On Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:49:48 -0600, justme wrote:

Due to having no money and abundance of devil-may-care, I am thinking
of using P.V.C. pipe to put in my shop for air supply. I am thinking
of using 1/2 inch due the the highest pressure rating compared to
larger sizes.

Now, my thought is to buy some wire cloth - the stuff that has open
squares of ~ .5 inch and cut it where, when formed into a tube, it
would cover the p.v.c. pipe comfortably.

Should the pipe explode due to the air pressure, the wire-cloth should
stop large pieces from becoming killer pieces.

I expect the nay sayers to say: DON'T DO IT, YOU WILL BE KILLED. To
them I say: I don't expect to eliminate ALL CHANCES OF DEATH OR INJURY
BUT I DO EXPECT THE SHIELDING TO CALM MY FEARS RATHER THAN USING BARE
PIPE.

What say?

Thanks

Joe

Id say you would be ok for a year or 2..if you kept max pressure down to
below 90psi with PVC.

Im NOT recommending it in the slightest. No indeedy. But Ive seen a
bunch of commercial shops and hobby shops with PVC in air service.

Ive also replaced a ****load of exploded PVC pipe from the same or
similar shops where that 1-2 yr time/life was exceeded..in most cases
rather badly.

Black pipe runs about $.50 a foot for 1/2"..IE a 20' joint of it is less
than $12 from good..good plumbing supply houses such as Fergusens and
others.

For far less than $100 one can do a pretty damned good job of putting in
black pipe..including Ts in the average home shop.

I should mention that one should NEVER use a plain 90' fitting with the
exception of an inside corner..and one should NEVER use a straight
coupler. Period. Use nothing but Ts and put plugs into unused fittings.

Sooner or later..you are going to need a T somewhere....and that already
installed T will do you just fine, without having to bugger up the
entire system to install it.

All you need is a hand pipe threader..some cutting oil and a pipe vise
or a decent bench vise with either pipe jaws already in the vise..or a
set of impromptu ones.

Hand pipe threaders (I Strongly! recommend Rigid) can be had for less
than $15 at yard sales and what not.

Gunner

One could not be a successful Leftwinger without realizing that,
in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers
and mothers of Leftwingers, a goodly number of Leftwingers are
not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.
Gunner Asch