Square sockets for pipe plugs?

[All]

I need to loosen a pipe plug that has a male square head that is about .440" from flat to flat (more or less 7/16" or 11 mm square).

I have found some sockets that have a square male business ends designed to fit INSIDE pipe plugs whose driven square ends are concavely interior within the plug, like a set screw.

But I'm having trouble finding sockets that have a square female business end designed to fit OVER pipe plugs whose driven ends are convexly exterior to the plug... a square jutting outward, like a plumbing pipe plug.

The ideal socket would have a 1/2" square drive female hole on one side of it, and a 7/16" square drive female hole on the other side of it. I have never personally seen such a socket.

On Edit: But I've seen pictures of them now on eBay! However, I'd rather not wait for shipping etc. Is there a local bricks and mortar store that has them? Like Sears, HD, Lowe's, or any auto store? I've checked HF website, but maybe I'm not using the right terms?

I have three 8 point sockets that will fit over square pegs, but these sockets are quite small, and only 1/4" drive, and are too small in both size and torque capacity to loosen a rusted and locktited square pipe plug.

Access is very limited, hence an open ended wrench will not do the job. I will need to put this dream socket I'm seeking on a 6" extender to clear obstructions, and then attach the extension to a swivel headed 24" breaker bar to loosen. Or an impact gun. Not sure which. I need the right socket first though.

I'd appreciate some pointers... or better yet, some tool names, stores, and/or part numbers!

 

[Roju1985]

you need an 8 point socket:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DNTEX2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[#1SomeGuy]

Crows foot wrench maybe?

Otherwise just find the right 8 point socket...
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=8+point+socket+set

 

[stratman977]

Maybe these:

http://store.harryepstein.com/cp/38drsets/379.html

Wright also makes a set in 1/2 drive but they are spendy.

 

[slidehammer]

I'd appreciate some pointers... or better yet, some tool part numbers!

Found this online:

http://www.sunextools.com/index.cfm?s=detail&subcat=113&item=1128

 

[krautracer]

You could try a 12 point socket. I do that sometimes for my bigger taps, since my tap sockets that i have don't go over a 1/2 tap.

 

[rlitman]

I have 8 point double square sockets in 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" drive. All are Craftsman, but I don't know if they still stock these in store.

A 12 point double hex socket will almost surely round over that part. I don't have much faith in those newfangled splined Craftsman sockets, but they may have a chance on it.

 

[Chaser51]

My local Sears has individual 7/16 8-point 3/8" drive sockets, P/N 45793hanging on the wall for about $4.

I have the whole set and have used several over the years for what sounds like the problem you have. A 10 or 12 inch handle will help if needed.

 

[pendragon1998]

Adjustable wrench?

 

[G_P]

Adjustable wrench?

THats what I use but I could see there being situations where the location of the plug makes using a wrench impossible and a socket or maybe crowsfoot would be your only option.

If all else fails find a 12pt socket that is fairly close and hammer it onto the plug. After you get it out you can use a punch to drive the plug out of the socket. Then try to find a plug with a more standard size square that will fit an 8pt socket.

 

[stonesfan68]

SK makes a set.

SK 19781

 

[mtwaterguy]

SK makes a set.

SK 19781

Don't see a 7/16 in that set.

 

[All]

I KNEW this would be the place to ask this question. Thanks for the informative discussion.

A few updates:

- Yes, limited access nixed the possibility of using an adjustable wrench.

- Tried the crow's foot, per "SomeGuy's" suggestion. Crow's foot snapped. Bruised hand is recovering. Another HF tool failure. Pics are coming.

- I finally did get the plug off, with, believe it or not, another crow's foot. But the corner's rounded.

- I re-squared up the corners to the plug, but not with a file. I used hardened steel blocks (pieces from Caterpillar earthmoving equipment) and a press to reform the steel back into the original square shape, so as not to lose any of the material that was pushed out of shape from wrenching. A file would have removed that material, and I wanted all of it put back into place. The steel blocks seemed to do the trick. Pics are coming.

- Apparently I'm not the only one on Garage Journal who was looking for square driven, square driving female female sockets. Found this thread here, from 2008:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16560

After all of this, I REALLY want a full set of square driving pipe plug sockets. I can wait and order online now, so I appreciate all the part numbers and manufacturers you are posting in order to find the most COMPLETE set, including both 9/16" that the 2008 poster was looking for, as well as the 7/16" that I was looking for this morning.

 

[Harwinton]

Might be able to find a square 7/16 in an early socket set from back when they made square nuts. I've got an old set of square sockets hanging around someplace.

 

[All]

Now that would be nice to have!

