Removing Stuck Nipple?

[dcriner]

I have a new (never fired) replica revolver. I wish to replace the nipples. Five of the six nipples can be unscrewed, but one won't budge for love nor money.

I'm thinking of drilling out the stuck nipple - to loosen it. I would use progressively larger drill bits, trying to loosen the nipple after each bit. I would use bits no larger than the minor thread diameter of the original nipple.

Will this work? Is there a better way? Thanks, Doug.

 

[Celt5494]

Have you tried soaking it in penetrating oil then try to remove it after a couple of days?

 

[brentp]

the drill bit method would work, but its risky. Best to be patient and use KanoKroil or similar product. By puting a drop a day on stuck nipples untill they loosen, I have been able to remove the nipples on two of my freinds revolvers that they purchased neglected. A good nipple wrench is a must aswell. The best I have used so far was one from track of the wolf

 

[Pete Gaimari]

As was said. Penetrating oil, tap with hammer, GOOD nipple wrench.

I'm guessing Pietta?

 

[dcriner]

I'm guessing Pietta?

No, Uberti. 1851 Colt Navy, .36 cal. I'll try the penetrating oil. Thanks.
Doug

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

In addition to the Kroil penetrating oil you could try blasting it with your wife's hair dryer on your work bench (don't get the bed spread oily!). Sometimes a little heat helps to loosen those stuck nipples as well.

Once you get the last one out, please do yourself a favor and clean the cylinder & bore with regular gun cleaner like Shooters' Choice so you'll get rid of the gunk that caused the problem in the first place :wink: .

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Dave

 

[Sharps1863]

To me Drilling would be the last resort, If you dont mind changing the finish color which would be easier to fix than a messed up drill job. Propane torch and heat the nipple and surrounding area until it is hot enough for wax to melt around the nipple when touching the wax to the cylinder, then melt wax around the nipple and let it flow around it good and then let it sets until it cools good then try getting it out.

 

[bdhutier]

I'm in agreement with the penetrating oil crowd. I bought a spare cylinder from cabelas a while back, and it came with the nipples rust frozen. I was going to send it back, but tried drenching it in PO and sticking it in a ziploc bag. I left it there for 5 days or so, and the nips popped right out after that. I'm glad, because I like to look of the smooth cylinders better anyway.

 

[Zonie]

I agree that drilling out a nipple is a last resort.

If it must be done, use this method.

If the Uberti was proofed after 1980 (check the proof code letters marked next to the proof marks), the nipple has a 5.5 X .9mm (Dixie) or a #12-28 (TOTW) thread.

This thread has a .170 diameter minor diameter so select a drill bit that is slightly smaller than this. A 5/32 (.156) diameter drill will work.

Using a vise with "padded jaws" (the padding being a thin piece of brass or aluminum) position the cylinder with the chambers pointed up in the vise. Do not overtighten it or you can damage the cylinder.

Using the 5/32 drill bit place the drill bit into the chambers mouth and position it in the center of the nipple. Then drill the nipple from inside the chamber.

Doing it this way has several advantages but the biggest one is that the drill bit will be turning in the same direction that the nipple will turn when it is being unscrewed.
Often, between the torque of the drill bit and the heat generated by drilling the steel nipple, the nipple will break free and unscrew on the end of the drill bit.
If it doesn't, a small Ezy Out installed from the rear of the cylinder into the newly drilled hole will remove what is left of the nipple.

An added bonus in using the 5/32 drill bit is that if your guns nipple happens to be the 6 X .75mm threaded size, the drill bit will be small enough that it won't damage the threads in the cylinder.

 

[phoenix511]

Another scheme uses a vise and two more-or-slightly-less than chamber size rods (wood, brass, bronze, plastic are OK, I'd avoid steel).

Put two rods in any chambers 180 degrees apart, then clamp rods/cylinder in a vise. You now have the cylinder captured. This allows the cylinder to be firmly held, much better than your hand.

Now try using your nipple wrench to loosen the stuck nipple. If new/unfired, likely the nipple was simply over-tightend, but if fired, maybe corroded in place, which means the Kroil, etc treatment.

If you have a watchmaker/clockmaker friend, their ultrasonics cleaning tanks can help move out stuck parts. They will likely need to wash the tank out after you use it, so be generous.

