Joining aluminium tube.

[skipdiver]

Cheers Rob. I have the time and once set up, the cost will soon be recovered, so if i can't find a diameter that is just right off the shelf, i may just invest in a small lathe. Never need too much encouragement to buy new toys and i enjoy learning new skills. Wouldn't have a clue what to look for mind but the internet is a great resource for that. Ill have a look at the one you mention.

 

[novocaine]

you could swage (as jake says, flare) the tube in a workshop environment easy enough with minimal equipment for expanding it, drawing /shrinking (not really the right term but close enough) it to fit into the other tube is a bit harder and the equipment is considerable more expensive. you could possibly expand an inner tube to fit exactly by swaging it though. much cleaner than removing material and considerable quicker. you might even be able to do it with copper pipe swages, material dependent.

 

[skipdiver]

Thanks novocaine, more food for thought. Will look into all possibilities.

 

[at67]

Hi all, just joined in.
To expand the 30mm (1.118'') tube to fit the 31.6mm (1.224'')
I'm not sure what the smallest size starts at but look up pipe expanders that are used in muffler repair shops.

 

[hawkeyefxr]

Another way would be to use emery tape on the larger alloy tube in a strop fashion (a long length of emery held in each hand and pull it alternatively and take it down to near the ID size of the other tube).
Loktite do a mix that you put on one or the other, or both, it goes off in seconds like all loktite, no ait it goes off. You will not pull the inner tube out of the bigger one believe me.
I cant remember the loktite number but it's easily available. I got two washers put a couple of blobs on one washer dropped the other on top, squeezed the two washers together and they were one. I could not get them apart, in the end i used a knife and hammered it between the washers, then they came apart lol.

Not all alloy is soft some is very hard, we had Dural and it was very hard indeed. There are also aircraft specs as well but they will be expensive.

 

[skipdiver]

Thanks all, still investigating options and am currently looking at off the shelf tube joiners made from plastic.