myfriendtheenemy Posted July 1, 2021 Posted July 1, 2021 I bought some 3 inch gummed kraft paper/tape to avoid spending so much on tubes for my 5/16 bottle rockets. I've been having a hard time rolling them straight, and I was wondering if any of you had any advice. Or maybe there's a tool I can buy to help out.
SharkWhisperer Posted July 1, 2021 Posted July 1, 2021 (edited) I bought some 3 inch gummed kraft paper/tape to avoid spending so much on tubes for my 5/16 bottle rockets. I've been having a hard time rolling them straight, and I was wondering if any of you had any advice. Or maybe there's a tool I can buy to help out.Most people who roll their own don't use gummed tape but just the paper for tighter consolidation and only glue the start and finish... That said, the only tubes I've ever rolled were for spolettes when I ran low, so not a pro at rolling. There are plenty of threads here on tube rolling, and you'll find a lot of detailed info there for sure. Edited July 1, 2021 by SharkWhisperer
MadMat Posted July 2, 2021 Posted July 2, 2021 I've never used anything but paper for rolling tubes. When you roll tubes by hand, you try to get them straight, but getting them perfect is rather hard and not really worth a lot of effort. I try to get them as straight as possible and roll the tubes a little longer the desired finish length and trim the ends square. I don't know if everyone does this, but it has worked just fine for me.
davidh Posted July 2, 2021 Posted July 2, 2021 I have had a lot of luck rolling gummed tape tubes dry (except for the last wrap, after tightening and aligning), and then running through a pressure cooker. put just a bit of water in the bottom, wrap the tubes in a foil pouch to keep them out of the water, bring up to pressure for about 10 seconds, and then release the pressure and remove. After they dry out (they will be slightly damp), the tubes are rock hard. 2
davidh Posted July 2, 2021 Posted July 2, 2021 To tighten, before wetting the last wrap, roll with the tape to tighten. The tube will get too tight on the mandrel. This is expected. wet and stick the last wrap, and then roll the tube against the tape. This will tighten the inner wraps away from the mandrel, and the tube will then slide off the mandrel. If you're concerned about the tube unspiraling on the inside, drip a drop of water down the inside seam.
MadMat Posted July 2, 2021 Posted July 2, 2021 I have had a lot of luck rolling gummed tape tubes dry (except for the last wrap, after tightening and aligning), and then running through a pressure cooker. put just a bit of water in the bottom, wrap the tubes in a foil pouch to keep them out of the water, bring up to pressure for about 10 seconds, and then release the pressure and remove. After they dry out (they will be slightly damp), the tubes are rock hard.Hmm... very interesting! I have to try that out!
myfriendtheenemy Posted July 2, 2021 Author Posted July 2, 2021 I have had a lot of luck rolling gummed tape tubes dry (except for the last wrap, after tightening and aligning), and then running through a pressure cooker. put just a bit of water in the bottom, wrap the tubes in a foil pouch to keep them out of the water, bring up to pressure for about 10 seconds, and then release the pressure and remove. After they dry out (they will be slightly damp), the tubes are rock hard.The pressure cooker technique works great. It get the tube just wet enough for all the layers to bond without soaking it. Thanks a lot for the tip, I never would've thought of using a pressure cooker. I found that if I just roll the tape on the rod and adjust it and tighten it by holding both ends and twisting the tube, I get pretty good results.
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