[Scott Townsend]

I have a 3/4" Conduit that seems to be blocked at the end. We can kind of
hear the Fish tape tink at then stopping point, though we don't know where
it is... We don't know how to locate the end of the conduit. We were
thinking if we could see the end, it might help us determine the location.
It is about 6'-8' to the end of the conduit. I've tried looking for Small
Cameras, but nothing that will really fit in the Conduit. Found a bunch of
Borescopes, though they are too expensive.

It would be great to get something like this:
http://www.accessweb.it/en/optical_fibres/fo1.htm Though 97cm is too
short.

Any Suggestions on how to see to the end or find the end?

Thanks!

[Goedjn]

On Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:52:23 GMT, "Scott Townsend"
wrote:

I have a 3/4" Conduit that seems to be blocked at the end. We can kind of
hear the Fish tape tink at then stopping point, though we don't know where
it is... We don't know how to locate the end of the conduit. We were
thinking if we could see the end, it might help us determine the location.
It is about 6'-8' to the end of the conduit. I've tried looking for Small
Cameras, but nothing that will really fit in the Conduit. Found a bunch of
Borescopes, though they are too expensive.

It would be great to get something like this:
http://www.accessweb.it/en/optical_fibres/fo1.htm Though 97cm is too
short.

Any Suggestions on how to see to the end or find the end?

Thanks!

Uhh... pull the tape out and measure it?
What's in the conduit now, and where does the conduit go?

[Speedy Jim]

Scott Townsend wrote:

I have a 3/4" Conduit that seems to be blocked at the end. We can kind of
hear the Fish tape tink at then stopping point, though we don't know where
it is... We don't know how to locate the end of the conduit. We were
thinking if we could see the end, it might help us determine the location.
It is about 6'-8' to the end of the conduit. I've tried looking for Small
Cameras, but nothing that will really fit in the Conduit. Found a bunch of
Borescopes, though they are too expensive.

It would be great to get something like this:
http://www.accessweb.it/en/optical_fibres/fo1.htm Though 97cm is too
short.

Any Suggestions on how to see to the end or find the end?

Thanks!



Trick we have used on water pipes:
Take a carry tank and connect hose to conduit.
Blow 100 psi air thru and search for the "whistle"
at the other end.

Alternate: pump Mercaptan in with the compressed air and
locate by smell.

Jim

[Scott Townsend]

The conduit is from a Pull Box to a Driveway pillar. Nothing in it now. We
want to Light the Driveway Lights, though cant seem to figure out how to get
there from here, The Fish tape does not come out anywhere to connect up to
the lights.


"Goedjn" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:52:23 GMT, "Scott Townsend"
wrote:

I have a 3/4" Conduit that seems to be blocked at the end. We can kind of
hear the Fish tape tink at then stopping point, though we don't know where
it is... We don't know how to locate the end of the conduit. We were
thinking if we could see the end, it might help us determine the location.
It is about 6'-8' to the end of the conduit. I've tried looking for Small
Cameras, but nothing that will really fit in the Conduit. Found a bunch
of
Borescopes, though they are too expensive.

It would be great to get something like this:
http://www.accessweb.it/en/optical_fibres/fo1.htm Though 97cm is too
short.

Any Suggestions on how to see to the end or find the end?

Thanks!

Uhh... pull the tape out and measure it?
What's in the conduit now, and where does the conduit go?

[Scott Townsend]

Thanks for the Suggestions. We were thinking about putting Air/Water in the
conduit to see if we could locate it.

Thanks,
Scott-=
"Speedy Jim" wrote in message
om...
Scott Townsend wrote:

I have a 3/4" Conduit that seems to be blocked at the end. We can kind of
hear the Fish tape tink at then stopping point, though we don't know
where it is... We don't know how to locate the end of the conduit. We
were thinking if we could see the end, it might help us determine the
location. It is about 6'-8' to the end of the conduit. I've tried looking
for Small Cameras, but nothing that will really fit in the Conduit.
Found a bunch of Borescopes, though they are too expensive.

It would be great to get something like this:
http://www.accessweb.it/en/optical_fibres/fo1.htm Though 97cm is too
short.

Any Suggestions on how to see to the end or find the end?

Thanks!



Trick we have used on water pipes:
Take a carry tank and connect hose to conduit.
Blow 100 psi air thru and search for the "whistle"
at the other end.

Alternate: pump Mercaptan in with the compressed air and
locate by smell.

Jim

[dpb]

Scott Townsend wrote:
Thanks for the Suggestions. We were thinking about putting Air/Water in the
conduit to see if we could locate it.

