George Vondriska

Eliminate Black Pipe Stains

George Vondriska
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Duration:   4  mins

Description

Many woodworking projects require gluing multiple planks together to form a wider panel, and the pipe clamp is the most common choice for this task due to its availability and affordability.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Pipe Clamps

Pipe clamps have many advantages: they apply even pressure, are simple to use, and can be extended to longer lengths with pipe couplers. However, one drawback is that they can leave black stains on your panel. These stains can penetrate deeply into the wood, and if they end up on the show face, you may need to plane off significant amounts of wood to remove them. If you’d prefer to avoid black pipe stains altogether, there are several preventive measures that can be effective.

Proactive Measures: Preventing Black Pipe Stains

Apply Wax: Occasionally waxing the pipe can help in two ways: it can prevent black stains from transferring to your panel, and it can make it more difficult for glue to stick to the pipe, making cleanup easier after a glue-up.

Tape It: Applying a layer of painter’s masking tape to the pipe before starting the glue-up is another way to prevent black stains from migrating into the wood.

Plumbing Couplings: Placing a few PVC couplings over the pipe creates a gap between the pipe and the wood panel, which can effectively prevent black pipe stains.

Galvanized Pipes: Instead of black pipe, consider using galvanized pipe. It works just as well for clamping and helps eliminate black pipe stains. However, keep in mind the downside George discusses in the video.

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