SpudFiles

I just completed a piston-in-tee gun and was amazed with its performance. the piston is a 1 1/4 endcap with rubber washer wrapped in duct tape inside 2" pipe. it worked beautifully but has now jammed in place up against the sealing face. no matter how hard i push or pull or pressurize the gun the piston will not move 1 millimeter. i think the duct tape it is wraped in might have caused it to bind up. The only idea i have thought of is to somehow dissolve the duct tape. Acetone dissolves plastics, it would probably dissolve the duct tape but i also destroy my gun. ANY IDEAS OR HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED. IF I CANT MOVE THIS PISTON I WILL HAVE TO RE-MAKE THE ENTIRE VALVE.

fire an arrow down the barrel if you have a bow. put a broom down barrel and hammer it. dump boiling water down barrel. melt piston with blowtorch.
thats all i can think of

Hopefully you made a place to access the piston, through threaded fittings or something else? If not, you might be in trouble...

The best way to get it out is with a broomstick. Just jam it onto the piston until it comes loose.

I'd insert a pole (broom handle, etc...) into the barrel or in the exhaust port of the valve (against the sealing face) and tap it with a hammer (gently) until the piston moves.

Lubricate your piston better in the future

Peace,
Pete Zaria.

i can get to the piston both from infront through the air out hole and by unscrewing the back where the fill/fire valves are. i have tried shoving it out with broomsticks but it is SO JAMMED that i cant even move it with that. i think my only hope is to disolve the duct tape somehow. I really cant figure what could possibly jam it up with such extreme holding force... i really think its the duct tape. i had debated removing because it made the piston not move easily, but i thought the tight fit would help it actuate.

actually, its so jammed that even after being assulated with a broomstick the piston IS STILL SO PUSHED AGAINST ITS SEALING SURFACE THAT IT IS ALMOST AIRTIGHT. i just cant think what could be jamming it so horribly.

rmich732 wrote:Hopefully you made a place to access the piston, through threaded fittings or something else? If not, you might be in trouble...

The best way to get it out is with a broomstick. Just jam it onto the piston until it comes loose.

How do you make the piston accessable through threaded fittings? All the ones i've found for the corresponding pipe are to small to let my piston through. E.g on my new 2" valve I've tried to use 2" threaded sockets but they are to small to let a 2" piston through.

I have a 2" male and female version of these:

the piston fits through the female fitting, not the male one. i can reach the piston to some degree front and back it just wont move.

Dump boiling water in the pilot chamber to loosen the tape glue, then the broom down the barrel, keep doing this untill you get it moving, once moving take it all the way out before it resticks. Thats what i would try, mite work.

wouldent boiling water also damage the chamber? pvc becomes soft in boiling water. is there no solvent or something that would disolve the duct tap grip but not harm pvc?

Use a hair dryer to heat the outside of the tee, that will soften the glue enough maby.
WD-40 mite work, i keep my piston lubed with it, aint hurt it yet. Windex???