Plumbing Sizes - Is It Only Me?

[the1andonly]

not strictly true, a 1/4 inch whitworth spanner relates to the thread size not the head size, it is much bigger than 1/4 inch across the flats !!
Just trying to confuse the issue even further.

Just try suggesting that 3/16th or is it 5/16 th BSF AND 1/4 BSW British standard is the same spanner size.
AND don't let them abrieviate mm or ml to mil, the only yank dimension I use.
1 mil is one thousands of an inch, thou to me

 

[rod_vw]

not strictly true, a 1/4 inch whitworth spanner relates to the thread size not the head size, it is much bigger than 1/4 inch across the flats !!
Just trying to confuse the issue even further.

I was trying to ignore the non-metric thread/bolt sizes as you say they do confuse, BSF, BSW, AF, BA to name a few.

 

[tonyidle]

Did you know that you have to use a 13mm Spanner to do up a 8mm Nut?

So don‘t buy a bag of nuts looking at the spanner you’ve just used

Better than looking for a spanner with 8mm jaw size. And some 8mm fasteners use 12mm AF spanners. No different to spanners for UNF nuts.

 

[jockaneezer]

The Japanese motorbike manufacturers love 12 and 14mm spanners !
I bought some flanged M10 and M12 nuts from Toolstation, can you imagine my disappointment when I realised they required 16 and 18mm AF spanners ?
My slightly dyslexic son asks for "An 8mm spanner please", but I know he wants a 13, we named him Joe, but subconsciously, maybe it was after Joseph Whitworth ?

 

[bobandjanie]

When we ripped out our bath and fitted a shower in our apartment in Spain, I had cut the copper pipe thinking UK size 15mm 22mm 28mm, No its 18mm finally found a place that sold 18mm and asked Migel is it normal in Spain ............. he said nothing is normal in Spain. Bob.

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[Brianmor]

Try swimming pool pipe size
1 1/2" which is 48mm or 50mm, nightmare when buying valves and bends from different suppliers

 

[dulvil]

If it don’t fit hot glue it, it’ll last a short while

 

[Brianmor]

But that doesn't work if the pipe is 50mm and the elbow is 48mm, an electric drill and a chamfer attachment is the only way

 

[bobandjanie]

Just what I have been looking for. Bob.

 

[donkey]

That's great, I have a couple of adjustable spanners, but they are both metric.

Geoff

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[Brianmor]

50 years ago I bought a fixed bubble level for £30, best money I ever spent,,,,!

 

[Maggie and Raddie]

It doesn't work on all sizes but a very rough guide to get the spanner size for metric threads is Thread diameter plus 1/2 diameter plus 1 = spanner size. Eg M6 thread spanner 10mm . mate thread spanner 13mm. M10 thread spanner 17mm . M12 thread spanner 19mm.
Rough guide doesn't work on all but nearly.

 

[Maggie and Raddie]

Mate thread meant mate thread.

 

[Widge]

That is logical. Imperial spanners labelled with the across flats nut size used to follow the size stamp with "AF" until the Whit / BSF spanner labelling nonsense was no longer an issue. At least Metric spanners have always been labelled with the only important dimension - the jaw gap. Nuts across flats dimensions don't always relate to the thread size. But you of all people know all this anyway .

More seriously pipe and pipe thread designations don't follow any obvious logic particularly when Metric measurements are in the mix. Many "metric" components sold throughout the countries that have always been metric use BSP threads on their plumbing fittings. And there are metric pipe fittings that use metric thread forms. Throw in JIS and NPT to cause total confusion.

There are loads of cases where legacy imperial measurements creep in, tyres for example 205/60 14 metric/percentage imperial.

I am all for the metric system, but get realy annoyed when measurements are changed for the sake of it.

Back in the 80's I worked in electronics, one job i regularly had to do was design the printed circuit boards for our products (this is when you had to do it by hand), at that time most componants had leg spacing of multiples of 1/10" so you always planned your layout on a 1/10" grid, but all the catalogues started quoting the componant leg spacing in mm which was infuriating as you had to do a backward conversion all the time.

There was no point in using a metric grid as the measurments 1/10" to mm usually ended up to 2 decimal places.

 

[Dutch 68]

Fraction of a mil different, but the German ones from CAK Tanks and they fit fine, ones from the plumbers merchant don't.

If you have 40 mm pipe then that is a general description, pushfit and glued pipe have about 3mm between them

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[Lenny HB]

And German 40 mm different again.

 

[pappajohn]

Did you know that you have to use a 13mm Spanner to do up a 8mm Nut?

So don‘t buy a bag of nuts looking at the spanner you’ve just used

13mm is spanner jaw width ...
8mm nut is the thread diameter so a nut is 13mm across flats and will fit an 8mm bolt

 

[BobJayne]

Even Imperial Leather soap is now called Metric Leather!

 

[nabsim]

Many countries use different standards, when using German made 8mm nuts use a German spanner, UK made use UK spanner and so on. Italian 8mm nuts have a different pitch. If 8mm nuts are used on some vehicles you need a 14mm across flats unless its UK made then the clearance needs to be in the spanner. The Americans are best left out. If I've got any of this the wrong way round your knuckles will tell you.

That’s because although they may all be 8mm nuts/bolts the pitch can be different. Really you should either take a bolt with you or use a thread pitch gauge. I forget the sizes now for my bikes but do remember one pitch was 1.25