Tube Manufacturing

[wizard7611]

Hello fellow pyros! I've recently been manufacturing my own tubes for my future projects. The tools I use are a one inch thick dowel for the tube former, wallpaper paste to construct the tube, vegetable oil to slide the tube off, a brush to apply the paste, a wallpaper scraping tool to smooth out the layer of paste, and recycled craft paper from the bags I gain from my local grocery store. Anyway, I've recently encountered a problem. Whenever I would roll the pasted craft paper onto the wooden dowel, the vegetable oil would never allow me to remove the tube. Does this mean I have to use a different type of oil? If so, what type?

-Thanks!:cool:

[ras1986]

Use lard. It's cheap and doesn't absorb in paper as well as a thin oil would.

[wizard7611]

What type of thin oil?

[ras1986]

Any oil would be too thin. Vegetable oil just soaks into paper. Lard won't soak as well. The main brand is Crisco but there are cheaper brands

[wizard7611]

Okay. Thanks!:cool:

[wizard7611]

Crisco lard sometimes doesn't allow me to pull off the tube. Are there any suggestions?

[NWPA]

I never rolled tubes but it seems if you cut grooves in the dowel rod [similar to how a spline gear looks] it would allow the tube to come off easier. Just thinking!

[wizard7611]

I never rolled tubes but it seems if you cut grooves in the dowel rod [similar to how a spline gear looks] it would allow the tube to come off easier. Just thinking!

Are you sure on this? I have a few questions myself. First off, how narrow of a cut does it have to be? The dowel thickness I'm currently using is one inch. Secondly, I don't see how decreasing the volume of a dowel would effect the way tube slide off of it. Where did this idea come from, you?

[NWPA]

It was just a thought. Reducing the contact area. Like I said, I never rolled tubes. Take it with a grain of salt!

[AlexR]

Have you had any success with this wizard? Would wax work? Also maybe a T top to help rotate and pull the dowel.