Here's the carnage of brand new tools, made out of so called "CR-V". One would think that CR-V stands for Chromium Vanadium... but when you look at this from a legal point of view, Harbor Freight doesn't actually say that.

Perhaps what they mean by "CRV" is California Redemption Value, which is the 5 cent recycling fee everyone pays for each and every bottle of water, juice or soda, both glass and plastic, that all gets collected and shipped back to China in the empty shipping containers that came from their having reformulated the western world's waste products into tools like this one:

View media item 30749
View media item 30748
View media item 30750

 

[#1SomeGuy]

Damn that's rough...sorry to hear about the bruised hand. Was not my intent to cause you injury by suggesting a crowsfoot

 

[warmpancakes]

I have a vintage set of hinsdale , had to buy a box full of tools to get them, they dont get used much but when i need them they are perfect

 

[TAMPAGT07]

Now that would be nice to have!

Here's the carnage of brand new tools, made out of so called "CR-V". One would think that CR-V stands for Chromium Vanadium... but when you look at this from a legal point of view, Harbor Freight doesn't actually say that.

Perhaps what they mean by "CRV" is California Redemption Value, which is the 5 cent recycling fee everyone pays for each and every bottle of water, juice or soda, both glass and plastic, that all gets collected and shipped back to China in the empty shipping containers that came from their having reformulated the western world's waste products into tools like this one:

Actually the CR stands for CRAPY.....The V stands for VERY.....

 

[All]

These close ups show the 7/16" square fitting for a pipe plug that had been rounded over from tool failure while attempting to remove. The resulting rounded over corners were made square again... but not with a file, which would remove material and make the square smaller. Instead, the mis-shaped metal was beaten back into original shape.


View media item 30751
Looking closely at the end of the drive square of the plug, you can see evidence of metal having been moved around a bit.



View media item 30752
Note the successful result of a fairly precise and full fit up back to the original 7/16" size.

Sorry I don't have "before" pics. It didn't occur to me to take any pictures until after I was done. Then I was like, hey, that worked pretty good. In the past I've filed things back to square, but then you have something that is "in-between" sizes. For a hex nut, that is OK, because hex wrenches are easy enough to obtain in metric, 32nds, and even 64ths. But square 4 corner sizes? Not that easy to even get 16ths. So the trick was to restore this plug back to 16ths. And yes, to avoid burning up $5.00 in fuel or freight for a new plug.



View media item 30753
Yep, note the use ol' Snap On wrench for fit up.

 

[All]

Damn that's rough...sorry to hear about the bruised hand. Was not my intent to cause you injury by suggesting a crowsfoot

No worries mate. You made a very reasonable suggestion to get it done in the absence of the socket I was seeking. I appreciated your input.

I discovered another disadvantage of crow's feet applied to square fittings in limited access areas (other than breaking!) that I had never noticed before:

The intrinsic offset nature of the extension shaft relative to the center axis of the fastener can be a problem in tight clearance situations. With a hex nut, I never noticed this before, because there are enough flats on a hex to gain purchase on the fastener head from multiple angles.

But with a square nut/plug, there are only two angles of attack, at 90 degrees from each other. Even if you break torque initially, but not enough to spin out the fastener easily yet, the intrinsic eccentricity of the tool combination can prevent gaining a re-grip on the fastener head.

This is another thing that happened this morning with the second crows foot. I could turn a bit, but then the extension shaft collided with an obstruction (the welded machine frame, which was not removable), and the angle the square head end up being at that point prevented any other angle of attack. Had the head been hex, I could have removed and remounted the crows foot and turned it a few more degrees, then removed and remounted again. Not with the square.

The problem was the plug was designed for a straight in, straight out installation and removal. There was a bit of room on one side, but no room on the other.

There is definitely an advantage to having the right tool for the job, and in this case, a set of square plug sockets would have been it.

The only question now is, which set is the most solid, and most complete. I'd prefer the heavier 1/2" drive, not 3/8".

 

[rlitman]

They are hard to find, but pipe plugs are also available with hex heads. For something recessed like this, you might want to track that down as a replacement.

Your method of pressing the square back to shape looks excellent. I would have just done it with a hammer on an anvil, but that runs a greater risk of doing damage.

You are correct, filing the corners would have been a bad idea.

 

[RECox286]

I get 8 pt sockets for square bolts and plugs at my not so local

Sears Hardware store. The local Snap-On truck also has, or

can order them for you. Open ended wrenches seem to work

pretty good for me if I don't have a socket handy, when working

on chain link fence or pipe plugs.

