UK based sink tube suppliers?

[SWAT Strachan]

Right, I've tried B&Q, Homebase, GA Days, and a slew of other local retailers, but can I find any metal tubing with a 1.5" internal diameter? Can I heck :mad:.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a reliable source?

[Drichar Deis]

Try more local orientated places, like a mahjacks? local family run type places? or building sites?

[SWAT Strachan]

I tell you I've been Googling until my eyes were bleeding trying to track down anything suitable! The largest diameter copper tubing I can find is only 28mm :(. The stuff must exists somewhere even if it's just for decorative purposes but I just seem incapable of tracking it down. I've had no problems finding PVC tubing which I could wrap in chrome tape, but let's face it, if I'm going to be building a £300+ saber, I don't want tat on it.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

If it's copper tubing you're looking for, contact Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie, I believe he may have some 1.5" copper tubing left over from a project he did awhile back.

[SWAT Strachan]

Well at the moment I just found a place (http://www.hyphose.com/metricsteeltube.htm) 4 or 5 miles from my door which might stock what I need. I forgot that in the UK it's now illegal to sell things measured on the imperial (arf :mrgreen: ) scale, it all has to be metric now. 1.5" equates to 38mm, and once I realised that I've been a little more successful in my hunting.


Jay: Cheers for the idea, but I think the postage alone from Canada to the UK would make it prohibitively expensive :shock:.

[Tom Starkiller]

I forgot that in the UK it's now illegal to sell things measured on the imperial (arf :mrgreen: ) scale, it all has to be metric now. 1.5" equates to 38mm, and once I realised that I've been a little more successful in my hunting.

HA! Doesn't stop the local butcher. XD

It is a stupid law though. Driving lessons still include Imperial. Stopping distances etc.

[Pullo]

Not sure that it is illegal anymore, I work in the furniture industry and we still sell beds in the 4'6", 5ft and so on and so on. A little while ago all the UK based suppliers posted pricelists in just metric, but now they have gone back to both. really boring selling beds.... thank god I have an obsession with lightsabers.......er I mean hobby.

[SWAT Strachan]

Not sure that it is illegal anymore, I work in the furniture industry and we still sell beds in the 4'6", 5ft and so on and so on. A little while ago all the UK based suppliers posted pricelists in just metric, but now they have gone back to both. really boring selling beds.... thank god I have an obsession with lightsabers.......er I mean hobby.I was paraphrasing about the illegal bit. It's daft that milk has to be sold in litres, fruit and veg by the kilo, yet timber and other things can still be sold by the yard, foot, inch... Go figure.

[Barmic Rin]

I've looked & looked but to no avail unless you want huge lengths or buy scrap parts from Precision engineers. I found a guy on Ebay selling several sizes, so i'll PM you if you want his user ID.
He is cutting down on his stock, so buy while you can! I've picked up some 35mm to do 100% custom ones.

[SWAT Strachan]

Well I've emailed a few local suppliers, with luck they'll have some cheap offcuts I can nab :).

[Barmic Rin]

It really is just a case of poping into precision workshops. I spent weeks looking for one to do custom grooves on my hilt, turns out there was one down a side road I went past everyday!!!!! He's since done a few small jobs for me as well as let me have afew offcuts. I went for 35mm as it's the same diameter as MHS & perfect for my small girly hands!

[SWAT Strachan]

I'm only after a small section so I can try to modify my vanilla MHS saber a bit. I was thinking about making a cover for the hilt, and maybe a small cowel for the emitter. Something like the picture below (but without the claws).

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/swat.strachan/sabers/Image16.jpg

[Barmic Rin]

Seriously, precision engineer workshops.

Pop in, admit it's for a lightsaber & most of them i've encountered jump at the chance.
I've had one say 'Your Dr.Who thing is ready', but the rest think it's pretty cool. pics help.

[Drichar Deis]

I've had one say 'Your Dr.Who thing is ready'

Did you nut him?

[Barmic Rin]

I laughed.
He's done good things for my sabers, inc. the grooves on Aurora (my blue one)

[Angelus Lupus]

I've had one say 'Your Dr.Who thing is ready'

Hmm, maybe a soinic screwdriver could be your next project? :D

[Tom Starkiller]

'Your Dr.Who thing is ready'

That's where my TARDIS went!! GIVE IT BACK!!! :P

[Sithblade]

Gentlemen

I wandered around B&Q for ages looking where the ally sheets and tubes are, the plumbing section etc with no luck. Eventually I found some stuff very suitable for making hilts. It's actually a 38mm TV aerial mounting pole made from light alloy / aluminium and seeing as it's only about 12 quid for 6 foot of the stuff you can afford to make a few mistakes with it too. ;)

Clicky (http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9686754&fh_view_size=6&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=aerial+pole&fh_eds=ß&fh_refview=search&ts=1209743420291&isSearch=true)

:D

[xl97]

looks like it comes in different gauges (thickness too)..

the ID will be the 'key'..

[Barmic Rin]

2mm is about the right sturdiness to build from.


And Tom, sorry dude, I thought it was a porta-loo!