Air good, water bad...

Who pulled the conduit?

[Scott Townsend]

Its been installed in the Driveway pillars for years. That whole planning
for the future thing. Just now getting to it.

Thanks,
"dpb" wrote in message
oups.com...

Scott Townsend wrote:
Thanks for the Suggestions. We were thinking about putting Air/Water in
the
conduit to see if we could locate it.

Air good, water bad...

Who pulled the conduit?

[macaca]

In article ,
"Scott Townsend" wrote:

I have a 3/4" Conduit that seems to be blocked at the end. We can kind of
hear the Fish tape tink at then stopping point, though we don't know where
it is... We don't know how to locate the end of the conduit. We were
thinking if we could see the end, it might help us determine the location.
It is about 6'-8' to the end of the conduit. I've tried looking for Small
Cameras, but nothing that will really fit in the Conduit. Found a bunch of
Borescopes, though they are too expensive.

It would be great to get something like this:
http://www.accessweb.it/en/optical_fibres/fo1.htm Though 97cm is too
short.

Any Suggestions on how to see to the end or find the end?

Thanks!




one can always abandon the old conduit and run new.

g adds.
MONEY , what a concept

[dpb]

Scott Townsend wrote:
Its been installed in the Driveway pillars for years. That whole planning
for the future thing. Just now getting to it.

Just noticed a mention of the lights in an earlier post I hadn't
previously seen--are they already there or is there an indication where
they're to go? Starting from the other end might lead somewhere? Not
being able to see the situation makes more really specific ideas
difficult. Is the distance the tape is going near the end point that
you could actually be hitting the box cover? If it's way short,
perhaps the conduit just terminates? All kinds of possibilities rear
their head not knowing what actually have...

At this point if I was adamant to get something working I'd probably do
something similar to the other suggestion of essentially starting from
scratch from the end of the run, knowing at some point I'd have to find
the existing run coming back....

[Goedjn]

On Tue, 26 Sep 2006 17:58:08 GMT, "Scott Townsend"
wrote:


[stuff deleted]

Uhh... pull the tape out and measure it?
What's in the conduit now, and where does the conduit go?

The conduit is from a Pull Box to a Driveway pillar. Nothing in it now. We
want to Light the Driveway Lights, though cant seem to figure out how to get
there from here, The Fish tape does not come out anywhere to connect up to
the lights.


Yes but if you're using a wire fish tape, then you shove it in one end
until it hits something, then you pull it out and measure how much
tape went into the conduit. That tells you how far away the blockage
is, and with any luck, you'll be able to figure out roughly where.
(this assumes no bends that you don't know about.)

Then you'll know where to dig, or what to take apart to clear it.
Have you tried running the tape from the first pillar? That
would give you another data-point.

--Goedjn

[Pete C.]

Scott Townsend wrote:

I have a 3/4" Conduit that seems to be blocked at the end. We can kind of
hear the Fish tape tink at then stopping point, though we don't know where
it is... We don't know how to locate the end of the conduit. We were
thinking if we could see the end, it might help us determine the location.
It is about 6'-8' to the end of the conduit. I've tried looking for Small
Cameras, but nothing that will really fit in the Conduit. Found a bunch of
Borescopes, though they are too expensive.

It would be great to get something like this:
http://www.accessweb.it/en/optical_fibres/fo1.htm Though 97cm is too
short.

Any Suggestions on how to see to the end or find the end?

Thanks!

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93765

Cheapest thing out there (ready to go), but at 7/8" too big for 3/4"
conduit. Plenty of smaller mini cams out there though the small dia ones
don't have internal LED lighting so you'd have to rig something. One of
the 1/2" dia mini cams paired with some 1/8" plastic fiber optic cable
and a light source mounted behind the cam could work. Attach the whole
thing to the end of the fish tape and push it in.

Check distance to blockage from each end with the fish tape to see if
it's a small blockage or a big problem like a section crushed by a
loaded cement truck.

If you think it's just a rock or bit of cement, attach a pointed chisel
to the end of the fish tape and see if you can bash through it.

Pete C.

[Chris Lewis]

According to Scott Townsend :
I have a 3/4" Conduit that seems to be blocked at the end. We can kind of
hear the Fish tape tink at then stopping point, though we don't know where
it is... We don't know how to locate the end of the conduit. We were
thinking if we could see the end, it might help us determine the location.
It is about 6'-8' to the end of the conduit. I've tried looking for Small
Cameras, but nothing that will really fit in the Conduit. Found a bunch of
Borescopes, though they are too expensive.

