Where to buy cast acrylic tubing by the foot?

[h20cooled]

Does anyone know of a place a good place to buy cast acrylic tubing by the foot? I want to buy around a 2 or 3' section of 8 or 12" diameter tubing but everywhere I go is by 5' or more which is a lot of $$$...

Thanx,

Rich

 

[Douglas LEHMAN]

Hello
Try www.mcmastercarr.com

 

[h20cooled]

Yeah I saw that they had them in 2 and 4 foot sections which is better then most I was just hoping for something by the foot though.

Rich

 

[Douglas LEHMAN]

Hello
I think the will cut it for you? What length are you looking for.
I get the 6"x1/4" for Ca reactors and cut it to length myself.

 

[h20cooled]

I'm not exactly sure what length I want yet, its for my skimmer. I still have to do some planning.

Thanx

Rich

 

[plomanto]

Try
http://www.craftics.com/products.cfm?Category=8

 

[mattboy]

You could send a PM to Acrylics here. I think he's in Portland, and he's a pro fabricator. He might sell you what you need.

 

[nikonosis]

http://business.search.ebay.com/acr...rtZ1QQftrvZ1QQsacatZ12576QQsaprchiZQQsaprcloZ

 

[h20cooled]

Yeah I spoken with James at Envision before, its not something that he really keeps in stock...

nikonosis, the problem with most of those on ebay is that they are either to small of diameter or the are extruded acrylic which will not work.

Thanx,

 

[nikonosis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6746301#post6746301 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by h20cooled
Yeah I spoken with James at Envision before, its not something that he really keeps in stock...

nikonosis, the problem with most of those on ebay is that they are either to small of diameter or the are extruded acrylic which will not work.

Thanx,

why won't extruded work? Deltec uses extruded and so does euroreef.

 

[h20cooled]

Very hard to drill through extruded tubing without damaging or cracking it. I tried to do it, and it cracked I spoke with James at Envision and he said that it is very hard to drill extruded because it cracks so easy. I would be really suprised if Deltec is using extruded on your products especially with what they charge for them.

 

[nikonosis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6746476#post6746476 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by h20cooled
Very hard to drill through extruded tubing without damaging or cracking it. I tried to do it, and it cracked I spoke with James at Envision and he said that it is very hard to drill extruded because it cracks so easy. I would be really suprised if Deltec is using extruded on your products especially with what they charge for them.

From what I have heard they do. Thats why alot of people lately have been saying h&s skimmers are built out of better material. Euroreefs cost and arm and leg and they sell 2 different kinds, one is cast and one is extruded.

 

[h20cooled]

I could see companies using extruded for products that don't require drilling holes, but if you have to drill then cast is the only way to go...

 

[slug]

if you have to drill then cast is the only way to go...

I've drilled holes in extruded tube with a hole saw just fine, you just have to be carefull.

 

[h20cooled]

Thats awesome, I've tried I've had a plastics shop try, I've also talked with a world class acrylic tank build and they all said that it is very hard to drill through extruded without cracking it....

 

[slug]

Yeah that's why you cut through it with a hole saw.

If I was buying it new I'd get cast, it's a lot nicer, but a while ago someone was selling 2'x6" extruded acrylic tubes on ebay for $1 each. I bought a bunch of those so had them to mess around with.

 

[reefrubble]

I have a friend,that can give you a super price,on a 4' piece of 12" cast tube. It is 1/4" wall cast. This stuff goes for well over $100. a foot . I think he wants $300. + shipping,for the entire 4'. Thats a great deal. send me a PM if interested. Ted

 

[reefrubble]

Steven M ,has a great deal on a piece of 12" dia X 1/4" wall cast acrylic tube. I think it's 4' ,for less than the price of 3'. His user name here on RC,is Steven M. He's a great guy to deal with. Ted

 

[mattboy]

Actually I would not use a hole saw on either cast or extruded; IMO the best way by far to "drill" large diameter holes in acrylic is to use a router; drill a small pilot hole and tape on a template of sorts; it can be anything with a hole in it the size you want, then flushtrim around the inside of the template. Perfect hole every time, and no heat build up which stresses acrylic and can make it craze when exposed to solvent for welding. It works especially well for tube; you just use a PVC fitting the size you want the hole to be, then sand down the edge of the fitting so that it matches the inside curve of the tube. You can easily do this by taping some sandpaper inside the tube, then running the PVC fitting over it until it matches. I've used this method for dozens of drain holes in collection cups. I don't drill holes in large tube other than this, as I feel like it compromises the strength, presents a likely leak/structural failure point, and there are other ways of getting the plumbing in the tube. But, maybe I'm a little weird that way.

Deltec using extruded? Wow...if it's true, which I kind of doubt, it makes their prices even more rediculous, if that's possible. As for euroreef, I believe their extruded skimmers are much less expensive than their cast; probably they saw the writing on the wall and had to offer a cheaper alternative before too many other companies did.

I use only cast for the stuff I've made, but for DIY I certainly understand people using extruded. For a large company with a reputation to build and uphold over years of use, that's a different story.

 

[h20cooled]

Thats an awesome idea, I thought about using a router but the hard part is keeping the hole round. But using the pvc fitting as a template is a great idea.

Thanx,

Rich