# New Homemade Air Cylinder



## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

Ok, I wanted to make my props a little more secure than using bicycle pumps and door closers but I couldn't find a reliable sorce for cylinders at an economical price. I didn't want to use PVC for the obvious reasons so I was trying to figure out how to duplicate the PVC plans only using metal. It had to be simple enough so that I didn't have to do a lot of modification and I wanted to be able to buy the parts at a local store.

Now if you look at proffesional air cylinders they realy don't need to be that wide so first I looked at electrical conduit but most of the connecters aren't that secure. Next I looked at black pipe. All of the connectors I needed were there but once I add up all the parts, it would cost more than just buying one. So I took some of the black pipe connectors over to the electrical isle and to my relief they fit conduit. Now I can make any length air cyclinder and it will be stronger than anything you can buy.

My plan is to use 3/4" conduit for the cylinder and threaded rod for the plunger rod. For the plunger itself I found that 3/8" washers fit nicely but they might fit a little too snug. I will have to test what will fit best. My guess will be that I will sandwich a 3/8" rubber washer between two smaller metal washers. The crushing action of the metal washers on the rubber one should allow me to adjust the tension of the plunger. Being that I will be using threaded rods I can set the plunger up about 1.5" So that the rod will bottom out before the plunger thus preventing any damage to the seal. Likewise I can place a nut on the opposite side so that "it" would contact the top before the plunger.

My biggest hurdle was finding something to guide the rod at the opening. I figured a 3/4" to 1/4" reducing bushing should work nicely. The only problem being that it is threaded on the inside. This will be a problem since the rod is threaded. It will most likely bind. No problem I will use a 3/4" to 1/2" reducer and screw in a small 1/2" nipple. The inside of the nipple should be smooth enough. If not I will have to find a sleave for the threaded rod.

Again since I will be using threaded rod it would be easy enough to hook a spring to the inside of it for a return. And since the fittings will screw on it will be easy to disasemble to replace, repare or grease parts.

As I was thinking about this I was going over the possibilities. The strength of it and the variety of fittings would allow you to use the cylinder itself as the armeture of the prop(vise/versa) thus keeping the contraption well hidden with less loose parts to get snagged. And with the variety of pipe and conduit sizes you could even make telescoping cylinders (bye, bye scissor extenders).

So what do you guys think?


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## crazymjb (Oct 27, 2003)

Electrical conduit will mean that if at any high weight you are going to have to runa relativly high PSI. Also the ram may bend under the pressure. Tell me how it works out, I am interested to see.

Michael Ball
HERES JOHNNY!!-The Shining


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

You're right you would have to use more PSI than you would on a PVC cylinder due to the reduce surface area but I figure with this configuration the PSI wouldn't be any different than any other cylinder on the market. They are reletively the same size. The only thing that I think would change that would be the spring return on the inside. As far as the rod goes, it shouldn't be any different either. Unless they use hardened steel but I don't know for sure. I'm thinking they only use stainless steel. Anyhow 1/4" is pretty beefy, it should be more than enough.

I'll keep you posted. I won't get to it for a few weeks though. Taking the wife to NY this weekend, then nexe WE my sis gets married, and a wine festival the following weekend. Then I have to see if I have any money left.


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## Thedarktomb (May 10, 2004)

This is just my opinion, but making homemade cylinders from anything just scares me. It doesn't matter what you use for material, if it's not done right, and done right every time, you run the risk of building a homemade hand grenade. 

I've had no trouble finding industrial cylinders for under $20 including shipping. If nothing else, it gives me peace of mind given the cylinder has to be reliable over constant firing and will be in the proximity of kids. 

I've never needed more than a 10" cylinder for anything I wanted to create. The 36" rodless cylinder is the exception to that. 

I don't want to discourage you, this will probably work fine, I just don't want someone who's new to pneumatics and who reads this to get the wrong idea that you can build a pneumatic cylinder out of anything.



The Dark Tomb - Psychological Terror at it's best!


