Skin Fitting Spanners

  • Thread starter Thread starter bob_tyler
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bob_tyler

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There is an old brass skin fitting seized up, well above waterline in the transom, which has large nuts securing it. It serves the outlets from the bilge pumps.

Where can one buy large enough spanners to fit the very large nuts so that they don't cost more than the new fitting?

Can one hire them perhaps? If so, any suggestions as to source?
 
I've used Stilsons or Footprint type wrenches on mine, but be careful not to crush your nuts. Have you looked in the plumbing section of Screwfix? Perhaps immersion heater spanner?
Dan
 
Most people just cut them from old scrap steel plate.
just measure it and call your local scrap yard.

PS. 'Some' fittings have a slot that is inside the outer section, a small strip if steel with a large shifting spanner on it will stop it turning.

Andavagoodweekend.
 
Yes but can't seem to get them tight enough not to slip. Access not too easy. By the way I don't care if I wreck the nuts or the skin fitting as I will put in a new one.
 
nothing easier than that, if you are going to replace the fitting anyway.
Hammer a wooden plug into the old fitting, cut it level with the flange, find the center of the fitting, use a holesaw with the correct diameter for the new fitting and drill thru the old fitting. The flange on the outside will fall off and you will end up with a clean hole for the new fitting.

Peter
 
That sounds a great idea but would the normal hole saw (for wood or plastic) cut through bronze/brass without blunting or breaking. Has anyone tried it? Is there a metal hole saw available to do the job with a good mains drill?

One problem is that my boat is on a swinging mooring - no mains - and I doubt if a battery driven drill would do the job. I'll have to put the legs on, beach her and use power when the tide is out. Good thing that the hole is above the waterline in case it goes a bit wrong!
 
wot u want Bob is a little Dutch boy standing by /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
hole saw sounds a great idea, most will cut steel so gun metal or the like will be easy.
i have used a 4inch angle grinder, carefully cut a number of times@ 90 deg to transom throuigh the outer flange the segments can then be ground / broken off
leaving just the threaded bit that can be driven into to the lazerette
 
Hi,

jup, just spent last weekend doing that............. with all of ours, about five to get out.

Borrowed the right tools from our local plumber, after a combination of failures with some of the above.

The correct tool then just spun the whole thing, the inside tabs (ours being some sort of brass/bronze thing) falling off to cue.

solution was then just to drill across the flange, battery one with sharp bits, from the inside, being carful not to burrow in. Do this at 180 on each then a small cold chisel, took 5 mins each one. Have fun.

Have asked somwhere else on the board, but what type are you replacing them with, not sure of plastic or metal ?
 
Sometime cold chisel doesnot work too well on things like seacocks set in with sealant as there is too much resilience.

Ian
 
Be careful with angle grinders as the fitting can get very hot and maybe damage the GRP/wood. Hammer and sharp chisel is also good to cut through the nut.
 
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