Author Topic: Heavy-wall tube ends  (Read 408 times)

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Offline gunsonwheels

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Heavy-wall tube ends
« on: May 12, 2011, 11:28:11 AM »
A local fabricator used to buy ends of heavy wall tubing from Weatherford, an oil field drill bit fabricator.  He has piles of ends (mostly 4140 alloy) that would make excellent tubes for mortars and howitzers.  Any one intersted, PM me your desired size and I'll scope their piles for you... USPS flat-rate box and some padding should get it to you cheaply.  Bad news is they usually charge $.90 a pound for the stuff.  I'll take some pictures next time I'm in town and post them in this thread.  And NO, I don't/won't charge anything for the service other than the cost of the tube and the flat-rate box.

Bought a bunch (4 sets) of 1/4" steel sihlouetts from a guy in the Great Lakes area... he sent them in flat-rate boxes... uuooph!!  so it should work.

And if the moderators think this belongs in classifieds... feel free to move it.  :)

Offline Double D

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Re: Heavy-wall tube ends
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2011, 03:48:48 PM »
Some issues with using 4140 for our type cannons....special welding techniques involved.  If you can deal with that 4140 is a good choice for a cannon barrel.

Probably should be in the classifieds. Lets a ponder a bit.

The used drill rod and drill stem around here is just not worth bothering with...the core is usually gummed or plug up with ugly stuff and the walls are to thing to meet recommended safety standards.

Offline gunsonwheels

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Re: Heavy-wall tube ends
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2011, 04:19:08 PM »
The 4140 welds up okay but... best purchase a propane fired weed burner and preheat the parent metal to above 350F before stiking an arc.  Otherwise the weld is usually bad due to stress cracking.  Being in the "oil patch" there is a lot of "drill collar" around here... sounds like the nasty stuff you are discribing.  Looks great though... 8" OD with a 3" bore... looks like a cannon waiting to happen!

Optionally with the 4140... one can always go with a mechanical plug/trunnion arrangement.  One pile of it machines very well...  :)  The other pile is hardened a bit much for plain old HS steel tooling.

Offline Double D

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Re: Heavy-wall tube ends
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2011, 05:19:13 PM »
Trunnion still need welded

Offline rampa room artillery

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Re: Heavy-wall tube ends
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2011, 05:28:26 PM »
sounds like lots of mountain howitzers.  and big field guns. but after shipping and it being hard metal, it would be risky for me but if you were just down the street then i would jump on a few peices.

rick bryan