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

I'll be sure to test it and post the results. I have the same concerns. If some else uses my props I want them to be safe. I ussualy err on the side of overkill. I will only consider them if they are as good or better than the ones you can buy, and still keep it under $20.


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## madmax (Dec 28, 2003)

PVC is safe, well it is if you use it inside or outside if the temp. is 40 degrees or higher.

PVC will not explode unless it gets colder than 40 degrees. Any thing above that temp the compounds that make up PVC acts like rubber. Try breaking a new piece of pvc or a old piece in temp. above 40 degrees. it will bend and collapse but it wont break. If PVC gets to cold (below 40 degrees) it gets brittle and if it did explode hard pieces would fly from it.

ABS is safer and it doesn't get brittle, even in cold weather. So unless you are using the PVC Cylinders outside or in cold weather the worse thing that could happen is a loose end cap would blowout. Where can it go? No where because the caps are at the base and the piston/ram runs through the top cap.

I have used 8 PVC cylinders for 4 years (actually 8 air props but I have replaced the cylinders every other year) and never had a problem with them exploding. Was I just lucky? Who knows but I do know each cylinder been fired 1000s of times. If you don't feel safe using a PVC cylinder because of the temp. just wrap insulation around it and duct tape.

I have wrapped a PVC cylinder in insulation and put end caps on it and charged the cylinder with 60psi. The temp outside was 10 degrees and I left the cylinder outside for 2 days (in a concrete grill). I rigged up a cinder block (1/4, 1/2, 2/3 and then the whole block) to drop on it from 5 feet(height)and it never exploded. The whole block did destroy the cylinder and the air came out but no explosion.

Safety is important but we all try to scare people into jumping back, running out of a room or in same cases through our walls. All of this is in little or no light. So a person is more likely to get injured from walling through a dark room or being scared by our props and running into another person than by a PVC cylinder exploding.

I read where a air line made out of PVC has exploded but in my 4 years of surfing Halloweens sites I still haven't seen a person post a picture of a PVC Cylinder, that exploded.


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## crazymjb (Oct 27, 2003)

When i get my compressor and everything maybe i will test a pvc pipes limits. I will have the compressor in my garage, and will run the house under the door and around to the other side of my house. The compressor I am getting goes up to 150 PSI. Mad max, if you have any of those old pvc cylinders test to see if you can fire the ram out. I think that that would be the biggest danger. When I make my pvc cylinders I will put a high strenght cable through the ram and attach it to something stationary, that way if it comes loose it will be secured and wont go flying.

Michael Ball
HERES JOHNNY!!-The Shining


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## Thedarktomb (May 10, 2004)

Crazy,

Just make sure you leave your garage door open if you are using your compressor in there. 



The Dark Tomb - Psychological Terror at it's best!


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## crazymjb (Oct 27, 2003)

I'll take your advice, but why shouldn't it be closed.

Michael Ball
HERES JOHNNY!!-The Shining


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## madmax (Dec 28, 2003)

Crazy, I've had a ram to blow out of the cylinder when I first started making them. It made a 1/2 hole in my ceiling, I forgot to put glue on the cap or a screw in it. I never had one to blow out when I put a screw in the top cap but I also limit the throw of the cylinders to a few inches from their max.

I always use safety lines with my cylinders just in case.


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## Thedarktomb (May 10, 2004)

Crazy,

From what I understand, the exhaust from the compressor is not good to breathe and can be cancer causing in high enough doses. It should have that warning in the instructions.





The Dark Tomb - Psychological Terror at it's best!


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

Ok, I figure the air hose connectling to the tank should fail before the air cylinder so I will go with the safety rating of that which is 300 PSI.

A few quick searches on the internet have come up with this.

PVC can withstand preasures from 2000-5000 PSI. The weak point is the joints. The joints can withstand up to 210 PSi with a safetly rateing of 125 PSI.

Note: PVC degrades rapidly in sunlight and failers have been known to happen at 40 PSI.

Metal pipe can withstand 25,000-50,000 PSI or 10,000 at the joints before a leak will occure. So I figure at 50% 5000 PSI should be a good safety range.

The air cylinder that I would use from bimba is rated at 500 PSI.

