Where do you get brass tubing for scale models?

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Guys, where do you get this (telescoping) brass tubing that I’ve been reading about? You know, the stuff used to replace kit parts like the plastic gun/cannon barrels and pipes in models? Up to now, I still utilize a model’s boxed parts and just drill the appropriate holes in the tips to simulate real pipes or gun barrels. I’ve seen these brass tubes used in various models in the modelling magazines I read and I must say they look spiffy and convincing. So, I’ve decided to give these brass thingies a try in my next (WWII) model. Do you just buy these at a hardware store, or are these specialized parts like aftermarket accessories? I’d appreciate info on sizes (diameter and length) and where to get/order them. Thanks!

2

http://www.karaya.ceti.pl/eng/browning.html

is this what you mean? otherwise i am lost…[^]

Regards
Hector.[:D]

3

Many hobby shops carry ranges of plastic sheet, rod, sectoins and tube, and often also carry ranges of brass and nickel silver sheet, sections and tube. Try shops doing model railway or radio control stuff, or hobby shops that look a bit more “serious” about it and not too much like toy shops!

4

Thanks, mandrake, for the feedback, but what I’m looking for seem to be just plain “mini-pipes” or small brass tubes (mini-straws? [:D]). The machine gun replicas though look awesome and incredible (you can see the cooling holes in the barrels!) – maybe fit for a future project, eh? Anyway, thanks for answering and will keep looking for info about these tubes.

5

Brass tubing is really too big to be accurate for the scale, so what most people use is hypodermic tubing like they sell here:
http://www.smallparts.com/
Click on the “Components” link and you will find the tubing.

Mike

6

Many hobby shops, especially those carrying model railroad supplies, Stock the K&S line of brass materials. The smallest tubing that I’ve found is 1/32" diameter with a .006" bore, which is useable on most 1/72 scale AC. Next sizes up are 3/64" with a .006" bore & 1/16" with a .014" bore. These sizes are more appropriate on 1/48 scale AC. They are sold in 12" lengths and cost about $0.79 per tube. The brass is a little easier to cut than the stainless steel tubing mentioned in other posts.

7

Rick,

That .006" number you gave for the tubing is the wall thickness, not the bore diameter.
The 1/32" tubing has a .006" wall thickness but the ID is .020" which would translate to 1.44" in 1/72 scale which is much too big for .50 cal machine gun barrels.

The 3/64" has an ID of .035" which would translate to 1.68" in 1/48 and the 1/16" tubing has an ID of .050" which would be 2.4" in 1/48.

This is why I recommended the hypodermic tubing. [;)]

Mike

8

GO MIKEY, GO MIKEY, GO MIKEY!!! [:D][:P][;)]

9

Thanks a mil for the advice, Rick and Mike. I’m gonna use these tubings for both 1/72 and 1/48 scale models and I can see there is a bundle of sizes available. Just have to find out what the O.D. and I.D. of the real things are (e.g., .50-cal Browning) to get an approximate scale idea of what sizes to buy. Well, thanks again and more power to you guys! [^]

Regards,
Onyan

10

Onyan,

A .50 cal barrel would of course be .50" ID so dividing that into 1/48 scale would give you an ID of .01" which would equate to 22 gauge hypodermic tubing.
For 1/72 scale it would be .007" which is around 28 gauge hypodermic tubing, which is some small stuff. [;)]

Mike

11

MikeV,

Yup, I’m sure about the ID but not so much on the OD. Using your 28-gauge as an example, the 0.014" OD equates to approx. 1" in real life. I guess that’s a good enough estimate for the Browning in 1/72 scale. Thanks!

onyan