"David Merrill" wrote in message
news:dp3he.78088$WI3.17928@attbi_s71...
Just had the house re-plumbed with PEX because of acidic water erosion.
The
plumbers cut off and left the old copper pipe stubs protruding about an
inch
from the drywall behind toilets and sinks. A much larger hole would have
to
be made in the drywall in order to amputate these with a mini tube cutter
behind the drywall prior to patching the drywall. Internal pipe cutters
that I've seen are too large for 1/2 inch copper. Google search didn't
turn
up anything readily.

Is there a better way ? Surely I'm not the first to encounter this
problem.

Bite the bullet and do it right. Buy a busted piece of drywall for a buck at
the yard, and cut out a few 16" (or whatever your stud spacing is) by 12"
patches. Cut out the old drywall the same size, cut off or hammer over the
abandoned pipes, and nail/tape/mud/paint your patches. You have already
spent more time researching this than the repair would have taken. The
square nailed patch will blend in much better than mudded-over holes ever
would.

Please don't take this as a flame, it really isn't. I know how easy it is to
get caught up in trying to find the 'easy' way to do something, when doing
it the traditional way is really easier.

aem sends...