Barrels - best material for building new one?
I want to build some new barrels since two of mine have some "dings" that at times block the bearing from firing. Anyone have suggestions on where and what type metal tube to purchase?
Ed
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I want to build some new barrels since two of mine have some "dings" that at times block the bearing from firing. Anyone have suggestions on where and what type metal tube to purchase?
Ed
Re: Barrels - best material for building new one?
I am just using steel brake line. You can get stainless steel tubing from McMaster-Carr if you want tighter tollerances. I like brake line because it is locally available. I will ask Stephen and Keri what they (and BDE before them) use for high tollerance barrels. I will post back once I have any answer from them.
Re: Barrels - best material for building new one?
Great, because it looks like I will be needing 16 of the 1/4 barrels.
I have been thinking about picking up some brake line just to try some test bends. See how well I remember how to do it.
Re: Barrels - best material for building new one?
Strike Models does not currently sell Big Guns barrels but they have the means to make them. They are supposed to get me some pricing information early next week.
Looking at my various spare parts it looks like Bill Neubaur used to use 5/16" OD (0.2565 ID) type-304/304L multipurpose stainless steel for 7/32" and 1/4" cannon risers and barrels. This is McMaster-Carr part number 8457K546 for a 6' length ($29).
I am using 5/16" brake line from Advanced Auto Parts for Nassau's 7/32" caliber barrels. The wall thickness is about 0.035" which leaves about 0.02" clearance for a 7/32" ball bearing. It is locally available, cheap, and easy to work with. I will have to check but I am pretty certain it is a type-304 multipurpose stainless steel.
Re: Barrels - best material for building new one?
I just got off the phone with Stephen from Strike Models. He confirmed that BDE was using 304/304L stainless. He says that 1/4" barrels will require using CerroBend or something similar to prevent the tube from collapsing.
Strike Models has not set up the tooling they need to sell barrels. Stephen said he hopes to start selling barrels in May or June for $9-$10 each. If I was you I would probably start thinking about learning to bend your own barrels. Strike Models has been saying they would sell Big Guns cannons 'soon' for about a year now. I really like Stephen and Keri, they sell some great stuff and they are awesome people, but they've not been good about predicting when they will be able to ship new products.
I've always wanted to play with CerroBend but I have more than I can do this spring... CerroBend is supposed to be easy to work with - this might be a great chance for Ed to show some of us old salts a new trick!
Re: Barrels - best material for building new one?
I will be ever called El-cheapo but when it comes to bending small tubing without it crushing or deforming........
I use...........NaCl
Be very carefull when using it though. Not that it will harm you by touching it but from the wife pounding your head for stealing her table salt.
I crimp the one end of the tube in a vice, and then smack crimp with a hammer just for fun.
Fill the tube with salt, tap the side - making sure it's completely full. Then crimp the other end and again - smack it with a hammer.
Then use your tube bender and there you go. I've taken a few pics of my process that I can try to post later but it's pretty simple that even a caveman and even an old Paratrooper can do it!
Re: Barrels - best material for building new one?
We used to use sand but you will waste quite a bit of material crimping the ends. I've never used it on line that big though. Why did you use salt? Does it have some advantage over sand?
Either way you should give it a try and make a nice blog post about it!
Re: Barrels - best material for building new one?
Why salt vice sand? Never thought about it but I was taught to use salt. I've also heard of freezing water in the tubing and then bending.
Ed
Re: Barrels - best material for building new one?
You should compare each and see what works best!
Re: Barrels - best material for building new one?
I prefer to use rubidium myself.
Re: Barrels - best material for building new one?
I was going to try filling a tube with liquid lead and see what it does as compared to salt, sand and rubidium!
I also heard of inserting a 1/4 inch steel spiral cable (the kind used on lawn mowers chokes) and then bending the tube. Never tried it but it might be worth a try. Finding 1/4 spiral steel cable might be the hardest part.
Ed
Re: Barrels - best material for building new one?
Inserting a coil is how HVAC folks bend tubing.
Try Lowes. I bought one there. (Yes, 1/4'' outer Dia.) It is designed just for bending tubing!
Re: Barrels - best material for building new one?
Where do you buy a Rubidium alloy? I've seen Bismuth alloys several places (CeroBend being one) but never Rubidium.
Re: Barrels - best material for building new one?
It's on the shelf right next to the ignots of unobtainium.