Does anyone know where I can get very small pieces of 2.5" and 4" copper pipe?

Joseph Shaul

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Madison, WI
Does anyone know where I can get very small pieces of 2.5" and 4" copper pipe?

I need a few inches of 2 1/2" and 4" copper pipe for a woodworking project, but the local hardware store only sell stuff up to 1 1/4" and Home Depot won't sell me less than ten feet. Does anyone know a place that sells little pieces at reasonable costs - just a few inches long?
 
Check a couple of local plumbers. They may have some leftovers from jobsites. Plumbers usually take their scraps to a salvage yard, for the additional money they bring in. One may offer to sell the scraps to you instead.
 
Check a couple of local plumbers. They may have some leftovers from jobsites. Plumbers usually take their scraps to a salvage yard, for the additional money they bring in. One may offer to sell the scraps to you instead.

I managed to pick up some 2" that way, but the local plumber doesn't have anything larger. I'll call a few more, though - thanks for the suggestion.
 
Can't help with the sizes you call out, but I've got a bunch of 3" in my basement right now... this house was plumbed with all 3" copper DWV lines, and most of 'em have been replaced with PVC.
 
Thanks for the tips - I think I'll just use 2.5" aluminum pipe instead, which is much cheaper and conveniently available for use in turbocharging cars. (Yay, eBay!)

Now, to learn how to polish aluminum - anyone have any suggestions?
 
...Now, to learn how to polish aluminum - anyone have any suggestions?

What degree of shine are you looking for? Satin, mirror, or somewhere in between? Anything from brushed (with a wire brush on a motor or drill) to buffed (sanded and/or buffed with progressively finer compounds) can be done. For a mirror finish, check out some of the buffing compounds these folks sell...

http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/compound3.html

(That's just a sampling of what Caswell Plating offers.)
 
Thanks for the tips - I think I'll just use 2.5" aluminum pipe instead, which is much cheaper and conveniently available for use in turbocharging cars. (Yay, eBay!)

Now, to learn how to polish aluminum - anyone have any suggestions?

You can spin & sand aluminum on a wood lathe for polishing purposes, or you can use a rubber sanding drum to drive it in a drill press...

It sands VERY QUICKLY, and takes an excellent polish in a hurry. Lacquer it immediately after polishing 'cause it develops an oxide film in a HUGE HURRY. In fact, you can wet-sand that final grit (2000) with car wax for a polish that looks like chrome. Anything from about 220 up looks nice, though - 220 is heavy "brushed matte", 2000 is high shine.
 
Good idea, especially the unions.
Here is a link

The cheapest I've been able to find a 2.5" coupling is a whopping $18 shipped. Yikes!



What degree of shine are you looking for? Satin, mirror, or somewhere in between? Anything from brushed (with a wire brush on a motor or drill) to buffed (sanded and/or buffed with progressively finer compounds) can be done. For a mirror finish, check out some of the buffing compounds these folks sell...

http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/compound3.html

(That's just a sampling of what Caswell Plating offers.)

I figured I'd go with standard jewelry Tripoli and White Diamond polish (or at least that's what Rio Grande calls 'em - you'd probably know them as "brown" and "white"), as there's no point in going nuts on something that's going to be handled regularly. That said, I'm interested in what sort of lacquer or sealer I should use, as most of what I've tried gives a rather unappealing plasticy texture to the net result and rubs off easily.
 
...I figured I'd go with standard jewelry Tripoli and White Diamond polish (or at least that's what Rio Grande calls 'em - you'd probably know them as "brown" and "white")...

Naw, we call 'em tripoli and white diamond as well. ;) Very common compounds for buffing wood stuff.

On your lacquer question...are you applying (spraying) very light coats? That will help on the "plasticy" issue to some extent. You might also try a semi-gloss lacquer.
 
How long of each size do you need, If not very long I will ship you a some at no cost to you. I will need actual length if you do not have a way to cut them.

I am a large mechanical contractor and have the sizes you need.

Regards,
 
How long of each size do you need, If not very long I will ship you a some at no cost to you. I will need actual length if you do not have a way to cut them.

I am a large mechanical contractor and have the sizes you need.

Regards,

Sweet!

I need two pieces each 1/4" in length.

Yes, just 1/4". (Hence my annoyance at having to buy 24 times as much as I actually needed.)

A bit extra might be nice, though, as I'm experimenting with electroplating and wouldn't be surprised if I accidentally dissolved one. :D I have a pipe cutter capable of cutting 2.5" pipe, so if you could put a few inches in a shipping envelope, that would be dandy.

Joseph,
why don't you look at setting up a small Chrome plating set up. Since you will be doing small pieces it is very easy to do. just google "how to Chrome plate" and there are hunderds of sources. Here is one link.

The problem with chrome plating is that it's bugger-all expensive to do and uses some exceedingly scary chemicals. (Chromium salts, for example, have been banned from just about everything for a reason.) Using copper means that I can directly plate a layer of nickel to the copper without an expensive (and one-use-only) copper flash solution, and can hopefully be done using an el-cheapo homemade solution.
 
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By gum, we can work this stuff out... I've got a horizontal bandsaw that's happy to cut off slices that thin, and a milling machine that can true 'em up. Joseph? Your call, man.

I'm relieved we found ya a supply of copper... aluminum is (to use that same delightful phrase) bugger-all to plate well because of the nearly-instant oxide film.
 
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