Other types of tubing

Scavenger · Post by **Scavenger** » Tue May 02, 2006 10:01 pm

What would be the practicality of using other types of tubing for a homemade? For example, using copper or brass. It would make things more compact, only having to go to pvc for check valves and pressure chambers. Flexible tubing might work too (like in stock soakers), but I don't know where to get it or how much pressure it could hold. Any thoughts?

Drenchenator · Post by **Drenchenator** » Tue May 02, 2006 10:11 pm

The main reason that people use PVC is because it is cheap and easy to work with. Steel, copper, and brass are much more expensive than PVC. Though steel pipe can take much more pressure, it would require welding or use of only threaded attachments. PVC on the other hand, is cheap and readily available. PVC cementing is very easy to do as well.

There are several types or flexible tubing, but the main type that comes to mind for me is vinyl. I believe that vinyl tubing can take some pressure but not an incredible amount. If you really wanted to save space, use homemade valves.

Silence · Post by **Silence** » Tue May 02, 2006 11:50 pm

You should also consider the fact that metal tubes will be much heavier. I'm not saying that PVC was intended to be the lightest material around, but even though it needs to be thick, it must be lighter than metal.

How would you even create an effective homemade valve anyway?

Drenchenator · Post by **Drenchenator** » Wed May 03, 2006 9:20 pm

How would you even create an effective homemade valve anyway?

I have already created homemade valves in one of my Nerf homemades. I made a special attachment for it so that it can shoot water balloons too. I think that I really was talking about homemade check valves to save space, but I forgot to include that in my post.

PVC is fairly easy to work with, so homemade PVC valves are not too hard to construct.

Silence · Post by **Silence** » Wed May 03, 2006 11:07 pm

Don't worry, I was thinking of check valves too. The check valves are the ones that are really long and waste space.

I guess it's possible to make one yourself, but you would probably have to use a premade piece for the actual one-way valve part; and you will probably get a premade check valve for less money because it is more mainstream. If you skipped a manufactured valve part, then leaking might occur. Either way, I don't think this is the best way to reduce space.