Aside from the suggestions of measuring how much fish tape goes
in the pipe, are you _sure_ it's actually blocked, and not just the
end of the fish tape running into an elbow or something?

Old trick: tie a piece of string to a ball of cotton batting, and
blow it thru.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

[[email protected]]

Hi, thanks for your post. I was looking (puzzled, really) at
borescopes, and the lack of reviews. (Well, there was one Amazon.com
review on the Provision 3000, kinda' negative) and only saw this one,
for the relatively expensive Hawkeye. Borescopes seem to range from
$120 to $3000. Here's the text from the review (product reviews) I
located with some trouble, with Goggle:

Through the looking glass: Gradient Lens Corp.'s affordable Hawkeye[C]
borescope is a fascinating and useful tool - but like Alice, your
life may never be the same after you peer through this looking glass
Guns Magazine, May, 2002 by Holt Bodinson

Looking down bores and chambers, into locking lug recesses, inside
loading dies and brass cases, isn't for the faint-of-heart. You often
discover things you wished you never knew about. But using a Hawkeye
[C] borescope quickly becomes addictive. And using it when buying used
guns or analyzing mechanical problems can save you the original cost of
the borescope many times over. (Just imagine approaching a table at a
gun show with a borescope tucked under your arm.)

Let me give you a few examples from my own experiences of using the
Hawkeye borescope.

Is It A Bargain?

A pre-'64 Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .243 Win recently hit my
dealer's used gun rack. The metal and wood were in great shape, and
looking down the 6mm bore with my naked eye, the rifling appeared to be
clean and crisp. I happen to like both the caliber and the model, and I
decided to make an offer. But before doing so, I asked for the
opportunity to examine the bore with the Hawkeye. Glad I did. What
appeared to be a decent bore turned out to be an eroded one from the
throat to the muzzle. We're talking about that cracking, alligator
skin-type condition that is often seen in the first few inches of the
bore forward from the throat, but rarely all the way to the muzzle. The
..243 was totally shot out. I passed on the piece and pity the fellow
who ended up with it.

After cleaning another .243 -- a Ruger 77 with a pristine barrel -- I
checked my work with the Hawkeye borescope. Looking down the barrel,
everything looked clean until I hit the mid-point. There, for a
distance of about 2 inches, were lumps of copper jacket material still
adhering to the lands. I couldn't feel any constriction at that point
with a patch or brush. With the naked eye, I certainly couldn't see the
fouling. Yet, there it was, bathed in a brilliant copper light through
the lens of the Hawkeye. A few passes with Sweets 7.62 solvent and it
was gone.
Mystery Solved

I was puzzled by the lack of accuracy shown by a No. 1 Mk III Enfield
that had been factory reconditioned at the Ishapore Armory in India.
The piece looked absolutely brand new, yet it wouldn't group as well as
an original 1918 BSA. Out came the borescope. Throat erosion from the
spaghetti-like strands of cordite powder has to be seen to be believed.
It takes the form of a many-pointed star or a series of little
mountains and valleys in the throat area. Both Enfields exhibited
throat erosion, but the barrel of the rebuilt rifle exhibited an
erosion pattern extending from the throat to mid-bore whereas the
erosion of the 1918 BSA bore was largely restricted to the throat
itself. Puzzle solved. Without a borescope, I would still be assuming
that the barrel of the rebuilt Enfield had to be in better overall
condition than that of a 1918 antique.

I have a .308 Win across-the-course match rifle sporting a
premium-grade stainless-steel match barrel. It's been a fantastically
accurate target rifle and the current barrel has seen in the vicinity
of 2,500 rounds down its tube, many in rapid-fire events. Borescopes
make it possible to monitor bore wear, and I was curious. What I
discovered with the Hawkeye was not a great deal of wear, but a very
visible machining chatter mark about mid-bore. Given the quality of the
barrel, it really did puzzle me. This might have well been one of those
times when "ignorance is bliss." That chatter mark has not affected
accuracy or accumulated fouling or had any other effect on the
performance of the gun, yet psychologically, I now wish it weren't
there.

And revolver barrel throats!!! Don't even look -- or you'll be picking
up the phone and ordering a throat reamer kit from Brownells within the
hour. The same goes for the reamer marks in modern revolver cylinders.
I've even used the borescope to look for and locate burrs in the hammer
slot of a frame.

In shotguns, the Hawkeye borescope really gives you a bird's eye view
of how well you're doing in removing plastic and lead fouling from the
chamber, forcing cone and choke. It also permits you to see how well
any factory aftermarket choke tube mates with the interior surface of a
bore and whether or not the tube is flush with its threaded seat when
fully tightened. You can study the length and degree of finish of
forcing cones and the design of fixed chokes.

