![Neutral :|](./images/smilies/icon_neutral.gif)
Imagine my surprise, about halfway through the saw cut, when the pipe more or less exploded under the slight vibration from the hacksaw's teeth. It had shattered into six or eight fragments, and by golly they were almost as thin as paper. Not the slightest bit like any 15mm pipe I've ever worked with.
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
Our regular plumber laughed. Nought point six millimetre copper, he said. They do it these days to save a few quid on the copper. There are three regular "official" thicknesses, ranging from 0.7mm to 1.0mm, and several thinner gauges that have cheapskate written all over them - and those grades aren't used by reputable people.
Googling the matter makes it apparent that that wasn't the only issue. The word is that, because the thinner gauge pipe has different characteristics, some of it can't be bent with a bending spring because (you guessed it), it'll distort and shatter. There are dark rumours that these thinner-walled pipes are also made of harder or more crystalline metal than the traditional stuff. Or then again, maybe they've aged differently? I think I can remember old copper pipes that had gone rigid with age or after particularly hot soldering. Am I wrong?
Anyway, my interest has been piqued. Can anyone shed any light on this issue?
BJ