propane (without oxygen) just doesnt have the danglies to silver solder properly.

Im a lucky boy I have a nice R-Tech AC/DC tig in my unit, but still solder in cases of dissimilar metals (eg : Stainless to Copper)

[jaroporter]

cheers pinto that sounds good. that tig almost looks decorative!
to clarify, i wont be brazing, just softsoldering as with copper. with silver-bearing solder. propane seems good enough for that - even better perhaps as there's less risk of damaging the stainless?

[Pinto]

Working silver solders with propane is possible, but requires prolonged heating to the work piece and increases the degree of oxidisation - (I'm sure you've used a soldering iron where it's just not quite hot enough and the solder blobs and refuses to flow, making a bad joint and looking ugly) - Mapp has much greater instant heating and temperature so the job is quicker and easier. If you have a turbo style plumbers torch, it really is worth the 11 quid a Mapp cylinder will cost you - especially if you plan more joints in the future.

Stainless can't really be damaged, just oxidised where the joint is weakened and prone to rust - you'll see the discolouration. . You can re-passivate this tho with an acid pickle; avoid mineral acid based pickles tho that are dangerous and nasty to use, and order some high grade citric acid powder, mix to a paste and apply/ wash off. A little slower, but much safer to you and your kit.

[jaroporter]

ok cool. very interesting about the citric acid paste, useful to know there is a get-out for worst case scenario! cheers again

[Fastline]

Hey Pinto, The R tech tig, what model is it you use, are you using it in a work environment or hobby capacity, how long you had it any problems?

I've Bought loads of the Chinese Triclamp stuff, Can be a bit fiddly lots of the micro breweries and big boys use RJT threaded fittings, not as flash looking as triclamp but can be easier to use

I like the idea of welded triclamp fittings to accept my brewbuilder elements, just got to get my bum in gear and get it done.