When cleaning, the borescope permits you to objectively evaluate
results as you test various chemicals, brushes, abrasives and cleaning
protocols.

Did I say the use of a borescope is "addictive?" Once you own one,
you'll be poking and probing into every firearm in your collection,
discovering new uses every day as you do so.

Designed For Industry

The Hawkeye Precision Borescope is the creation of the Gradient Lens
Corp., located in one of the optical capitals of the world, Rochester,
N.Y. The Hawkeye Borescope is just one of a sophisticated family of
optical examination instruments produced by the company that are used
in industry to check the quality of everything from fuel injector
nozzles to interior welds.

The Hawkeye borescope consists of three units: the borescope with
attached eyepiece; a right angle mirror tube that slips over the
borescope and rotates 360 degrees; and a Mini-Maglite light source that
screws into a fitting at the eyepiece and serves as the handle. In use,
the Mini-Maglite is screwed into the borescope; the right angle mirror
tube is slipped over the borescope shaft; the light is turned on, and
you're ready to take a look. The borescope can also be used without the
rotating mirror tube, providing forward image viewing and is useful for
examining the internal flashhole of a case, for example.

What is unique about the Hawkeye unit is the lens system. The makers
have been able to eliminate the cost of grinding, polishing, coating
and centering numerous micro-lenses normally associated with this type
of instrument by substituting a series of short, optical glass rods or
"gradient index lenses" that relay the optical image from the objective
lens to the eyepiece lens. The resulting images are bright, color
correct and very sharp. In fact, the depth-of-field of the Hawkeye
extends from 1mm to infinity.

Gradient Lens Corp. offers two models of the Hawkeye.

There is the original model that features a fully adjustable focus
with all the components packaged in a lockable custom metal carrying
case. Normally selling for $760, Gradient is currently offering a $60
discount bringing the price down to $700.

The Big News

The real bargain is the new "Limited Edition" Hawkeye selling for $495.
This model is exactly the same as the more expensive original except
for the focus adjustment of the eyepiece, and the metal carrying case.
In the original model, focus is adjusted by turning the eyepiece with
nothing more than your fingers. In the "Limited Edition" borescope, the
focus is factory set and I found it perfect for viewing; however, the
eyepiece can readily be re-focused by loosening three small hex set
screws and moving the eyepiece in or out. Frankly, given the extended
field of view offered by the Hawkeye, the need for changing the focus
should be minimal. For example, when viewing the large interior of a
shotgun bore, I find that positioning the lens tube against one wall of
the barrel provides a crisp image of the opposite wall.

The only other part of this optical system that is nice to have, but
not essential, is the snap-on, right-angle eyepiece, which is offered
as an accessory. When you're dealing with a bolt-action rifle with a
high Monte Carlo stock, it's difficult to position your eye behind the
eyepiece as the lens is fully inserted. The simple solution I found for
most bolt-actions is to lay the rifle on its side when using the
Hawkeye. The right-angle eyepiece sells for $275 and is offered for a
reduced price of $195 if purchased with the more expensive model. If
you're working primarily with modern stocked rifles, I would strongly
recommend the purchase of this one accessory.

The borescope of the Slim model is 17 inches long and approximately
..165 inch in diameter. The addition of the rotating mirror tube
increases the probe diameter to .188 inch so it will work in any bore
size from .22 through the shotgun gauges. In use, because of its
17-inch length, the lens tube is inserted from both the breech and the
muzzle to view the entire barrel. Of course, in the case of most
lever-action rifles and autoloaders, you're limited to viewing from the
muzzle unless some degree of disassembly is possible. Autoloading and
pump shotguns pose no problem since their barrels are easily detached.

For the professional gunsmith or barrel maker, Gradient Lens also
offers Hawkeye compatible accessories such as video cameras and
monitors, digital cameras, and high-intensity light sources.

The Hawkeye Borescope is a remarkable exploratory and diagnostic tool
for the firearm owner. Its optical quality is superb, and its use is
simple and straightforward. From a cost point of view, the Hawkeye is
no more expensive than a quality pair of binoculars or a rifle scope;
plus, it can save the owner many times its original cost when
evaluating potential purchases over the years. And, yes, it's
addictive.




