Perfect tubes, a minute to make each!

[usapyro]

Step one - Roll on glue and calendar sheets. Each sheet is glued then the next sheet is placed.

Step two - Place calendared sheets on board and roll it up.

Ignore the tubes to the right... Was trying another technique that wasnt working.

Viola! Flawless!!!

 

Edit: Anyone having issues seeing the images?

Edited December 24, 2017 by usapyro

[stix]

I can see the images fine.

 

So what sort of glue are you using?

[calebkessinger]

Those are nice.

Quick note. If you wrap a piece of tape on that rammer first your rammers will fit perfect. .015 in. Is about right on clearance. So they aren't a pain to slide in and out.

 

Again.

Nice!

[usapyro]

I can see the images fine.

 

So what sort of glue are you using?

Elmers Glu-All, not school glue. Diluted with around +25% water.

 

Probably going with Titebond in the future, just had a bunch of Elmers.

Edited December 24, 2017 by usapyro

[Mixer]

If anyone is serious about rolling strong tubes - this article was put together for YOUR benefit. please see the tutorial

HAND ROLLING STRONG TUBES.

[usapyro]

Pyrobin vid upload not working... Tubes work perfect. Not fully dry yet tho even after five hours at 125f in a dehydrator. I know thats not the best idea, but I wanted them ready ASAP.

 

 

 

Edited December 24, 2017 by usapyro

[usapyro]

If anyone is serious about rolling strong tubes - this article was put together for YOUR benefit. please see the tutorial

HAND ROLLING STRONG TUBES.

Nice guide, but with the thick paper I use it doesn’t get soft enough without adding some water...

[Mixer]

Oh, I didn`t mean to detract from your post - I thought as the subject was brought up - this would be a good opportunity to mention the tutorial for those who want to make very strong (rocket) tubes.

 

In my early days I trawled the internet looking for information on how to roll good tubes and disappointingly was not able to find anything which was detailed enough, and so I had to start on my own quest.

 

After many months of time and effort - finally, with close attention to this process - I was able to consistently roll tubes that were equal to or even stronger than the original New England tubes.

 

I posted the tutorial to help those who may be in the same (frustrated) situation I was in when searching for information.

[Col]

Just a tip, when you thin the pva glue down, use wheatstarch paste or even wallpaper paste rather than plain water.CMC is yet another option. It`ll reduce the viscosity so its workable but help keep the solids content higher. The less water you put into the paper the faster the tubes will dry.

Edited December 24, 2017 by Col

[usapyro]

I think I just need glue with stronger tack, then I won’t need to add water!

 

Stuff just aggressively wants to unfold. See the paper edges and how they don’t want to stay in at the end?

[Col]

Thats caused by the thickness of the paper. The easiest solution is to glue a turn or two of thinner paper onto the end which will lock it down,.

[usapyro]

Thats caused by the thickness of the paper. The easiest solution is to glue a turn or two of thinner paper onto the end which will lock it down,.

Ooh! Genius. Just heavily calendar a thinner sheet at the end which will wrap over all the other sheet ends!

[NeighborJ]

Another solution to the peeling flaps is to roll the tube in the other direction so the outermost layer is the only flap exposed. In other words, flip the calendered sheets over before rolling. It will leave only one exposed seem on the inside and one exposed seem on the outside.

[Col]

It wont help as usa`s individual paper sheets are really thick on their own

Edited December 24, 2017 by Col

[usapyro]

Another solution to the peeling flaps is to roll the tube in the other direction so the outermost layer is the only flap exposed. In other words, flip the calendered sheets over before rolling. It will leave only one exposed seem on the inside and one exposed seem on the outside.

 

Good idea, except they are not glued on the bottom side. I think what you meant is to rotate it 180 degrees and roll from the other side.

 

It's actually so easy to make tubes this way I will probably go with thinner paper. And, this thick copy paper is definitely half as strong as Virgin Kraft. It works fine though! Probably should stick with only really good glue.

Edited December 24, 2017 by usapyro

[Col]

If you flip the stack so the stepped side is underneath when you roll, you`ll risk creating voids in the wall as the thick paper will tend to bridge over the steps rather than fill them in. If the fire breaches the 1-3 layers of paper that seperate a void from the comp it`ll have a clear path inside the void running the full length of the tube. With thinner paper the step height is reduced. The paper is more flexible so its more likely to mould into the slight step rather than just bridging over it.

Edited December 25, 2017 by Col

[usapyro]

My results with Titebond 2 are not as good. The tack is too aggressive. The sheets need to slide across each other as they are rolled... So you have to thin the Titebond out quite a bit to slow the tack.

 

Elmers Glu-All is a piece of cake with this technique.

[stix]

. . . If the fire breaches the 1-3 layers of paper that seperate a void from the comp it`ll have a clear path inside the void running the full length of the tube. With thinner paper the step height is reduced. The paper is more flexible so its more likely to mould into the slight step rather than just bridging over it.

 

Now, that does makes lots of sense.

[Col]

The downside of using thinner paper is you have to deal with wider rolls because there is a limit to the thickness of stacked paper you can roll. The maximum usable thickness is about 1mm for 6lb (1.5" id) tubes and progressively less for smaller id`s due to the tighter turns. A 900mm and 1150mm roll (900ft) will cover everything. I`d recommend using virgin kraft with a minimum weight of 30lb and a maximum of 40lb, typically 40lb is much easier to find in 900mm and 1150mm roll widths than 30lb.

Edited December 25, 2017 by Col