Where to buy Steel pipe / tube???

[jaky cakes]

Hiya all,
a question for those in the know - which seems to exclude me!!
I'm trying to source a supplier of steel tube / pipe.
Nowt fancy - just normal mild steel - something that i can weld either MMA or MIG with run of the mill rods/wire.
I need a piece of tube with an ID of max 63mm and OD min 70mm It's to make a boss / flange that i can tap to 2 1/4" BSP to take an emersion heater. This boss will be welded to a mild steel tank to heat it contents.
You can buy a brass boss ready made but that requires brazing.
All the suppliers i can find seem to do either bigger or smaller bores - but nowt this size.
I could buy some bar stock and bore out to correct dimensions on lathe - bit that'll take too long to do at work.
Any sugestions

[dieselboy]

Have you thought about contacting a stainless steel exhaust manufacturer?

Wouldnt mild steel rust? Even 403 grade stainless rusts. 304 grade doesnt rust at all.

Regarding the bores, how accurate does it have to be? You can flare pipe upwards (or compress) to adjust the size. I have only worked with 2mm wall thickness but you're looking for 8mm?
70mm is a little over 2.5". You could flare up 2.5" to get to the size you wanted, but the 2mm thickness would thin out a little. This could then be tig welded, but would that be strong enough for your needs?

[Rustinho]

I just bought a couple of small pieces of 5mm steel from these guys to make myself a couple of EGR valve blockers.

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/steel2go/m.ht...&_trksid=p4340

The service was excellent. I bought it in the evening, it was put in the post the next morning and arrived the day after that.

They have loads of stuff available - tubes, box section, plates, bars. You'd have to check with someone more knowledgable than me about how good it is for welding, etc and how it compares to prices elsewhere but it seems reasonable to me.

[jaky cakes]

Have you thought about contacting a stainless steel exhaust manufacturer?
Wouldnt mild steel rust?

Gotta be a low carbon steel that i can weld at home with my MMA or MIG machines, and rust would not be a concern as the unit wil be housed in my dry garage with all external surfaces painted. The inside faces would not be subjected to water - as the tank is a biodiesel processor.

Regarding the bores, how accurate does it have to be?

The internal bore has to be the core tap size for 2 1/4 BSP - 63mm.
The wall thickness isn't critical - except the boss must be able to take knocks without deforming and be able to withstand MMA welding so I guess around 3 mm.
So the internal bore could be smaller than 63mm - I'll just bore it out on lathe and OD could be bigger than 70mm - the thicker the better really to get a good sealing joint face for immersion heater.

[jaky cakes]

[QUOTE=Rustinho;633836]I just bought a couple of small pieces of 5mm steel from these guys to make myself a couple of EGR valve blockers.

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/steel2go/m.ht...&_trksid=p4340

Just had a look at their listings but i'm a little confused.
When describing a tube such as "76.2mm x 3mm wall" ...what does the 76.2 bit refer to - ID or OD???

[Gamedawn]

When a tube is described like that it means o.d. If you're looking for something with a 3.5 to 4mm wall thickness, look in the yellow pages for a hydraulics company. Hydraulic pipe is commonly that sort of wall thickness to withstand the pressures and will normally be plated (easily removed to weld)

[Rustinho]

Just had a look at their listings but i'm a little confused.
When describing a tube such as "76.2mm x 3mm wall" ...what does the 76.2 bit refer to - ID or OD???

Not a clue but they were friendly enough when I emailed them...

[Diezel Weazel]

This any good Alistair ??
http://www.metals4u.co.uk/detail.asp...56&prd_id=2346
http://www.ascmetals.com/index.htm
http://www.bandssteel.co.uk/

Jess

"Cos short cuts cost more in the long run"