After doing this reasearch I feel very confident that this will be more than neccesary. However these number don't take into consideration the acceleration of a ram rod so I will still test it. I'm not worried about shrapnel but more so of a projectile of the rod. I feel confident that it will work fine.


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

> quote:_Originally posted by Thedarktomb_
> 
> Crazy,
> 
> ...


If it's electric then it won't have an exaust.


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## Thedarktomb (May 10, 2004)

Mine is electric but still has the warning label about a risk of cancer if the compressor is run in an unventilated area for extended periods of time.



The Dark Tomb - Psychological Terror at it's best!


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

Hmmm, interesting, I never knew that(cough, cough, arm hits floor). Does it say why?


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## Thedarktomb (May 10, 2004)

Rweso,

I'm curious myself. I'll call the manufacturer and see if they can answer that.

The Dark Tomb - Psychological Terror at it's best!


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## crazymjb (Oct 27, 2003)

Yah, mine is electric. I know that Carbon monoxide can kill you so it wouldnt just mention cancer. The only other thought I have that is plausible is that the oil for the cylinder burns off and vents slowly. Pretty much everything is said to cause cancer.

Michael Ball
HERES JOHNNY!!-The Shining


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## putrid (Aug 18, 2002)

I'm a bit concerned with the high ratings of PSI for PVC piping. The OSHA limits are listed on the pipe. 5000 PSI means you can safely put 2 and a half tuns on a one inch square area of PVC piping without it breaking. If the pipe is only listed at 240 to 260 lbs PSI I don't see that happening. 

I'm guessing here but I wonder if compressed air creates high Ozone levels. My guess would be that the hydrogen and oxygen particles colliding within the tank would act like a contained thunderstorm and omit Ozone. If you do find out why please post it. 




“If you measured your life by moments instead of minuets and hours how many moments would you waste?"
"This moment was brought to you by THE END."


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

The 2000-5000 PSI is the tensile and compression strength. For instance if the PVC was a flat sheet you could park a car on it without it breaking. As it is formed into a pipe you lose a lot of strength and as the diameter increases the PSI decrease.


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## madmax (Dec 28, 2003)

The dangers of PVC isn't to much psi's the danger is when PVC gets cold the compounds that make up PVC changes.

In 40 degrees or higher PVC is like rubber and if it did crack, blow apart or explode. It would be in the form of a hole or split in the pipe.

If the PVC pipe gets below 40 degrees the compounds change and the PVC gets brittle. So now you have the danger of the PVC pipe expolding into many pieces (like glass) with sharp hard edges.

Take a piece of PVC put it in your refrig. and let it get cold. Take it out and hit it with a hammer. It will break, just like glass. Leave a piece in front of your air vent for the same amount of time and it wont break but will dent in.

Now wrap a piece of PVC in insulation and duct tape put it the refrig for a hour or so (same amount of time as the other piece) take it out and hit it with a hammer to see if it breaks or just dents in.

I guess you could say PVC is safe but it depends on the type of weather you have when you are using it. I feel save using it for the last 4 years but I will be switching to ABS pipe (it's just like PVC but temp. doesn't affect it)for my cylinders


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## crazymjb (Oct 27, 2003)

It is always a good idea to reinforce it. I like the fence post idea. Also I believe they sell rolls of kevlar at Home deopt for some house framing application. I am sure it could be wrapped in that with an outer layer of duct tape.

Michael Ball
HERES JOHNNY!!-The Shining


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## kilroy (Oct 11, 2010)

sorry but PVC was not designed for what you intend to use it for and I don't think anyone else Should try this...dude you can go to any scrap yard and pick up stuff for free. and if you think PVC will not rupture and send out fragments your wrong.

This is unsafe and just plan dumb.

http://torque1st.clubfte.com/OSHA_PVC_Pipe.htm


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## Rev. Noch (Sep 2, 2008)

kilroy said:


> sorry but PVC was not designed for what you intend to use it for and I don't think anyone else Should try this...dude you can go to any scrap yard and pick up stuff for free. and if you think PVC will not rupture and send out fragments your wrong.
> 
> This is unsafe and just plan dumb.
> 
> http://torque1st.clubfte.com/OSHA_PVC_Pipe.htm












Sorry, I couldn't resist, the Necromancy here was mighty.

