Suppliers of *really* large diameter tubing?

Hi troops; can anyone recommend a source for 24"~36" diameter tubing? Needs to be rigid, cardboard/Sonotube probably won't work. Thanks!

 

Does this mean we'll be seeing you out at the field again?

 

I've used cardboard tubing as a mandrel to lay up a composite tube.

Googling suggests custom runs of tubing are possible, but pricey:
https://www.rockwestcomposites.com/round-tubing/fiberglass-tubing/filament-wound-fiberglass

 

it wont be cheap but give me a call

 

How long does it need to be and how much size tolerance do you have?

 

https://www.discountcontractorsupply.com/product_p/tube36.htm

36" Concrete Forming Tube ?

 

Try - http://www.drummaker.net - they supply custom drum shell, not cheap but round and very strong.

 

Sonotube... He didn't want it.

 

Sono tube with a single layer of carbon fiber inside and out is amazingly strong.

 

The real question is "how deep are your pockets ? " . . . Because this is not going to be cheap, if you are looking for filament-wound composite tubing ( G12 Fiberglass or Carbon-Fiber ) !

Dave F.

 

Look into Smith Fibercast Red Thread tubing - It's filament wound fiberglass industrial tubing that comes in sizes up to 24" in diameter. The downside is that it is pretty heavy and the outside finish is a bit wavy.

 

You can easily roll a tube that size out of sheet metal, I went to a friend that makes pontoons for a living. Each 5ft section is only 40lbs in weight, this is 23” diameter.

 

No, that’s not the question. It’s entirely possible there are other options based on the questions I asked, including laminating sonotube, welding aluminum sheet into a tube, etc. Filament wound composite might not be necessary at all.

 

Oh man, I'd love to have that out in my driveway, with a buffer and some polish, shining it up. The neighbors walking their dogs would be on the phone to who knows who in a heartbeat! Wow, that is amazing looking.


Tony

 

Oh you have no clue Tony, I live on the Main Street in Bloomington, with the stop light being right outside my garage door, you should see the look on people’s face when they look in my driveway and see a 36ft long rocket sitting there. I’m scared of someone calling the bombsquad on me thinking it’s a Missile. So many people get honked at for paying attention to what I’m working on instead of the stoplight that just turned green. If you want to come over with your buffer, I won’t stop you.

 

Public Missiles is doing custom work up to 24":
https://publicmissiles.com/custom_work.html

Reinhard

 

Good Lord!

 

Buddy, that is absolutely astonishing. Where is more info, please?

Thanks all for the suggestions, much appreciated.

 

There's a few other manufacturers out there that may have better or worse surface finishes. Fibrex is another one with , with sizes up to 36". Anywhere you go it's likely to be pretty expensive to buy one or two pieces because these companies are more used to supplying pipe for a whole chemical plant. They're also going to want to sell in 20-40' lengths, so transportation becomes an issue. If you live near a distribution center and you can get a salesman to think it's cool, you might be able to make a deal though. If you're really lucky, they might have offcuts available for cheaper in the distribution centers.

For comparison, the lightest 24" Fibrex fiberglass pipe (50 psi rating) is 16.7 lbs/ft, a little lighter than the Red Thread (24.3 lbs/ft).

 

Carl, what are you up to???

It could be made. I know people....

 

If attempting to fly a "lightweight" but LARGE rocket under TRA/NAR auspices, this build method would be out of the question. So I guess it depends on the scope of Carl's project.

 

I used Amalga Composites for 6" motor casing. Their web site is http://www.amalgacomposites.com/ and the actual material I used was http://amalgacomposites.com/black-amalgon.php I had a custom size 6" OD, 5.5" ID. Black Amalgon is designed for cylinder usage and id designed for pressure.