Just broke a nipple...

Argh....
Now I know why the 1851 navy I picked up at a swapmeet was only $75..
one of the nipples is stuck HARD. (pietta 1851 .45)

First, I broke a standard cheap-o nipple wrench..
So I soaked it in pyroil for a few days.
I pulled out the bigger gun, a 4.5mm impact socket I had ground into a good fit..

I couldn't turn it by hand, was just starting to round it over, so I moved on to the drill press. I have a cylinder jig i built a while back for an 1860, and this luckily fits. It is just 3 hardwood dowels (for 3 chambers) in a 2" chunk of mdf, and some 5/8 tbolts to hold it onto the drill press table.. then a strap over the cylinder to hold it down.
So, mounted the cylinder, chucked up the socket..
and pullllllllled...
with a screech, chunks of the nipple flats came off.

Not one to give up, I chucked up a 1/16 cobalt bit, and drilled the nipple through. then chucked an 'easy out'... and broke it off in the hole.

so, now I have a mangled nipple, plugged with the broken off tip of a screw extractor.

My plan is to drill it out again, maybe bigger.. I think I can safely get a 1/8 bit through without nicking the threads, but will try with 3/32 first, then do the boiling in automatic transmission fluid trick I read somewhere here, and try an extractor again.. I have been drilling from the back, I would have to build a new jig to try and drill from the front...

so, anyone have more ideas? I know this problem is as old as nipples themselves, and has been hashed around here for about as long.. I've been haunting all those old threads for a few days.

At what point would you say 'heck with it, a new cylinder is only $60...'?

I thought this was more a black powder thing than a general gunsmithing thing.. though I see now there are some sticky blackpowder gunsmithing threads.. I will look around more in the future before starting new threads..

This is a Pietta 1851 45 steel frame.. I don't think this is the 'reb' version as that is brass frame. Isn't this that abomination Pietta made about 20 years ago because they thought, hey, use most of the 1860 parts and we have a new product... It has the colt role-engraving on the cylinder, with the patent for 1860 on it, and is stamped 1851 navy on the barrel.

Anyway, success. The nipple is OUT....

From the number of other threads and posts here, looks like I hit on a common thread. I was overthinking the problem, like I usually do, when I thought about the drill press. It isn't really a 'press', just a manual control system for a drill... I DO have a 1-ton arbor press though. I rigged up a mount for a piloted tap wrench, and using a chunk of key stock, mounted the impact socket/nipple wrench. I really should have taken a picture before tearing it apart. I even used duct tape ;-)

Using a diamond point engraver for the dremel, I cleaned up what was left of the nipple, and gave it some slots for the wrench to grab, and reground the wrench to fit. Used The same cylinder jig..

I didn't go the boil in oil route, just let it soak in pyroil for a week.
It slowly turned out.. I was surprised that it turned hard for a couple of rotations rather than a pop-loose like the other 5, and figured that I was stripping the threads or something. But after it came out, the nipple threads where still black (none of the oxide torn off) and the cylinder threads look ok.. I haven't tried running a machine screw or tap in to see how the threads are yet..

I don't see what was causing it to be so stuck. There is not much gunk in there, the threads look ok.. maybe it was just way overtightened and bad galling..

The spark plug thread lub is a great idea. There used to be a product that looked like a crayon, no drips, etc. I remember using it on an aluminium head for spark plugs to prevent bi-metal corrosion.

Thanks all...