Plastic tube and rod

[Bufferstop]

Hm' new discoveries, not been in here very often. There's less and less to discover as the years pile up. Accompanied Mrs W into a needle crafts shop the other day, well it was either that or stomp around outside trying not to freeze to the pavement. Spotted something I can't remember seeing before an eighteen millimetre diameter by 250mm long plastic knitting needle. I think it was a knitting needle, hollow with a point at one end and a cube like knob at the other. What caught my eye was that it was under £2. There was a whole range of these going down in size until they turned into rods.

It was hard plastic, hollow with a slight moulding mark down each side, which would have sanded off without much effort. Had I been looking for a factory chimney or a boiler barrel it would have done nicely. If it was to be open ended then it might require a bit of thinning of the wall at the end. Now had I tried to purchase such a bit of tube on line, it may have cost a little bit less per metre but I would certainly have got stung for minimum quantity and postage, and there are a whole load more craft and needle craft shops around than there are model shops.

John W

[Mountain]

I use those tiny metal clothes fasteners that act like a hook and loop. The ends when opened out have small loops. Ideal time saver when making my own couplings. The normal loop part of the hook and loop can also be used as it is for lovely horseshoe shaped fittings to lift narrow gauge waggons in the larger scales (Quarry use waggons were often suspended on cable inclines etc).

[TimberSurf]

A ready and cheap local source of "large tube" is plastic conduit from your local Electrical Wholesaler, comes in 20mm and 25mm O.D.
Ditto from your local plumbing merchants, waste pipe comes in 21.5mm, 32mm and 38mm O.D.
For smaller diameters, plastic lollipop sticks (solid and hollow) 3mm, 3.5mm & 4mm O.D. and drinking straws 5mm upwards.

[Mountain]

I saved quite a few of the plastic centres from the middles of rolls of tickets from the old ticket machines we used to use. Only saved them in case I found a use for them one day!

[Bufferstop]

A ready and cheap local source of "large tube" is plastic conduit from your local Electrical Wholesaler, comes in 20mm and 25mm O.D.

The diameter isn't the problem when looking for a length to make a boiler or an odd storage tank it's the length you have to buy. I scavenge useful looking pieces when plumbers and sparkies are at work or from skips outside building sites and renovations, if you have to buy it's usually a minimum of 2 or 3 metres.

[TimberSurf]

Obviously if you already have some offcuts, or scavenge some, all the better, but when it comes to building supplies, knowledge is purchasing power!
Solvent weld pipe looks identical to "Push fit" pipe, its a different plastic and solvent weld does that, whereas "Push fit" doesn't weld well (watertight) but can be glued, the real difference is the price, 1/3 of weld pipe! So realy is a cheap resource.

Wickes Pushfit White Waste Pipe 32mm x 2000mm - £1.29
Wickes Round Conduit White 20mmx2000mm - £0.99