Uncle Bob

 

[619DioFan]

I have the 8 piece set of pipe plug sockets from sunex. 4- male 7/16-5/8 and 4 - female ( same sizes ) impact grade , 1/2 inch drive. very good quality.

 

[retrobuilder]

http://www.mcmaster.com/#4-point-wrenches/=mvr03j

slightly pricey but from Mcmaster Carr - a 7/16 4 point t or 90 degree pull bar..

 

[coal_man]

Glad you got the plug out. My brother bought me a set of Craftsman Universal Sockets for Christmas this year. I've used them to remove pipe plugs.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-9-piece-inch-universal-socket-accessory-set/p-00924959000P?prdNo=5&blockNo=5&blockType=G5&PDP_REDIRECT=false&s_tnt=39869:4:0

coal_man

 

[chad99]

Sounds like alot of work "reforming" a ¢39 pipe plug,probably would have been better off trashing it and getting a plug with an internal or external hex.

 

[All]

I have the 8 piece set of pipe plug sockets from sunex. 4- male 7/16-5/8 and 4 - female ( same sizes ) impact grade , 1/2 inch drive. very good quality.

I saw a set like that on eBay for about $72.00 Buy it now.

It looked like this:

Is this the same set?

 

[All]

Retrobuilder: brilliant link (McMaster Carr). Thank you.

 

[All]

coal_man... those Universal sockets from Sears look quite interesting. The almost look as if they would do less damage to corners, because their gear like teeth grip either flat of the corner, with the corner untouched in the gap between the gear teeth.

How do these things work for you? Do they damage any fasteners? Do they deliver when a great deal of force is required for a resistant bolt or plug?

 

[Sureshot]

I used to use a 1/2" drive socket. Put a piece of hex material in between two same sized sockets. We used to use large easy outs with an impact like that.

I could find a pic if needed.

 

[HaroRider]

I would say an 8 point would be what you would of needed.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Look for a brass hex head plug, should be available at HD or Lowes, or an Ace Hardware. That would make it a lot easier to get out and not as likely to rust freeze in the hole the next time.

 

[Jawn]

Cornwell makes an 8-point impact set covering 3/8" to 1".

http://www.cornwelltools.com/webcat...1{47}2”-Drive-Power-Impact-Socket-Set-8-Point

 

[m0ondoggy]

I just bought a set of 1/4 to 1/2 8 point craftsmans on ebay for $8.76 shipped. These are sockets that mostly sit in the drawer, but when you need one, boy are you glad you have one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-CRAFTSM..._Automotive_Tools&hash=item20cccd1e7d&vxp=mtr

 

[All]

I used to use a 1/2" drive socket. Put a piece of hex material in between two same sized sockets. We used to use large easy outs with an impact like that.

I could find a pic if needed.

Sureshot... pic not necessary. I totally get it. You have a very clever idea for 1/2" square pipe plugs. I happen to have some hex stock lying around somewhere too.

But naturally, this idea would not work as well for the 7/16" square pipe plug I was dealing with.

mOondoggy - that's a pretty good deal at only a dollar a socket! Thank you for the heads up! Did you receive your sockets yet? That seller had 4 red negative complaints last month (April 2013) for slow shipping (9 days after payment)... just curious if your order came through ok?

Jawn - Man, I've got to be careful what I wish for. Now those Cornwells are some serious sockets! With an equally serious price! If only wallets could live up to wishes! Thanks for posting that link. It is exactly what I was looking for. It is in my favorites now, until I can afford to put it in my tool box.

 

[m0ondoggy]

Haven't gotten them. We'll see how it goes. I figured for 8 bucks I'm not in a hurry and don't have a lot to lose. He's got a lot of positive feedback more recent than that. 4 negs could be people playing games or stuff lost in the mail.

EDIT: Just got a shipping notification with a tracking number.

 

[619DioFan]

I saw a set like that on eBay for about $72.00 Buy it now.

It looked like this:

Is this the same set?

This is the set I have. got off amazon for 55.00.

 

[fflintstone]

as of about 3 years ago craftsman sold about 8 or 9 different 8 point sockets, they came in the 299 piece set I bought after my fire.
most likely you can still find them as open stock and a good chance of them still being USA made.

 

[fflintstone]

yeah these.
http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/search_10155_12602?keyword=8pt+sockets

 

[coal_man]

coal_man... those Universal sockets from Sears look quite interesting.

All,

They do seem pretty neat. I've got the set that allows a long bolt to pass through the ratchet like a deep well but the sockets look like the link I provided. To be honest, I haven't used them a whole lot but the times that I have I haven't noticed any damage to any fasteners or anything. They really seem to work pretty well for some of the new ideas that Craftsman is putting out.

coal_man