Source of 1 inch OD thin wall stainless steel tube

[Mike CrossfieldParticipant @mikecrossfield92481]

I need about 3 inches of 1 inch OD thin wall stainless steel tube (for the displacer piston of a Sterling engine). The usual ME suppliers don’t stock diameters this big, and others I’ve found only supply in long lengths and/or add on hefty carriage charges making it very expensive for what will be a one-off requirement.

Can anyone suggest a reasonably priced source?

Thanks

Mike

[Mike CrossfieldParticipant @mikecrossfield92481]

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

search metric and it should be easy to find

https://www.metals4u.co.uk/materials/stainless-steel/stainless-steel-tube/2504-p

Things like shower rail for bathroom is 1" tube.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

M-machine do 1" x 1.5mm wall or if that is to thick they do a 26.9 x 2mm wall which if slipped over a mandrel could be turned down to 1" giving just under 1mm wall thickness. The later is sold by the 25mm increment at 50p/25mm

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Solar garden lights, the ones you stick into the ground with an upright pillar supporting the light body. The pillar is made from very thin walled stainless tube. Perfect for displacer pistons. I have several sitting in the Round Tuit box. They come in various sizes so you might get 1" diameter. These are the type of thing I am talking about **LINK**

Otherwise try a kitchenware shop. Lots of utensils and gadgets made from stainless.

Edited By Hopper on 16/01/2023 12:42:06

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

Where I used to work I had skips full of waste cut offs of stainless pipe and tube. The 1" was 16swg, about 1.6mm, wall. This makes me think that this should be readily available. If you wanted to you could make a couple of support plugs for the end and turn the outside down to a suitable wall thickness. You should be able to make a suitable split collet type support to hold it all round and bore to the wall thickness you want if you want to keep the 1" diameter. You can get a substantial boring bar down a 1" tube.

Martin C

Edited By Martin Connelly on 16/01/2023 12:43:42

[Mike CrossfieldParticipant @mikecrossfield92481]

That’s great!

Thanks to everybody who replied. I am sure I can now get what I need.

Mike

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Ensure if you use material made for, or recovered from, things like plumbing fittings or kitchen utensils it is fully-drawn so has no internal seam-weld.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I've had no problems using welded material for hot air engine displacers and hot tubes. Just grind any protruding welds off the inside if things are a close fit but that should not be an issue on a displacer.

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