 

[Jim Langel]

I've gotten them out by chucking my nipple wrench in my drill press, clamping the cylinder in a leather padded drill press vise, and then lowering the wrench onto the nipple and locking the press down. With the wrench pressed down on the nipple, you don't have to apply downward force while turning the wrench. Just turn the chuck by hand.

 

[dcriner]

SUCCESS! I wound up using a screw extractor (a tapered screw-like bit with reverse threads). Our Ace Hardware sells screw extractors of various sizes, sold individually for about $3. The correct size extractor was the smallest - for a 5/64" pilot hole. As it turns out, the original nipples on my Uberti 1851 Colt Navy are drilled (on the cap end) almost exactly 5/64". Using a pair of vise grips to turn the screw extractor, the nipple snapped loose and threaded right out.

Actually, there was one little bugaboo to contend with. Nipples have two holes, arranged axially. The larger hole (5/64") extends from the cap end of the nipple, almost clear through the nipple, to the breach end - then there is a much smaller, final hole leading to the powder. The tip of my screw extractor bottomed out on the small hole. So, I ran a 5/64" drill bit through the nipple, curing the problem, giving the screw extractor plenty of bite.

Soaking in penetrating oil didn't work for me, probably because I had slightly boogered up the flats on the nipple and couldn't get a good grip with my nipple wrench. (I think those flats are too thin - slightly thicker flats would give the wrench a better grip.)

If you ever decide to go the screw-extractor route, take your revolver cylinder or a nipple with you to the hardware store to make sure you get the correct size extractor. No sense buying a kit, with assorted extractor sizes, when you only need one - the kit was $16 and individually they were $3. Most all the extractors in the kit were way too large for gun applications - more like the size you'd use for removing a broken headbolt on a car engine.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Sounds like you needed a better nipple wrench originally. :wink:

 

[dcriner]

Sounds like you needed a better nipple wrench originally. :wink:

Yeah, I agree - and I do intend to replace my wrench. However, I had no trouble getting the other five nipples out. I have to believe that Uberti over-tightened the one nipple.

The original Uberti nipples have lands that are less than half the thickness of my new Ampro/Treso replacement nipples - which doesn't help getting a good bite with the wrench. For my replacement nipples, I will be using the special anti-seize lube that Dixie sells for nipple and breachplug threads. I plan to get them snug but not super tight - then I'll check them after firing to see if they loosen up any.
Doug

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I don't tighten mine much at all. They never comes loose. If anything they seem to get tighter.

 

[dcriner]

I don't tighten mine much at all. They never comes loose. If anything they seem to get tighter.

Hmmm, interesting. Maybe every so often, it would be a good idea to loosen the nipples slightly and retighten. That way, when it comes time to replace them, they won't be stuck?

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I use a little anti-seize to keep that from happening.

Capper knows nipples. :rotf:

 

[Zonie]

Speaking of anti-seize and noting dcriner's comments about buying something from Dixie I would sure go to my local auto parts store and find out what some automotive anti-seize costs before ordering the stuff from Dixie.

The automotive stuff is the same stuff we used on jet engines fasteners where sustained operation could cause threads to seize and I'm betting the price is much lower. :hmm:

 

[Chilidog]

Speaking of anti-seize and noting dcriner's comments about buying something from Dixie I would sure go to my local auto parts store and find out what some automotive anti-seize costs before ordering the stuff from Dixie.

The automotive stuff is the same stuff we used on jet engines fasteners where sustained operation could cause threads to seize and I'm betting the price is much lower. :hmm:

I agree with Zonie. The auto supply stuff ain't cheap (around $15 if I remember right) but a 8oz. can goes a long way and will probably last you many a year if not forever. I gave a film canister's worth to my son-in-law, been using another myself for over a year and the can's still got more than I'll use up in a long, long time. I just use a tooth pick to apply (it doesn't take much - a little dab will do ya).

 

[CaptainKirk]

Zonie's right on. Permatex C5A is the ticket for aircraft engines, and is a high temp copper anti-seize in a thick paste form. It won't flow out and plug your nipples when it gets hot, like the lower-temp silver anti-seize.
I bought an 8 ounce jar for the shop and have done literally thousands of spark plugs with lots left over.