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Air tubing pliers

ratbldr427

Titanium
Joined
Mar 21, 2006
Location
jacksonville,fl.
Every time I'm around a store that sells tools I try to think if there is any thing I need.The only thing that keeps coming up is some some pliers to remove and install plastic air lines.

All the automotive ones I've seen just won't work for me as they have a fixed angle and the ends are just simi circular and require enough force to hold the tubing to damage it.

So the last time I had to do an air line replacement on one of our presses I had enough aggravation and as soon as I finished I stopped doing any else and set about to convert some cheap HF long nose pliers into something useful.20200415_130528.jpg20200415_130550.jpg20200415_130614.jpg

The tips are bored for 4mm 6mm & 8mm tubing.When gripping the tube squeezing harder holds whatever angle you need and releasing pressure allows to change when in use.Since the bores only have a few thou compression they won't damage the tube and will not slip.

On the presses they will save me about an hour just replacing one air line.I left the dies loose and use an o'ring to keep them from falling off.In case I want to make some different size dies I don't need to buy another set of pliers.Dies are made out of scrap hex conveyor shafts.

If I had seen some commercial ones like that I would have bought them.
 
Those are nice and reasonable but I would still have to modify them The poly,nylon and pvc tubing we use mates with push to connect fittings.The tube od is the only thing you can grip.You must push in to release, hold the collar in then pull the tube and hope it doesn't break the end off in the fitting.
If you kink the poly tubing then it will fail early.
I have been replacing all the poly with Nylon.It is not as flexible but will out last any of the others.Nylon is one of the oldest but still is the toughest longest lasting I have seen.
The polyurethane and polyamide tubing rots after 5 years or so and with miles of tubing on the presses it is a never ending pia.

Our newest press has all Nylon tubing.Maybe KBA heard enough bitching from mechanics to make the change.
 
Blue Point used to make a set of pliers just for this purpose. Imagine a long needle nose, with a 45deg bend at the end. But, the tips were formed to grip small hoses with serrated teeth.

They were super handy in the motorcycle dealership for pulling fuel lines off petcocks and carbs.

ETA- Found 'em!
71ddae414a28e22ec49ef59e15d23d04.jpg
 
K-T makes the tool that the O.P. "invented". They package a two piece set for about $17.00 and they also have a ratchet to hold then closed. Google K-T ring clamp pliers. I have one that I bought about 50 years ago.

JH
 
I didn't claim to "invent" anything.I used something I had on hand to solve a problem.I decided not to make the ends lockable because when in use the ends have to be able to swivel to line up with the fittings.Thats why any of the commercial ones I've seen aren't to good for my purposes.I have some of the ones like the SnapOn's and they don't work to good in this situation as explained above.

Besides what good would corbin clamp pliers do me?Be like trying to install cotter pins with boxing gloves on!BTW I have a pair of them.
 
I really like these. I would have loved to have a set back when I was doing lots of pneumatic plumbing. Especially when plumbing up manifolds.
 
Those are nice and reasonable but I would still have to modify them The poly,nylon and pvc tubing we use mates with push to connect fittings.The tube od is the only thing you can grip.You must push in to release, hold the collar in then pull the tube and hope it doesn't break the end off in the fitting.
If you kink the poly tubing then it will fail early.
I have been replacing all the poly with Nylon.It is not as flexible but will out last any of the others.Nylon is one of the oldest but still is the toughest longest lasting I have seen.
The polyurethane and polyamide tubing rots after 5 years or so and with miles of tubing on the presses it is a never ending pia.

Our newest press has all Nylon tubing.Maybe KBA heard enough bitching from mechanics to make the change.

I'm surprised you have so much trouble with PU tubing. We used tons of it and had no trouble. I never used much nylon/polyamide tubing. I imagine it varies a lot by brand.

The only air hose trouble we ever had was with Parker Push-lok hose. They used to suggest 801 hose for compressed air usage. It turns out that if you run really dry air through it, it cracks and leaks. We had to replace a bunch of two year old hose in the field. They now suggest 804 for dry air.
 
DanielG,The tubing that comes on the older presses is Festo.It has aluminum filler in it,looks silver.The tubing inside the side covers never goes bad but the parts that are between the frames where the rollers are rots and gets brittle.It could be ozone?Besides ink and coating there is blanket washing solvent.That may be the culprit.The tubing will change colors from aluminum to orange/brown.That's when it splits or just breaks off.I switched from polyurethane to polyamide only since it is supposed to be more chemical resistant but after awhile it does the same thing.So back to old reliable;Nylon.
 
Polyamide is nylon. Different brands of nylon tubing?

We usually used Freelin-Wade, Legris, or Nycoil. They also do polyethylene, which is supposed to have good chemical resistance.
 
DanielG ,yes it is(polyamide=nylon)but the Festo polyamide feels and looks like the polyurethane,identical flexibility,so maybe it has a flex additive?All I know is that all tubing labeled only nylon I have encountered is fairly stiff in comparison .We also have many different mfgs products on the shelf,including Parker,Legris and Nycoil.Except for the printing presses, the tubing the mechanics and electricians order for their projects is not much by type mostly by size!I'm probably the only one concerned with material specs. That is why we end up with so many different mfgs and types.

Frankly in an open air environment I use just about any type with out any problems,pressure and temp and type of connection the only concerns.
 








 
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