[superman365]

I might have to try that...I'll see if I cant run up to Home Depot tomorrow

 

[superman365]

you might try sticking 1/2 inch pvc (.84 od)into 1 in steel electrical conduit (1 in id) thats pretty close...closest I can get at home depot...might have to wrap the pvc in tape or something

 

[Lightgeoduck]

Ok, to prevent from making a duplicate post about this, and dont want to make a thread until I get the rest of the materials and can make a vid.

PVC sagging cure: Funny thing is, I tested this with the small pieces of PVC I used for my indoor slingshot back stop (Thanks Ray)..

rather than using a bigger dia. piece of PVC pipe and working a way to support the PVC-BG... I took a straight connector piece that was made for that dia. ( they sell them to connect two pipes together)...

These pieces are designed to fit over the pipe perfectly, with a nice snug fit.. the trick to use it for a support to place in the the center of a long piece is to *get rid of the lip* that is inside the tube that is used as a stopper for the two pieces.

a dremel with a tiny drum sander does the trick nice and quick...

I have yet to determine how many I need to achieve stiffness (no comment) I will figure it out during my build, and document it in video as usual.

In the meantime I hope one fines it useful, and if this isnt a new idea I apologize for not seeing it, otherwise I would give credit to the inspiration.

LGD

 

[jtilley]

you might try sticking 1/2 inch pvc (.84 od)into 1 in steel electrical conduit (1 in id) thats pretty close...closest I can get at home depot...might have to wrap the pvc in tape or something

I think I will give this a try in the near future, it would make a smooth yet strong gun.

 

[superman365]

rather than using a bigger dia. piece of PVC pipe and working a way to support the PVC-BG... I took a straight connector piece that was made for that dia. ( they sell them to connect two pipes together)...

LGD

the point is not to have any joins in the pipe....even the slightest change in the smoothness of the inside of the pipe slows down the dart velocity. with the 3/4 pvc there is no creases or lips inside the tube....you can also choose the length of support you want

 

[neondog]

Macklinburg-Dunkin sells six foot pieces of what they call 3/4" Aluminum Bright tubing for about $12 in many hardware stores. It is about a 64 caliber, lightweight and wont rust. Check it for bends and dings before purchase. Also available in four foot lengths.

 

[Pelletor]

I just posted, on this forum, my method of getting a 5 foot piece of 1/2" PVC pipe straight HERE:

I managed to find a 6 foot x.625 cal Al pipe that is anodized both inside and outside while visiting my daughter in MA, it has become my main shooter. At home ( NC) I found a local Tractor Supply that had a similar size (but no anodize) after looking for a while.

 

[Grandpa Pete]

Has anyone done any testing with different types of tubing? Is metal, PVC, or something else the best?

Drawn Aluminum is, in my opinion, the best. It is stiff ( no sag), light weight, pretty smooth bore. I bought mine from ACE Hardware. Six feet long, 1/2 " ID.

 

[squirrelslinger]

Macklinburg-Dunkin sells six foot pieces of what they call 3/4" Aluminum Bright tubing for about $12 in many hardware stores. It is about a 64 caliber, lightweight and wont rust. Check it for bends and dings before purchase. Also available in four foot lengths.

now a 6 foot piece of the stuff costs somewhere around 20-30$.

It doesn't make sense to buy it at the hardware store.

It does sag a bit

 

[craftsman]

I've made posts in the past on other forums, re; tubes (not pipes). Iron, steel, aluminum, copper, brass, ceramic, plastic, carbon fiber, even glass. IF you have a standard dart (0.40 or 0.50 cal.) then it can be used for competition shooting. If you're talking for pratice, fun shots, hunting or fishing - anything goes.

I have a T-2024 (thck walled) 0.50 cal that was 0.495 ID that I had to bore out manually (4 ft. long) to fit the 0.50 cal darts. MAN what a chore - but it is heavy (great feel), and very intimidating (bright shiny silver with a black mouthpiece and balance hand foam grip) looking. Shoots like a dream.

If anyone is interested in alternate tubes, I'll see if I can track that information down - let me know.

 

[craftsman]

I finally came across an old e-mail (April 2011) with the alternate tube materials - Prices are most likely going to be greater today ... Not sure if all the links are still good (sorry)

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=12963&step=4&showunits=inches&id=902&top_cat=0
4 ft. Stainless Steel 0.5 in ID 316/316 L $177 + S&H
304 $123

Brass 260 0.625 ID $61
Sched. 40 230 brass 0.5 $47

Alloy Steel 4130 $44

Aluminum 2024-T3 $34
6061-T6 $23

Copper 101-H05 $67

Carbon Fiber .40 cal. 4 ft. $15
http://dragonplate.com/ecart/product.asp?pID=690&cID=102

Roll wrapped 0.564 OD 5 ft. $57
http://www.graphitestore.com/itemDetails.asp?item_id=1380&prd_id=99&cat_id=34&curPage=1

CF 0.625 OD 4 ft. $53
http://www.graphitestore.com/itemDetails.asp?item_id=799&prd_id=98&cat_id=34&curPage=1

Alumina tubes 0.5 ID 4 ft 0.75 OD 2/pk $469
http://www.graphitestore.com/itemDetails.asp?item_id=2823&prd_id=348&cat_id=48&curPage=1

Graphite 5/pk 0.5 ID $511 2" OD
http://www.graphitestore.com/itemDetails.asp?item_id=3417&prd_id=20&cat_id=22&curPage=1

Purified Graphite 0.5" 5/pk $829 6 ft. L 0.75 OD
http://www.graphitestore.com/itemDetails.asp?item_id=3379&prd_id=480&cat_id=22&curPage=1

Quartz crystal (glass) tubes:
Heraeus HLQ-12141 12 mm ID 14MM OD 4 ft - $12
HA-12141 $36
HS-12141 $157

Pyrex borisilcate glass standard wall Corning
15 mm OD, 1.2mm wal, 4 ft.4pcs. $15
http://www.waleapparatus.com/catalog.asp?prodid=547997&showprevnext=1
.40 cal (approx) heavy wall 15.9mm OD 2.4mm wall 4 ft 5/pk $24
http://www.waleapparatus.com/catalog.asp?prodid=547964&showprevnext=1
.50 cal (approx) heavy wall 19mm OD 3.2mm wall 4 ft 3/pk $24
http://www.waleapparatus.com/catalog.asp?prodid=547965&showprevnext=1

http://www.fdglass.com/products/details/47#sizeselect

 

[NaturalFork]

Thanks for those links!

 

[giwtro]

Have any of you tried polishing a brass tube to reduce friction between the dart and the inside of the blowpipe? Could the same concept be applied to aluminum?

 

[neondog]

You can get a pretty slick bore in aluminum by rubbing wax on a sheet of newsprint then wadding it up and pushing it through the tube waxy side out. Found a "screen save" of my last order from onlinemetals.com and am attaching a pic of the tubes.

The .555" i.d. tube fits nicely inside my five foot Cold Steel Magnum for added weight and rigidity.

 

[neondog]

One more quick picture. The .75" outside by .083" wall looks like it would be pretty rigid but it still sags a small but detectable amount when held in shooting position. That is a fifty caliber dart inside the .555" tube.