I do agree though, go to automationdirect.com, monsterguts.com, frightprops.com, evilusions.com, or anywhere else that sells legit cylinders. They are not that expensive, save lots of time and most importantly, are SAFE.


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## madmax (Dec 28, 2003)

kilroy said:


> sorry but PVC was not designed for what you intend to use it for and I don't think anyone else Should try this...dude you can go to any scrap yard and pick up stuff for free. and if you think PVC will not rupture and send out fragments your wrong.
> 
> This is unsafe and just plan dumb.
> 
> http://torque1st.clubfte.com/OSHA_PVC_Pipe.htm


OK, "dude" I really didn't want to get back into this, but... I guess you need to tell that to this company that makes and sells PVC Air Cylinders. 

I will ask the same question that I asked for 10 years....show me where a PVC air cylinder made by a haunter has failed and blown apart into flying sharp pieces. Can't do it, it's always, a friend of my friend's, friend, heard it from the brother of his best friend, who's best friend heard it from some guy on a message board. Let me guess...you are one of the people that read about it on a message board from a person that heard it from their brothers friend who...blah blah blah 

Don't tell me about some company that used it as a air line with constant air pressure of 100 or 100+ psi and might have been used for who knows how long, probably years and years, and like anything else PVC will breakdown and have stress points over a long period of time. PVC used by a haunter is for the most part NEW and only under load for a few seconds at a time and at a low PSI and most have a weep hole that let some of the force out.


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## ernstdesigns (Sep 20, 2010)

Thedarktomb said:


> This is just my opinion, but making homemade cylinders from anything just scares me. It doesn't matter what you use for material, if it's not done right, and done right every time, you run the risk of building a homemade hand grenade.
> 
> I've had no trouble finding industrial cylinders for under $20 including shipping. If nothing else, it gives me peace of mind given the cylinder has to be reliable over constant firing and will be in the proximity of kids.
> 
> ...


Darktomb: Where are you getting your $20 cylinders? !?!? I can't seem to find them except at custom industrial suppliers for upwards of $150!

Please share a link?


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## Rev. Noch (Sep 2, 2008)

ernstdesigns said:


> Darktomb: Where are you getting your $20 cylinders? !?!? I can't seem to find them except at custom industrial suppliers for upwards of $150!
> 
> Please share a link?


I would try Automation direct:
http://www.automationdirect.com/adc...ound_Body,_Non-repairable)/1-1-z-16_inch_Bore


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## ernstdesigns (Sep 20, 2010)

Rev. Noch said:


> I would try Automation direct:
> http://www.automationdirect.com/adc...ound_Body,_Non-repairable)/1-1-z-16_inch_Bore


Thanks. I will see what they can get me. Makes my haunt safer!


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## craigsrobotics (Nov 20, 2007)

Thedarktomb said:


> This is just my opinion, but making homemade cylinders from anything just scares me. It doesn't matter what you use for material, if it's not done right, and done right every time, you run the risk of building a homemade hand grenade.
> 
> I've had no trouble finding industrial cylinders for under $20 including shipping. If nothing else, it gives me peace of mind given the cylinder has to be reliable over constant firing and will be in the proximity of kids.
> 
> ...




I COULDN'T AGREE MORE!!!!!!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS EVIL, BUY INDUSTRIAL!!!! One malfunction and you could have the lawsuit of a lifetime on your hands...


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## craigsrobotics (Nov 20, 2007)

also check eBay...


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## bfjou812 (Jun 6, 2008)

I read this thread as a source of humor..........Making a steel cylinder from your own ideas??????????? I guess the people who design and manufacture REAL cylinders don't have a clue as to how to do it .And I'm sure it would be a lot cheaper....LMAO!! If you buy PVC from the "box stores" you're getting the cheapest piece of crap going. If you would go to ANY reputable PVC company they will tell and warn you do not use pvc for any type of gas transportation, storage, or testing it WILL explode .I know because I was injured by pvc exploding on me ............And if you look at the post that shows Beco cylinders , check out their website. Those cylinders are designed for something totally different than what the average home haunter uses.


