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In lugnet.trains, John Gerlach wrote:
> In lugnet.general, Jonathan Lopes wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > Regarding the flex system hose that is used for hand rails and such on trains:
> >
> > Has anyone ever tried sourcing this elsewhere other than in lego sets?
> >
> > Might it be available at hardware stores?
> >
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Jonathan
>
> I've used 1/8" plastic tubing I found at a hobby shop, it is a bit stiffer than
> the Lego stuff but it works fine. It's only available in white, but you could
> probably paint it a different color.
>
> And since it's not 'official Lego', I have no issues with cutting it... ;-)
>
>
> JohnG, GMLTC
I had a look at the 1/8" plastic tubing in model railway shops and stalls at
shows. I think it's ABS or polystyrene.
I have no issues with cutting the tubes either :-) but I don't like painting
stuff used as or with LEGO bricks. I think the paint might wear off when
clipping the tube or feeding it through connector pegs. I also find the
stiffness of the white polystyrene tubing a problem as the minimum bend radius
is greater than that of LEGO tubing. Then there's the price - approximately
£0.01/cm, a lot more than LEGO tubing when bought as part of a set.
The LEGO tubing is not ABS or it would be unable to bend so well. I had thought
that it might be polypropylene, like the rubber band holder pieces, which have a
"5" in the recycling triangle symbol, but I can't find polypropylene tubing so
that's unlikely.
I have experimented with used biro tubes, and wondered where the manufacturers
get their tubing, but a lot of biro tubes are stiffer than LEGO tubes and have
thinner walls (to maximise ink volume in the pen). This makes me think they
might also be polystyrene in a lot of cases.
Looking at other types of tubing, I wonder whether polyurethane is the right
stuff. It's available in a few colours with OD of 1/8" and ID of 1/16". This
is in the best proportion to LEGO tubing. The walls of the tube should not be
so thin that they might damage pneumatic hose from the inside when the two are
connected. I want to use lots of flex tubing for pneumatics too, to avoid the
balloon effect and maximise efficiency of air use. (They say compressed air is
ten times the cost of electricity).
It looked, from a Google search, like a 30m reel of 1/8" polyurethane tubing
might cost as little as $16.00 before tax. If so, I might get a few colours!
Has anyone tried 1/8" polyurethane tubing?
Copied to .technic and .robotics to see if pneumatics enthusiasts can help.
Mark
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Flex system hose
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| (...) I've used 1/8" plastic tubing I found at a hobby shop, it is a bit stiffer than the Lego stuff but it works fine. It's only available in white, but you could probably paint it a different color. And since it's not 'official Lego', I have no (...) (18 years ago, 19-Jul-06, to lugnet.trains)
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