[VAL] Is: It's done!, Was: Oddball tubing size.

[Glyn Judson <glynjudson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

    Gerald and all,

    OK, here's the real deal.  It appears that all the while the tubing was
really 3/8" but the swelling from a prior freeze enlarged the piece I cut
off to 7/16".  Had I more experience in these things, I'd have measured the
tubing farther away from the split but my sample was taken from the freeze
site.  

    So I went out to the hardware store with all your notes of last night
and ended up with a length of 1/2" soft copper tubing that almost fit the
7/16" sample I had with me.  I say almost because it was a bad butt fit.  I
bought a 3/8" tapered punch there (Proto tool) and did  a test enlarging on
the heel of their bench vise.  The 7/16" tube fit beautifully.  I bought a
24" length of the 1/2" tubing, the punch and headed home.  By the way, I was
able to control the size and depth of the enlargement by holding the tube in
my hand with the punch in it.  I then slammed the back end of the punch down
vertically on my bench vise, checking for fit every few slams and proceeded
to the Caravel.  For those of you with a '69 Caravel, the patch was on
either side of the bulkhead that separates the galley from the hanging
locker, right over the wheel well.  It required temporary removal of the
stove, no big thing.

    I prepped both ends of the existing tubing as well as the 9" patch at
both ends and sweated it on.  The heat shield took the form of three
thicknesses of a cardboard bow under a soaked terrycloth towel under a piece
of thin, unplated sheet metal bent to deflect all heat away form any fire
fuel source.  

    Then came the pressure check.  I left the city water on for 10-15
minutes and examined both joints the whole time, no leaks at all!  Now on to
the 1/2" leak(s)

    Thanks to all who graciously shared with me their experience and ideas,

    Glyn