Plumbing pipe 120mm into useable items

[Malcolm T]

Plastic project cases from 120mm drainage pipe , possibly free if sourced from a plumber as off cut or the local dump.

[Silicon]

I sometimes see useful plumbing items in America and Europe that can be used as enclosures and antenna parts.

Unfortunately they don't seem to be available in the UK.

[vu2nan-nandu]

Hi Malcolm,

Very nice!

How do you open out the pipe and form the enclosures?

Nandu.

[Stockden]

Were those rectangular sections made from the round tube and if so how was it done?

Hugh

[Diabolical Artificer]

II use 15 & 19mm copper pipe to make capacitor clamps, see pic. 20 minswith a hacksaw, files and wet & dry and you have a bespoke cap clamp. Shiny.

Plaggy pipe like that shown is good for posting valves.

Andy.

[joebog1]

Silicon has suggested antenna parts.
MOST plastic pipe is HUGELY lossy at anything above audio frequencies.
I have a paper somewhere that explains this.
Please wait and I will find and post it.
It WAS an Australian article, so maybe its only Aussie pipe.

Joe

[lesmw0sec]

Originally Posted by joebog1

Silicon has suggested antenna parts.
MOST plastic pipe is HUGELY lossy at anything above audio frequencies.
I have a paper soemwhere that explains this.
Please wait and I will find and post it.
It WAS an Australian article, so maybe its only aussie pipe.

Joe

Really? The quite long balanced feeder for my doublet is spaced using B&Q overflow plastic pipe sections. (There are quite a few). I also use plastic pipe sections for dipole centres and end insulators. Still manage world-wide comms!

[Dave757]

Originally Posted by vu2nan-nandu

Hi Malcolm,

Very nice!

How do you open out the pipe and form the enclosures?

Nandu.

Hi Nandu,

Put a lengthways cut in the pipe , lay it on a flat surface,
heat it carefully, and the pipe will soften and collapse onto
the flat surface. let it cool, and you have a flat sheet.

To form the enclosures you can cut a piece of wood to the
internal dimensions, lay the sheet across the top, reheat it,
and again it can be formed into a U or L section.

Kind regards
Dave

[vu2nan-nandu]

Thanks, Dave.

Could boiling water be used to heat it?

Warm regards,

Nandu.

[Malcolm T]

As Dave 757 says .
This is what i used and how to.
Items:
1. An oven, I used gas , no experience of electric.
2. Optional, a new cheap stainless large baking tray to fit the oven, for your use only !.
3. Grease proof paper
4. Two planks 1” / 25mm x 20” x 20” ply wood of very flat and blemish free surfaces
5. A flat level table or work surface ( kitchen area is best).
6. A few heavy items , bricks come to mind or breeze block or books.
7. A marker pen permanent
8. A tape ruler
9. Two sheets of A4 paper
10. Masking or sellotape
11. A hack saw or band saw of suitable size and blade medium tpi
12. Plastic heavy duty pipe Pipe is 3.5 - 4mm thick,
13. Oven gloves.
14. A shortish wooden stick 10” inches should do.
15. Some method of holding the pipe firm and steady whilst rotating and cutting with the hacksaw.
16. A mobile phone very important item this !.


Procedures:

1. Overlap slightly the two sheets of A4 paper length ways with the masking or sellotape , wrap around the pipe and level the paper ends to achieve a square 90 degree edge to the pipe side, using marker pen draw a line on the pipe the complete circumference .
Remove marking out paper and cut off the uneven end .
2. Check the throat of the hacksaw can cope with cutting into the centre of the pipe from either end , very important.
3. Use paper again to wrap around and mark out the length of the pipe that is no longer than the length or width of the interior portion of the stainless baking tray , or the flat tray in the oven, hacksaw off.
4. Lay the pipe down on the flat surface and using the marker pen draw a straight line along its length, try and get the pen to centre line height of the pipe by stacking flat items and draw the pen along its length carefully, now cut along the marked line thus with the hacksaw, it should be achievable if the pipe is not too long.
5. Lay a sheet of grease proof paper in the baking tray and place pipe onto it with the cut slit upwards !.
6. Light oven and allow to heat up first , medium setting should do
7. Place the tray in oven and allow to heat the pipe slowly , this takes time !!!.
8. Every few minutes open oven and check on pliability of pipe edges with the wood stick.
9. Keep checking, soon it will be like toffee and the pipe will unroll.
10. Remove from oven quickly, slide the baking paper off the tray with the almost flat plastic onto the ply wood press base. Quickly place another sheet of baking paper on top of plastic and work it down at the edges to allow the upper plywood press part to flatten the plastic out.
11. Place heavy objects bricks , books whatever onto the plywood top press piece, and wait till it cools, 15 to 20 mins should do it.
12. remove top ply wood and inspect for rigidity.
13 The sheet can now be cut on a band saw using a medium / fine TPI blade and treated as sheet material, drilled , screwed, glued.
14. So then i made a 6 volt / 12 volt plastic sheet heater table with nichrome wire for heating the line along the fold like a metal brake,

[Julesomega]

Originally Posted by joebog1

MOST plastic pipe is HUGELY lossy at anything above audio frequencies

..maybe, but not U(unplasticised)PVC. I once compared Q measurements on a coil wound for an 80m Pi-tank on 3" UPVC drainpipe and Tufnol: the drainpipe was better

[paulsherwin]

Square section drainpipe is quite widely available, though not as common as the round stuff.

[duncanlowe]

Originally Posted by paulsherwin

Square section drainpipe is quite widely available, though not as common as the round stuff.

I thought it was just as common. I remember a friend of mine using some back in the eighties, covered in 'fablon' to build a 555 based 'piano'. Our house and next door both have it, my parents had it fitted to theirs back in the eighties too.

[Silicon]

ABS plastic is used for some plumbing waste pipes. MDPE (polyethylene) for underground water pipes.

Murphy's Law comes into force when you want black round section rainwater pipes for a Victorian property.

The shops only stock white square section pipes.

[duncanlowe]

Originally Posted by Silicon

ABS plastic is used for some plumbing waste pipes. MDPE (polyethylene) for underground water pipes.

Murphy's Law comes into force when you want black round section rainwater pipes for a Victorian property.

The shops only stock white square section pipes.

I'd dig a bit more. My first search found a shop that stocks them, in case anyone needs black round 68mm downpipe for a radio ot TV related project.

[vu2nan-nandu]

Thank you very much, Malcolm, for the trouble you have taken to describe the process.

Warm regards,

Nandu.

[Graham G3ZVT]

Originally Posted by Malcolm T

16. A mobile phone very important item this !.

To take the photos for the forum??

[Malcolm T]

rambo , 1152 Yes but also.
The kitchen is sometimes the wife's sacrosanct domain , so if she comes back early from shopping say and found her kitchen being used as part of your hobby !!!.

[G6Tanuki]

I've used the square drainpipe to make cases for all sorts of things; in times-past I had a mains-powered LED clock built from a 1980s Tandy/Radio Shack module which was fitted into a length of black plastic drainpipe with two wooden 'cheeks' to bung up the ends. Black body, Mahogany end-pieces, it looked rather sophisticated!

[majex45]

Originally Posted by Julesomega

..maybe, but not U(unplasticised)PVC. I once compared Q measurements on a coil wound for an 80m Pi-tank on 3" UPVC drainpipe and Tufnol: the drainpipe was better

I always thought the "U" stood for UV stabilised. Am I misinformed?