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## madmax (Dec 28, 2003)

bfjou812 said:


> I read this thread as a source of humor..........Making a steel cylinder from your own ideas??????????? I guess the people who design and manufacture REAL cylinders don't have a clue as to how to do it .And I'm sure it would be a lot cheaper....LMAO!! If you buy PVC from the "box stores" you're getting the cheapest piece of crap going. If you would go to ANY reputable PVC company they will tell and warn you do not use pvc for any type of gas transportation, storage, or testing it WILL explode .I know because I was injured by pvc exploding on me ............And if you look at the post that shows Beco cylinders , check out their website. Those cylinders are designed for something totally different than what the average home haunter uses.



Look, we all are using air cylinders for something totally different than what they are built for. The PVC air cylinders made by Beco are made to push or pull something just like any air cylinder. So what is your point? I find that a strange comment from a person that has never started a thread on a air prop and never posted a picture of a air prop he made. But really if doesn't matter if a home haunter can use them or not....I believe the statement made was "PVC was not designed for air cylinders"

Now I could be mistaken because I didn't look at all 8000+ post that you made. But I did look at every topic you started and 3000 of your post into other peoples topics. I couldn't find one picture or one comment by you of any air prop made by you. Tell me have you ever made any type of a air prop?

Since you talk like you are a expert on different grades of PVC maybe you can help me out and tell me why the PVC sold in "box stores" is "the cheapest piece of crap going"? PVC is PVC and once you add something to it, it's no longer "PVC" it becomes something else, like PVDF, or Polypropylene or a number of other things depending on what was added to the PVC. The difference on PVC comes from the thickness. Like schedule 40 or schedule 80 that you get at the "box stores"

I will asked the question one more time show me where a air cylinder made by a home haunter exploded.

But if you are so worried about safety and using things only for what the manufacturer intended it to be used for. Then why would you be trying to sell us home haunters this motor. Do you mean to tell me the manufacturer made this motor to run a fcg that is out in the weather for a month? 

HUGE SAFETY ISSUE, that is a electrocution just waiting to happen...the whole wiring and coils are exposed. I wonder what the maker of this motor, Rex Engineering, would have to say. I guess when there is a little money involved for you...safety just isn't as important.









BTW that PVC air line that exploded I bet you have no ideal if people bumped into, or how many times someone pulled on it trying to get their air hose or any other number of things that could have caused it to fail. But I do need to point out something you said on this topic before.

You said it failed as you was turning a valve off and it cut your finger. Then I asked you if it was a coupler/fitting and you said...no it broke in the middle of the run. I meant to ask you (it slipped my mind ) what kind of a valve in a PVC pipe doesn't use a coupler or some other type of fitting? 

I've be through many factories, auto body shops and a number of other places that used PVC for their air line. Most of the time It's 1/2 or 3/4 PVC which is way thinner than a 2 inch piece of PVC that most people that build their own air cylinder will use. 

I've also seen the abuse those lines take by workers bumping into them and stress put on the PVC lines by pulling on the air hose. And I also seen a lot of the lines mounted to a outside wall which is a lot colder than the inside temp. at the shop or factory. Just a guess on my part but I would think the cold air being carried through those concert blocks the air line is mounted to probably played a huge part in the failure of a lot of the PVC air lines that failed.

I will finish this by asking you again...have you ever seen a homemade air cylinder that exploded? Better yet have you even seen a real air cylinder that wasn't in a picture.

If anyone ever asked me which is the best and safest to use, a real air cylinder, or a PVC homemade cylinder. Of course I would say the real air cylinder is 100x better and safer. But sometimes a "real air cylinder" isn't a option for some people. Especially when it comes to long stroke cylinders (2+ feet) that would cost (just a guess) well over 100 dollars. Sometime that isn't in a persons budget. But used with a little caution a PVC air cylinder can be used safely.