Chris Lewis wrote:
According to Scott Townsend :
I have a 3/4" Conduit that seems to be blocked at the end. We can kind of
hear the Fish tape tink at then stopping point, though we don't know where
it is... We don't know how to locate the end of the conduit. We were
thinking if we could see the end, it might help us determine the location.
It is about 6'-8' to the end of the conduit. I've tried looking for Small
Cameras, but nothing that will really fit in the Conduit. Found a bunch of
Borescopes, though they are too expensive.

Aside from the suggestions of measuring how much fish tape goes
in the pipe, are you _sure_ it's actually blocked, and not just the
end of the fish tape running into an elbow or something?

Old trick: tie a piece of string to a ball of cotton batting, and
blow it thru.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

[RicodJour]

On Sep 27, 3:59 pm, (Chris Lewis) wrote:
According to Scott Townsend :

I have a 3/4" Conduit that seems to be blocked at the end. We can kind of
hear the Fish tape tink at then stopping point, though we don't know where
it is... We don't know how to locate the end of the conduit. We were
thinking if we could see the end, it might help us determine the location.
It is about 6'-8' to the end of the conduit. I've tried looking for Small
Cameras, but nothing that will really fit in the Conduit. Found a bunch of
Borescopes, though they are too expensive.Aside from the suggestions of measuring how much fish tape goes
in the pipe, are you _sure_ it's actually blocked, and not just the
end of the fish tape running into an elbow or something?

Old trick: tie a piece of string to a ball of cotton batting, and
blow it thru.

I use a plastic grocery bag tied to thin nylon line and use a shopvac
to suck it through the pipe.

Using a blower or vacuum is a good way to help diagnose what's going on
with the conduit. Attach the blower/vacuum to one end and see if you
can feel the air moving at the other end. If you don't feel anything,
you have complete blockage.

Have you tried using a plumber's snake to see if you can work that
through? If you have 90 degree elbows on the 3/4" pipe, save the
effort - the snake won't make such tight turns. I always use sweep
elbows when I'm running buried conduit and 1" is the minimum size
conduit.

R

[Tazz]

Whats going on when you run the fishtape from the other end.?

If its 6'8 from the end............

You may have had a coupling come loose. and its dead ending somwhere.


PVC or metallic?

I went over to a guys house that ran me some conduit underground
before he poured the concrete ( he was trying to save a buck or two)
and he installed plumbing 90's which rendered the pipe pathway
useless.





On 15 Oct 2006 08:11:52 -0700, "RicodJour"
wrote:



On Sep 27, 3:59 pm, (Chris Lewis) wrote:
According to Scott Townsend :

I have a 3/4" Conduit that seems to be blocked at the end. We can kind of
hear the Fish tape tink at then stopping point, though we don't know where
it is... We don't know how to locate the end of the conduit. We were
thinking if we could see the end, it might help us determine the location.
It is about 6'-8' to the end of the conduit. I've tried looking for Small
Cameras, but nothing that will really fit in the Conduit. Found a bunch of
Borescopes, though they are too expensive.Aside from the suggestions of measuring how much fish tape goes
in the pipe, are you _sure_ it's actually blocked, and not just the
end of the fish tape running into an elbow or something?

Old trick: tie a piece of string to a ball of cotton batting, and
blow it thru.

I use a plastic grocery bag tied to thin nylon line and use a shopvac
to suck it through the pipe.

Using a blower or vacuum is a good way to help diagnose what's going on
with the conduit. Attach the blower/vacuum to one end and see if you
can feel the air moving at the other end. If you don't feel anything,
you have complete blockage.

Just dont put you ear up to the other end if you are blowing unless
you want and earful. lol



Have you tried using a plumber's snake to see if you can work that
through? If you have 90 degree elbows on the 3/4" pipe, save the
effort - the snake won't make such tight turns. I always use sweep
elbows when I'm running buried conduit and 1" is the minimum size
conduit.

R

[Terry]

On Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:52:23 GMT, "Scott Townsend"
wrote:

I have a 3/4" Conduit that seems to be blocked at the end. We can kind of
hear the Fish tape tink at then stopping point, though we don't know where
it is... We don't know how to locate the end of the conduit. We were
thinking if we could see the end, it might help us determine the location.
It is about 6'-8' to the end of the conduit. I've tried looking for Small
Cameras, but nothing that will really fit in the Conduit. Found a bunch of
Borescopes, though they are too expensive.

It would be great to get something like this:
http://www.accessweb.it/en/optical_fibres/fo1.htm Though 97cm is too
short.

Any Suggestions on how to see to the end or find the end?

Thanks!


Put a blasting cap on the end of the fish tape. Use a large enough
one and you will either clear the pipe or blow a hole out of the
concrete.