Find FTC in Europe

[Spaceman Spiff]

ok ,i have the return from the company who manufacture polycarbonate tubes, basically they dont have any stockage of polycarbonate tubes so i need your help ,

they will make exactly what i want , so what is the exact size ppl have really dreamed off what is the perfect dimension ,(one that there is no need to shrink a 500ml coke bottle ) one thats a little thicker so it will as standard hold a little more pressure without too much weight being addded ?

has any one got a formula for calculating the weight, pm of various thickness's of polycarbonate
or a diameter x wallthickness xlength = max psi

thanks in advance

andi

If they make whatever you want, will you not have to pay a large fee to set up the equipment to process the order? Otherwise, won't they have a minimum order quantity and you'll have to get dozens or even hundreds of tubes in one order? I have never had any luck getting custom made items like this.

[RaZias]

I don´t know if there would be advantages to:

1-Make the top of the FTC closed

2-Make the bottom with lips for a clark tie launcher

3-Make the bottom in a conical way so in the hole would fit the throath of a bottle.

[andicirk]

yes there will be a minimum order but the price will also depend on if they have to set up a special machine for the order if someone else is ordering a product that is similar then for the manufacturer to produce x metres extra isnt as expensive as running the machines from scratch , but then again if the product is a special , then a minimum would apply.
lets just say if the tube was exactly what we really want and you have to order 100metres then thats enough or 20 or 30ppl yes it means some one has to make an investement and be organised but thats the way life is .......
looks around to see my girlfreind cant see what im typing

anyway i was just fishing for ideas an opinions and then ill see what the minimum run is and its cost

[Tim Chen]

yes there will be a minimum order but the price will also depend on if they have to set up a special machine for the order if someone else is ordering a product that is similar then for the manufacturer to produce x metres extra isnt as expensive as running the machines from scratch , but then again if the product is a special , then a minimum would apply.
lets just say if the tube was exactly what we really want and you have to order 100metres then thats enough or 20 or 30ppl yes it means some one has to make an investement and be organised but thats the way life is .......
looks around to see my girlfreind cant see what im typing

anyway i was just fishing for ideas an opinions and then ill see what the minimum run is and its cost

Would you take delivery of the whole lot and then ship them out to people who wanted some?

P.S. Your girlfriend needs to catch the water rocket "fever"!

[andicirk]

id try too yes depending on the stockage i have at that period , personally though instead of having it shiped to ppl , maybe organise a weekend of rockets and food and beer somewhere and meet up exchange ideas etc and for all those ppl who couldnt make it then id ship it to them

[Bonami]

id try too yes depending on the stockage i have at that period , personally though instead of having it shiped to ppl , maybe organise a weekend of rockets and food and beer somewhere and meet up exchange ideas etc and for all those ppl who couldnt make it then id ship it to them

Please keep me updated. I am not the best guy to prescribe the size of the tubes but I have a suggestion to find a size that matches the size of a common bottle so the tubes can be spliced in the center of a bisected bottle making it in to a superbottle!

[160psi]

I can vouch for "covershields" - there is no minimum order, just a postage charge. However, I bought some from an electrical wholesaler so that is worth a try as well. The T8s have a wall thickness of approx 0.6-0.7mm and the T12 is 0.9-1.0mm which should hold plenty of pressure. I have flown a T12 with no reinforcement about 20 times with no visible stress at 150psi. Cost in UK from electrical wholesaler was about £4.50 for a T8 and £6.00 for a T12 as far as I can remember (last year).

[U.S. Water Rockets1]

I can vouch for "covershields" - there is no minimum order, just a postage charge. However, I bought some from an electrical wholesaler so that is worth a try as well. The T8s have a wall thickness of approx 0.6-0.7mm and the T12 is 0.9-1.0mm which should hold plenty of pressure. I have flown a T12 with no reinforcement about 20 times with no visible stress at 150psi. Cost in UK from electrical wholesaler was about £4.50 for a T8 and £6.00 for a T12 as far as I can remember (last year).

What lengths do the FTCs come in? In the USA the regular shipping companies typically do not ship packages longer than a certain length. If you order 8 foot FTC tubes the company will cut them in half before they ship them. The alternative is to pay a huge amount o have them shipped by a freight company.

[160psi]

I don't know the answer to this, but I would imagine that the 8' delivery problem would still be an issue. I emailed them with an enquiry last year and they were very helpful, and I know they do tube in sizes other than the standard T8, T12 etc, so maybe longer lengths as well.

[U.S. Water Rockets1]

I don't know the answer to this, but I would imagine that the 8' delivery problem would still be an issue. I emailed them with an enquiry last year and they were very helpful, and I know they do tube in sizes other than the standard T8, T12 etc, so maybe longer lengths as well.

Thanks. If you makes any progress, please post an update.