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## madmax (Dec 28, 2003)

craigsrobotics said:


> I COULDN'T AGREE MORE!!!!!!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS EVIL, BUY INDUSTRIAL!!!! One malfunction and you could have the lawsuit of a lifetime on your hands...


 I wonder what the manufacturer of this air tank that you built would have to say about you removing air valves and replacing them with different valves and larger valves? I see you paid no attention to the warning about removing that little check valve. 









And I see you have a bungee cord around the tank to hold it down to a block. If it puts out that much force I wonder what would happen to a person if that thing failed. I see you are using 150 PSI, is that tank rated for 150 psi? Not to mention letting 150 psi hit a person...WOW!!!! Here's a quote from your site "150 PSI blast through a 2 foot steel pipe will make any visitor jump..." I will get back to the 150 PSI but first, you do realize that air has water in it and moisture and metal = rust? You get where I'm going with that? OK back to the biggest danger of all...hitting someone with that much pressure.










Here's another picture from your site...please tell me this isn't a storm door closer you are using












PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS EVIL, stop modifying air tanks and using them in a a way that could really hurt or even kill !!!! One malfunction and you could have the lawsuit of a lifetime on your hands..

Other than using a deadly weapon, as one of your props, you do excellence work .


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## kilroy (Oct 11, 2010)

Look .......mad max, 
I'm sure your a great haunter and know your air cylinders and all that crap, All I can say is the pvc that is in industrial cylinders is not the same as the crap your **** floats down thats at home depot, and thats were our little friend will get it and the industrial pvc cylinders you posted cost a arm and a leg and are only max 60 psi thats half of most compressors. Bottom line ............yes you may great at doing this your self, but do not mislead a 12 yr old kid into building fricking cylinders for Halloween so he can blow his fricking head off......get it now. give good advice that is save for all......and happy haunting "DUDE".


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## bfjou812 (Jun 6, 2008)

Mdamax, The motor you are refering to is totally safe , the coil is insulated the only wires you see are the ones to hook it up to the power source. As far as suggeting what to use it for ,I don't recall saying what to do , all I ever said was it was for sale.......I fully agree with what kilroy said ,as I was trying to say the same thing but apparently something was lost in the translation. As far as my injury ..it was a lot more than a "cut". I almost lost my finger. And last but not least I have been involved in maintenace mechanics positions for the past 20 years , I have seen more than my fair share of cylinders and do know what I'm talking about. All I'm saying is do not use PVC to make a cylinder , it is not worth the risk and if you look at reputable sites they say don't use it for storage or transportation of gas ...Shall we disscet one of your props for pros and cons? A shiutsau motor for a ground breaker ?Is that made for outdoors?This is the last I will comment on this due to profssioal reasons.


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## madmax (Dec 28, 2003)

kilroy you can't find one post where I tried to talk anyone into building a PVC air cylinder, and only a fool would use one at high pressure. Point is a PVC air cylinder can be used safely with a little bit of caution and at low pressure.

You and a few others are the people using hyper bold talk and doing it without one fact on your side. PVC doesn't become brittle unless its below 38 degrees or old and defected. If you are so concern about a young kid on this forum hurting their self maybe you should start at thread #1 on the forum and post warnings on every topic on this forum. 

There are many many many other things we build that's a lot more dangerous than a PVC Air Cylinder.....Electricity, power tools, knifes, Fog, motors strong enough to break bones and you could go on and on. Don't believe me take a look at http://www.halloweenforum.com/general-halloween/96829-whos-been-injured-halloween-job.html and we are grown people.

Now for the last time I will ask again....show one case where a haunter was injured by a PVC Air Cylinder? You noticed I'm not even asking for you to show me where one exploded....just any type of a injury. I showed you a 7 page thread with some major injuries from prop making...other than by a PVC air cylinder. 

bfjou812 you made my point for me...EVERYTHING we do can be dangerous if we don't use some caution and that includes the massager motors we use. If you go all the way back to when this topic started...I pointed out some safety precautions you can take with a PVC air cylinder. Use low pressure...wrap it with insulation if used in cold weather and wrap it in duct tape or build a enclosure to set the cylinder in.


