wrote:
I have hot water heating, and removed all the baseboard heaters to refinish
living room floor. My house was built in 1951 and has old style baseboard
heaters they have two 1/2 inch copper pipes that run through them and each
section is 54 inch long and sweat soldered together...anyway about 36 ft
altogether. I made a few cuts to get it apart and now have run into a
problem trying to put back together...it seems that the 1/2 inch copper they
used in 1951 (or at least what was used in my system) is about 1/16 inch
bigger than the fittings - 1/2" elbows & couplers.....................what
to do? I have tired using emery cloth to grind down old copper a little so
the fitting will go over it, but it is not working, after much work can just
get fitting on like 1/16 inch..... I can not afford to go out and buy all
new heaters right now......I only have 2 90's and about 8 couplers to sweat
together........what to do???? any help appreciated.

Any chance those olde heaters use 5/8" pipe and not the 1/2" pipe you're
described?

You know, there is a 5/8" copper pipe standard:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/as...bes-d_779.html

Have you used a vernier caliper or a micrometer to confirm the pipe's
outside diameter?

And, they do make fittings for 5/8" copper pipe:

http://www.hardwareandtools.com/invt/u102106

Good luck, let us know how you make out,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight.