Thick walled mild steel tube

[Jon Nazareth]

Good evening all,

Can tell me, please, where I can get some thick walled free cutting mild steel tube that would make up into G3 wheels? Something like 2 1/8"-2 1/4" OD x 1 1/2" Bore. I tried to send a message to College Engineering but there may have been something wrong with their system, or mine, as the message wouldn't send. I have some solid bar but I'd be making a hell of a lot of swarf

Jon

 

[JimG]

Good evening all,

Can tell me, please, where I can get some thick walled free cutting mild steel tube that would make up into G3 wheels? Something like 2 1/8"-2 1/4" OD x 1 1/2" Bore. I tried to send a message to College Engineering but there may have been something wrong with their system, or mine, as the message wouldn't send. I have some solid bar but I'd be making a hell of a lot of swarf

Jon,

I've been down this road many times over the years.

One source of thick-walled tube is hydraulic pipe. The following web page gives the range of sizes that are available

Cold Drawn Seamless Hydraulic Tube (CFS NBK) | Hub Le Bas

There are probably two problems with this tube - the wall thickness isn't enough for a G3 tyre, and you might have to buy it in very long lengths. But it is high quality drawn steel which should machine well.

Another option might be scaffolding tube - as shown on this web page.

Scaffolding Tube | Steel Scaffold Tubes

I suspect that the quality of steel may be a problem when it comes to machining and the wall thickness may be too thin. But you might be able to get your hands on a short bit if you chat up a scaffolder with a hacksaw in your hand.

Another possibility might be cast iron - specifically continuous cast tube - which would probably have a much thicker wall and should machine very well. But I can only find mention of it on producers' web pages.

So you might have to fall back on mild steel blanks parted off the end of solid bar. But you might be able to avoid a lot of swarf if you trepanned the centres out of the blanks . If you are fortunate, you might find that the trepanned blanks could be large enough to do smaller wheels - i.e. blanks for driving wheels produce trepanned blanks which will do tender or carrying wheels.

For my last wheel tyres, I got some very nice free cutting steel from the offcut shelf in a local engineering workshop and a very nice man with a very large lathe put a large drill through the centre which left most of the swarf on his lathe bed.

Jim.

 

[Osgood]

This should give you an idea of what is available in thick-wall:

cold drawn seamless tube - from stock

Tony

 

[Osgood]

You beat me to it Jim, but I was just in the process of ascertaining that hydraulic tube isn't thick enough.

 

[Osgood]

Jon - the 57mm O.D. x 9.53mm wall tube is pretty much spot on 2 1/4" O.D. x 1 1/2" bore!

 

[Dog Star]

One source of thick-walled tube is hydraulic pipe.

Cold Drawn Seamless Hydraulic Tube (CFS NBK) | Hub Le Bas

This should give you an idea of what is available in thick-wall:

cold drawn seamless tube - from stock

Time for a trip down memory lane... in the late 1970s I was responsible for sourcing materials for loco restoration at Didcot and 5051 was the first of the Didcot engines to require serious work on the valves. Finding material for the valve rod sleeves was a taxing job in that most of the local stockholders could offer only tube with concentric tolerances which would require considerable machining. Eventually I stumbled across a stockholder who appreciated the work to be done and he recommended cold drawn seamless... that material had tolerances for diameters and concentricity which made machining to size a real doddle. If I recall correctly - and this is 35 years ago - I had to buy 12 feet of tube which was enough for the eight sleeves of the Castle and sufficient left over for a two cylinder engine. The price was somewhere close to £100.00 - dear in money terms and very cheap in regard to volunteer labour.

 

[Jon Nazareth]

Thanks for all of the tips, chaps. I'll take a look at scaffold tube but I've a sneaky feeling that the wall thickness is too small.

Jon

 

[Osgood]

If you have established the existence of an ideal size tube, I guess you ideally need a stockist who will cut and sell a short length. Few and far between.

I have on occasion tracked down a local end user through the main stockist and contacted them to ask if they would be prepared to sell a short length. I have found people generally most helpful.