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## propmastertucson (Mar 7, 2005)

*Pvc*

I have used PVC as part of my haunt for years. No blow outs, no killed ToT's. 

If you look at what you want to do, than look at the material that you want to do it with. At that point you should research and test your plan before ever putting it out. After testing it, test it again, will the design make it threw the night.

The thing that scares me with the gas cylinders is the HIGH PSI that they run at. They are designed to lift heavy objects. Are they made to be hit every couple of seconds with that high PSI. I don't know. 

Now that being said none of my PVC props are over a couple of pounds in weight. None of them run at a PSI over 30 PSI. All of them have vent holes at the end of the stroke and drop pressure. All of the lift poles have a safety stop line that prevent the full stroke of the lift pole. I use weed eater line for this and it is very strong.

So can they be used? I would say yes. Would I use it to lift any thing over a couple of pounds? NO. Would I run it over 30 PSI? NO.

PMT


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## thisain'tmayberry (Jan 25, 2010)

I can try to understand where Madmax is coming from. Safety concerns notwithstanding, I think the argument could be made today that tools like ebay or Craigslist can be used effectively to "Cyber-Scrounge" (my new handle?) in lieu of being forced to fabricate stuff yourself. Wasn't always that way in the age before the Internet. You got lucky scrounging or you fabricated it yourself.

Life is full of risks, most are manageable. Madmax, each of you and I knows where we draw the line on what risk we will accept. We know what we can (or want to) fabricate with a level of confidence that outweighs our perception of risk. Let's not bash each other over our personal choices - It's too close to show time!


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## thisain'tmayberry (Jan 25, 2010)

http://cgi.ebay.com/SMC-NCDA1C200-2...ic_Hydraulic_Valves_Parts&hash=item5d2bd52a68

2" bore, 24" stroke, 785 pounds of thrust, 20 bucks on ebay + $18 shipping . Took me about 30 seconds to find it. Dontcha just love the Internet?  Try to find THAT 20 years ago...

Sincerely, the Cyber-Scrounger


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## Autopsy (Sep 14, 2010)

Decided to delete. Don't want to get it fired back up. 


I've seen folks use the same PVC in shops for airlines for some paint rigs and airbrush setups. I used them myself. 


Not saying I don't think it happens, but I think it's probably because of a bad ingredient. 

EVERYTHING has other uses. If we all kept to "Intended Use" ... This forum probably wouldn't be here!

Just use common sense and as far as I go... I wouldn't use PVC cylinders for anything other than TCT's and such. WIth preventative, protective shielding. My cylinder I'm making isn't even sealed! 

Just be careful, that's all I gotta say. 

~{Autopsy}~


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## madmax (Dec 28, 2003)

thisain'tmayberry said:


> http://cgi.ebay.com/SMC-NCDA1C200-2...ic_Hydraulic_Valves_Parts&hash=item5d2bd52a68
> 
> 2" bore, 24" stroke, 785 pounds of thrust, 20 bucks on ebay + $18 shipping . Took me about 30 seconds to find it. Dontcha just love the Internet?  Try to find THAT 20 years ago...
> 
> Sincerely, the Cyber-Scrounger



That's a great buy...not as good as a few years ago when you could get a long stroke cylinder for 10 bucks on ebay. I hardly ever check ebay any more because most everything is either over priced or shipping cost is sky high.

If anybody is going to make a Jack In The Box this is the perfect cylinder to do that....perfect for a 4x4 foot JnB, or a acid spitter prop that pops out of a barrel. The air fittings & Clevis would cost you 5 or 6 dollars by their self 

Like I said over and over if you can afford to get a real air cylinder then of course that is the way to go. No worry about your cylinder breaking down (not talking about exploding  ) and not working and you can lift more weight. If it's going to cost anywhere close to build a air cylinder as it is to buying a real cylinder.......Buy the real cylinder.

Believe it or not I got everything on both of these tables ...shipped... for $200.00 on Ebay in 2006


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