7 inch O.D. Airframe Tube Source

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acer88

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I am wondering if there are any suppliers that offer 7 inch O.D. cardboard airframe Tube for a custom scratch build project? I know this might be an odd size, but the scale data I came up with calls for this size tubing.

I have searched this forum and the web scouring for rocket suppliers but have come up empty. I am about to purchase some Pipe and start to roll my own, but I would much rather just buy them prefabricated.

thanks in advance for any suggestions!
 
I am wondering if there are any suppliers that offer 7 inch O.D. cardboard airframe Tube for a custom scratch build project? I know this might be an odd size, but the scale data I came up with calls for this size tubing.

I have searched this forum and the web scouring for rocket suppliers but have come up empty. I am about to purchase some Pipe and start to roll my own, but I would much rather just buy them prefabricated.

thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Search for yazoo mills. They have helped me with odd sizes before.
 
Search for yazoo mills. They have helped me with odd sizes before.

I tried yazoo mills and they can't make that exact size, but the price is $286 for a 42 inch piece, so that is just not possible. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Go to Home Depot or Lowes. Check the 8" nominal Quickrete tubes. They vary in diameter from close to 7" to a bit over 8". Just gotta measure. They aren't strong enough to act as an airframe on their own, so you'll need to put a few wraps of fiberglass around them. Then they're super beefy.

I believe they're about $8 per 4' long section.
 
I begrudgingly offer you this:
https://performancehobbies.com/secure/store.aspx?groupid=72620041122456
I say that because customer service can be hit or miss. See my post (#76) on this thread for details:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/last-minute-holiday-sale.149826/page-3
I suggest you contact Ken before ordering to verify the item is in stock. The website inventory listing might not be up to date.
Give him some extra time to fulfill the order. He has to pull inventory from a trailer, and he may be on the road travelling between launches.
You may or may not get an order or shipping confirmation. If not, follow up. And use Paypal in case the order goes sidewise. They are good about refunds.
I am not an endorser, I merely offer this to you as the only option I know of for an off the shelf 7" tube. Cheers.
 
I begrudgingly offer you this:
https://performancehobbies.com/secure/store.aspx?groupid=72620041122456
I say that because customer service can be hit or miss. See my post (#76) on this thread for details:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/last-minute-holiday-sale.149826/page-3
I suggest you contact Ken before ordering to verify the item is in stock. The website inventory listing might not be up to date.
Give him some extra time to fulfill the order. He has to pull inventory from a trailer, and he may be on the road travelling between launches.
You may or may not get an order or shipping confirmation. If not, follow up. And use Paypal in case the order goes sidewise. They are good about refunds.
I am not an endorser, I merely offer this to you as the only option I know of for an off the shelf 7" tube. Cheers.

Thank you! I will check this out, also thank you for your insight!
 
On my scale projects I found the larger body tubes to be both heavy and expensive.
If you find a good tube in a hardware store to serve as a mandrel...and you are willing to get into some layup...I can vouch for rolling your own.
Multiple layers of cardboard sheet, or Fiberglass or Carbon Fiber ...not as hard as you would think, and rewarding, and opens up limitless potential for future projects.

CF layup, so simple even youngsters can do it:
https://www.apogeerockets.com/education/downloads/Newsletter370.pdf
https://www.apogeerockets.com/education/downloads/Newsletter371.pdf

https://www.jcrocket.com/kitchenbagging.shtml
on the Ytube


 
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On my scale projects I found the larger body tubes to be both heavy and expensive.
If you find a good tube in a hardware store to serve as a mandrel...and you are willing to get into some layup...I can vouch for rolling your own.
Multiple layers of cardboard sheet, or Fiberglass or Carbon Fiber ...not as hard as you would think, and rewarding, and opens up limitless potential for future projects.

CF layup, so simple even youngsters can do it:
https://www.apogeerockets.com/education/downloads/Newsletter370.pdf
https://www.apogeerockets.com/education/downloads/Newsletter371.pdf

https://www.jcrocket.com/kitchenbagging.shtml
on the Ytube




Do you have any more info on rolling cardboard sheet? I'm in the process of creating a fiberglass/paper/fiberglass sandwich body tube and the more info I can get on paper the better.
 
Do you have any more info on rolling cardboard sheet? I'm in the process of creating a fiberglass/paper/fiberglass sandwich body tube and the more info I can get on paper the better.

Sorry...I had some build threads for several projects here years ago...pretty much rolled poster board from Michaels art stores around a PVC or sonotube mandrel that had wax paper or some barrier laid over first.
Make clean straight cuts on the sheet, but the ends of the posterboard together after you roll it and tape over the seam, proceed to lay FG if you care to (I did not on several projects. Just posterboard). I had to custom cut foam core centering rings, radially braced with balsa wood.
A central LOC MMT took the flight loads and the shock cord mount.

Archives may still have something…..

This one was a hand rolled 8.5" dia.poster board airframe. Final Weight w/o motors and chute was 2 Lb. 6 Oz.
Some of the pictures are now only links to JPGs ...….that still work:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/little-big-joe-ii-build.110950/

This entire project was scale and meant to be very lightweight - nothing more than posterboard, balsa, some wooden dowels, and some birch ply in the fins.
LBJ -6aaa -  test fit.JPG Little Joe II - 116.jpg
 
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