Daily life quite often forces a person to carry out minor repairs, during which winding is required. It can be a radiator, as well as plumbing. Every home master must learn how to properly apply tow, as this will come in handy sooner or later. Water pipes can be made of metal, plastic, metal-plastic or nylon, each type of material has adapters for connecting other pipes. Such connections will be discussed below.
For reference
Quite often, home craftsmen have to decide how to wind flax on a tap thread. If you want to hermetically connect the elements of the water supply and pipes, then do the work called packing. If it is necessary to pack two pipes at a right angle using a coupling, it is best to cut a thread at their ends. The coupling will have an internal thread and external turns. Twisting them will not be enough, for a proper connection, the threads must be sealed.
Description of linen tow
Before winding linen on threads, you should become more familiar with what linen tow is. This is a fibrous material that is used to seal threads. The product is natural, it is made from the primary processing of fine, uniform and long-staple flax. The area of use of linen tow is very wide. Depending on the manufacturing technology, the material is tape, plumbing, jute or construction. In the latter case, we are talking about insulation, which is able to provide reliable tightness of almost any connection. For its manufacture, fully combed fibers are used, which are supplied in bales. Such material is used for construction work on sealing joints, warming the log house and laying wooden elements. It is natural, it is especially appreciated among those who build wooden houses. If construction tow is supplied in rolls, then it is called tape. This material is also used for caulking seams in log cabins and laying crowns. The advantage of using linen for plumbing is its cost. The material is much cheaper compared to any other. It is consumed economically, the fibers, although thin, have high strength. If wound correctly, they can be used for any type of work where any connections are used. It can be ceramic and cast iron pipes.
Additional benefits
Before you wind the linen on the thread, you mustknow that it swells, absorbing moisture. This allows you to increase the tightness, because the leak has no way. The mechanical resistance of the material is quite high, it is this characteristic that allows fitting plumbing fixtures, while the hermetic properties are not lost, the connections can be unscrewed by a full turn or half a turn.
Disadvantages of using linen
If you are thinking about how to wind flax on a thread, you should first familiarize yourself with all the disadvantages of this material. The substance in the base is organic, so it can rot when exposed to air and moisture. They can get inside during preventive examinations. For this, tow is accompanied by additional material that can prevent decay processes. It can be oil paint, sealing paste, lithol or grease.
In some cases, it is necessary to prepare the thread before winding, and if the material is laid too thick, this can cause damage to the connections, which is especially true for brass and bronze. If you are faced with the question of how to wind flax on a thread, you must remember that the described seal requires knowledge of winding rules from the master. Associated materials in combination with flax can make disassembly much more difficult, this applies to silicone or oil paint. Sometimes such additions make the installation process impossible. Flax is not suitable for use, where the temperature can reach 90 ° C. In such places the materialwelded and loses its sealing qualities. If you work with steel, then be sure to follow the winding technology. Otherwise, the threads may be corroded.
Wrapping flax on a new thread
Before winding the flax on the thread, if it is new, then the coils should be prepared. Many manufacturers today produce fittings that are already threaded, but the latter have notches that are intended for winding flax. The fact is that on a smooth thread the material can slip off, it is bundled, which leads to a violation of the seal. In order for the fibers to be able to catch on, there must be notches on the turns. If necessary, you can apply them with a needle file, a hacksaw or a file. Some craftsmen use a plumbing wrench or pliers: the thread should be grasped, and then serifs should be applied with light pressure.
The main thing in this work is to achieve roughness on the turns. Before the flax is wound on the thread, it is necessary to separate one strand from the whole pigtail. It is important to capture so many fibers that the winding is not very thin, but it should not be thick either. Experts advise using a linen thickness that corresponds to two or one match. If there are lumps in the strand, then they must be removed, as well as small villi.
Work methodology
You can apply tow on your owntechnology, some experts twist it into a bundle, someone braids it into a weak pigtail, while others lay it in the form of a loose thread. The order of applying additional material can also be different. In some cases, you can lubricate the thread by wrapping it with fibers, and then apply another layer. Sometimes the fibers are pre-impregnated and then prepared. Both options are considered correct. If you are thinking about how to wind flax on a thread - clockwise or counterclockwise - then you can listen to the recommendations of experts, some of them wind strands along the thread, others act on the contrary. In this case, the end of the strand should be clamped with a finger outside the turns, the first turn should form a cross, this will fix the material. Gaps should not be left, you need to lay one turn to another. If you are making a connection, then excess material will be squeezed out of the fitting, this is true if you are working with an iron pipe and a steel sleeve. Brass connections, which is important for those made using modern technologies, burst from strong pressure.
Specialist recommendations
Plumbing paste or any other sealing material must be applied around the wound linen, while the movements must be rotational. The work must be as accurate as possible. The second end should be glued closer to the edge of the thread, and before tightening, you need to check if the pipe hole has been filled with sealing material. Now youit is known how to wind flax on a thread, you can see a photo of these works in the article. However, from them you will not be able to understand that it is necessary to twist the elements with moderate effort. If the nut goes easily, then little flax was put. Winding will be correct if the material does not come out and the surfaces around the joint remain clean. It is not recommended to use organic tow for gas connections, this is due to the fact that under the influence of gas it and silicone, which is used additionally, are destroyed. The use of fum tape is most appropriate here.
Wrapping linen on ecoplastic products
If you are thinking about how to wind flax on a thread on a thread, then you can use the technology that is used in the case of working on ecoplastic products. This material, like brass, can burst. The main thing is not to overdo it. Before starting work, both fittings should be connected, count the number of revolutions. Flax is wound evenly, its surface is smeared with additional material, only after that fittings can be connected. If you counted 5 turns in idling, then after winding the tape, it is best to make about 4.5 turns, while you do not need to reach the end. In this case, it is better to use packing paste instead of sealant.
Conclusion
Quite often, home craftsmen wonder how to wind flax around a pipe thread. In this case, the connection should be dismantled by inspecting the thread. You need to walk along the turns with the tip of a knife or an awl, this method will allowget rid of accumulated debris. With a wire brush, before winding the tape, it is necessary to clean the coils until you see a shine.
