Aluminium tube!

[Russ Howard]

Hi, does anyone know who sells aluminium tube with the dimensions of 33mm od and 25mm id. I have only found one stockist but they are in the USA, cost of tube - cheap, however, to get it over the pond p&p way over the top. I need it to make a new air cylinder for a Webley FX2000 so the 25mm id is quite critical for the "o" rings to seal. Chances are the original bore was a tad undersize and machined to size via broaching, unfortunately I don't have a broaching machine so If I can buy the tube with 25mm id perfect. Or if you have any other ideas please do tell. Thanks, Russ

[bezzer]

Hi, does anyone know who sells aluminium tube with the dimensions of 33mm od and 25mm id. I have only found one stockist but they are in the USA, cost of tube - cheap, however, to get it over the pond p&p way over the top. I need it to make a new air cylinder for a Webley FX2000 so the 25mm id is quite critical for the "o" rings to seal. Chances are the original bore was a tad undersize and machined to size via broaching, unfortunately I don't have a broaching machine so If I can buy the tube with 25mm id perfect. Or if you have any other ideas please do tell. Thanks, Russ

I'd find someone who knows what they are doing to make you one. You don't use any old aluminium alloy as a pressure vessel. You wouldn't broach a hole to size you'd bore it, a broaching machine is linear and cuts keyways and different shapes into metal, you wouldn't use one to bore a hole.

[John1976]

I am sure Carl Garbett (airtech air rifles) could make you one from titanium.
Light weight and strong enough to not rupture .

[Russ Howard]

I'd find someone who knows what they are doing to make you one. You don't use any old aluminium alloy as a pressure vessel. You wouldn't broach a hole to size you'd bore it, a broaching machine is linear and cuts keyways and different shapes into metal, you wouldn't use one to bore a hole.

Thanks for the input, I know the spec ally I would like to use and as for broaching you use a button broach or that's what we called it when I did my apprenticeship at Rolls Royce. You would never bore a hole so small over such a length, you could ream it but again I don't have a 25mm reamer that's over 500mm long or a lathe with a bed over 1450mm long to cope with it.
Rest assured if I didn't feel confidant with my abilities or knowledge I would have a cylinder made.

[Russ Howard]

Thanks for the input, I know the spec ally I would like to use and as for broaching you use a button broach or that's what we called it when I did my apprenticeship at Rolls Royce. You would never bore a hole so small over such a length, you could ream it but again I don't have a 25mm reamer that's over 500mm long or a lathe with a bed over 1450mm long to cope with it.
Rest assured if I didn't feel confidant with my abilities or knowledge I would have a cylinder made.

Just to add a little to this the ally could be 7075 but a much better one is 6061

[Russ Howard]

Take a look at the photo it's the long tool to the right on the pic, a broach can be any shape you need it to be

[IMG][/IMG]

[angrybear]

By the time you make it & then get it pressure tested & certified buying one would be by far the better option.

[Rich]

Would you not consider 2024 for such an application?

[Russ Howard]

Would you not consider 2024 for such an application?

Not had much to do with 2024, it is mostly used in sheet form in the aerospace industry, wings and such like. I would need to take advice on what it would do as a pressure cylinder. Do you have any?

[Russ Howard]

By the time you make it & then get it pressure tested & certified buying one would be by far the better option.

They are no longer available to buy hence making one and at least if I make it I can't charge myself the labour involved.
But I agree it would still have to be tested, but with 4mm wall thickness the "o" rings would fail first .... Should fail first.... If you hear a big bang they did fail, if you hear an even bigger bang they didn't fail first.

[Rich]

No. However I am a great fan of the 2xxx variants.

One sees adverts for components for air rifles made from "aircraft aluminium" which is meaningless marketing hype and usually turns out to be 6082, which is widely available and far from unique to the aircraft industry; in my experience it's plenty soft for most things to do with airguns.

I use mainly 2014 which I keep as round bar stock. It's like the old 'dural' of yesteryear and has a copper content. It turns and screwcuts beautifully and is substantially harder and tougher than 6082, however it loses in the corrosion resistance stakes.

[Russ Howard]

No. However I am a great fan of the 2xxx variants.

One sees adverts for components for air rifles made from "aircraft aluminium" which is meaningless marketing hype and usually turns out to be 6082, which is widely available and far from unique to the aircraft industry; in my experience it's plenty soft for most things to do with airguns.

I use mainly 2014 which I keep as round bar stock. It's like the old 'dural' of yesteryear and has a copper content. It turns and screwcuts beautifully and is substantially harder and tougher than 6082, however it loses in the corrosion resistance stakes.

I know exactly what you are saying about "aircraft quality" in adverts, it really is a load of bull.
The 2014, does it age harden like duralumin?
The corrosion can be a massive problem in pcp guns, have seen the insides of a couple that somehow had had bad air put in at sometime (bad air - moisture contaminated) one gun so bad couldn't even get it fully apart without other damage being done, not that it would of made any difference to the outcome for it.

[Rich]

As I read it, it's artificially aged when you get it.

http://www.aalco.co.uk/datasheets/Al...Plate_295.ashx

I use it for things like silencer adaptors, clear bored barrel extensions (for when the owner wants a longer air tube) and pillars for hamsters etc.

[Mason]

When i used to tinker about I used a local engineering firm for the supply of raw materials. They fabricate all sorts of things and have many off cuts of differing sizes and materials. Could be worth a call.

https://www.charleswatts.co.uk/engineering-supplies/

If they do not have it in stock they will certainly know where to get it.