DIYbanter - View Single Post - need to be able to custom cut thin walled PVC pipe indoors

Frank[_24_]

On 4/20/2018 11:03 AM, wrote:
On Fri, 20 Apr 2018 09:26:27 -0400, Frank "frank wrote:

On 4/19/2018 10:39 PM, Bob F wrote:
On 4/19/2018 5:29 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 19 Apr 2018 20:06:07 -0400, Frank "frank wrote:

On 4/19/2018 12:24 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 19 Apr 2018 08:24:04 -0700, Bob F wrote:

On 4/19/2018 7:52 AM, trader_4 wrote:
On Thursday, April 19, 2018 at 10:47:28 AM UTC-4, JBI wrote:
I am a student and need to be able to custom cut a thin piece of PVC
pipe of the kind found in bathroom drains, which is a lot thinner
than
sch 40.Â* I am doing this for an art project so I will need to cut
precise holes into it as well as just plain cutting of the ends.Â* Is
there something cheap I can use indoors to do this?Â* So far, I
tried a
really large, kitchen knife but it wouldn't begin to cut through the
pipe.Â* I also tried a multi piece Xacto knife set with many
different
blades, but broke the first blade trying to get through it.
Thanks in
advance for any help.

To cut it, they have a hand held PVC pipe cutter that is
essentially a knife
combined with a holder and two grips that you squeeze.Â* That will
give you clean cuts.Â* To make a hole,
I haven't done that, but I would try using a heated pointed object,
eg nail tip, to first make an indentation as a starting point,
then use a hand held drill.

Those under sink pipes are a lot harder, thinners and more brittle
that
PVC pipe. I seriously doubt if any knife blade is going to cut them
without many repetitions of a blade tip scraping away a bit at a
time. A
fine bladed saw would be a much better bet. Try a hacksaw or coping
saw.

If they are new pipes, a sharp PVC cutter goes right through them but
once they get old and brittle, like you find under a sink, I agree,
wear eye protection because they will shatter.

I hear that CPVC pipe used for hot and cold water plumbing is very
brittle but drain pipes are normal PVC which I would cut with a hacksaw.

It is pretty much the same plastic and it all gets brittle with age.
Sunlight hastens that if the PVC is not UV protected.
You can almost tie a knot in a brand new stick of sched 40. It will
certainly bend more than 360 degrees without breaking.

In mu experience, CPVC pipe that sees a lot of hot water flow gets very
brittle after 20 years, and cannot then be cut with a PVC pipe cutter.
It just splits when the cutter is pressured enough.

The C in CPVC signifies PVC that is crosslinked. I've never used it but
neighbor told me had had replace his copper pipes with it and working
under the sink pulled on a piece to support himself and it just broke.

CHLORINATED not Crosslinked. That pipe is also very pliable when it is
new. It gets brittle with age. They use a lot of it down here although
PEX (the one that is Crosslinked) is taking over now that they have
the termination problems solved. That is more like hose than pipe and
very flexible.

I stand corrected. It just came out of my memory and I should have
checked again. It is chemically modified and probably breaks down
differently with aging.

Plumbers have told us that copper pipes age faster with our well water
and I had thought about CPVC and PEX as alternatives. One neighbor got
CPVC and I heard about his breakage problem. Another got PEX and the
fittings started to leak. I have not had a leak in the copper for 20
years. Lessons to learn to all in group considering use of a new
material in the home where long life is needed.