Thread seal tape PTFE tape

[DCP]

So were does one find this PTFE tape all I can find is Teflon tape


Thread seal tape is a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film cut to specified widths for use in sealing pipe threads.

Thread seal tape can be used in many ways, the most common of which is to seal pipe threads. Also known as plumber's tape, PTFE tape, tape dope, or popularly but incorrectly as Teflon (A Dupont trade name) tape.

In use, the tape is wrapped around the exposed threads of a pipe before it is screwed into place. The tape is commonly used commercially in pressurized water systems, such as central heating systems, as well as in air compression equipment and thread joints with coarse threads. One of the defining characteristics of PTFE is how good it is at defeating friction. The use of PTFE tape in tapered pipe threads performs a lubricating function, which more easily allows the threads to be screwed together, to the point of deformation, which is what creates the seal.

[dbosman]

PTFE is the more correct name for Teflon, which is a trademarked name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thread_seal_tape

[Uncle Grinch]

Try Grainger....

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/ANTISEIZE-Thread-Sealant-Tape-3PDL5?Pid=search

[BoolitSchuuter]

Plumbing section at Lowe's, Home Depot, Tru Value, yer local lumber yard, etc, etc.....

[smokeywolf]

PTFE or Teflon Tape is a great insurance policy for sealing threaded joints but its primary purpose is to allow for disassembly if and when it becomes necessary.

smokeywolf

[cbrick]

Any auto parts store will have it.

Rick

[Kull]

Any hardware store should have it too.

[shredder]

Guys, I use the pink high pressure gas tape for my muzzle loader breech plug and it is awesome. Keeps all blowback out of the breech and makes for trouble free removal. Don't know if that is what the poster is after but one tight wrap is all it takes.

[10 ga]

Guys, I use the pink high pressure gas tape for my muzzle loader breech plug and it is awesome. Keeps all blowback out of the breech and makes for trouble free removal. Don't know if that is what the poster is after but one tight wrap is all it takes.
Dittos for shredder " "
I use it on the breech plug and vent liners on my Savage MLIIs and on the breech plugs and nipples of all my other MLs. there are 3 grades and they are indicated by the color of the tape. White, pink and yellow tape. I have used mostly the pink and white and results are outstanding.

[DCP]

Guys, I use the pink high pressure gas tape for my muzzle loader breech plug and it is awesome. Keeps all blowback out of the breech and makes for trouble free removal. Don't know if that is what the poster is after but one tight wrap is all it takes.

Bingo
Yes that's it

I have a Whitworth sniper I am going to shoot.
I understand they are very hard on nipples.
Is pink different than white?

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I'm not sure if I am allowed to mention an eBay auction, but you can find teflon tubing there, in a wide variety of sizes. Some is thick walled, but Chinese sellers have heat shrink teflon tubing with an 0.15mm. wall thickness. You hear horror stories of Chinese sellers on eBay, but I've found them as good as any others, especially their suppliers of specialised hardware items. Of course I have no plans to buy brand-name fashion accessories there (Who, me?), or to try to be the first person ever to buy a genuine Chinese antique from China on eBay.

The tubing would thicken as it shrinks, so it would probably be best to use some which is a very close fit on the bullet before shrinking. When I used PTFE tape (inspired by Clyde Williamson in "The Winchester Lever Legacy") I lubed the grooves in the normal way, and heated the taped bullet to make the stuff flow. That was a dreadfully finicky business which wouldn't be needed with the shrinking tubing, and I always felt it might sometimes unroll on the way down the bore.

I haven't tried it or got my supply yet, but I can think of three potential problems.

One is the danger of it shooting out of the tube. The tape is so thin that the only disadvantage would be leaving a nude lead bullet. But the tube might constitute a dangerous obstruction in the bore. The main thing, I think, would be to have it overlapping the base of the bullet, so that it shrinks inward to cover an area around the edge of the base. Grooves should also help, as would rolling the cylindrical surface of the bullet gently between two large files.

Secondly, I don't know yet if the thickness of the tubing is adequately concentric, especially after shrinking. I once centre calculated that a bullet's centre of mass 0.001in. off-centre in the bore, with a 20in. rifling twist, must cause the bullet to fly off squint by 11¼in. at a thousand yards.


Thirdly, will it stand up to frictional heat? This tape is advertised for long-term duty at 200ºC, and Wikipedia has teflon melting at 327ºC. That is no higher than much higher-friction soft lead, and exposure to this temperature is extremely brief. But they say poisonous fluorocarbon gases may be emitted at about 260ºC. I doubt if the danger is great, but it is something to use outdoors.

Altogether it sounds worth investigating.

[DCP]

Thanks to all who spoke up