Hypodermic needle tubing

[Alleycat]

I have been trying to find a source for an assortment of inexpensive hypodermic tubing in 14-30 gauges. I have searched and searched on line but still come up empty. I have seen assortments of dispensing needles with the luer-lock plastic caps but that just adds cost, and they are only 1/2 inch long. Hypodermic needles are illegal without a prescription here in California so it needs to be just the tubing. Anyone know of a source or have an idea?

Thanks

[Netz]

In stead of trying to find Hypodermic needles, just try Stainless Tubing, there were a few Hobby Based suppliers.

Also search the Forums here as this subject came up a while back (year or 2)

I did a quick search and found this place, look it over and see if they have what you need.

Curt

Stainless Tubing

[Triarius]

Here's where I buy mine: Component Supply.

Small Parts, once my supplier of choice, got gobbled by Amazon.

[Incaroad]

One source you might try...

http://www.mcmaster.com/#hypodermic-tubing/=xfys7b

my 2¢

Larry

[SonyKen]

All,

That is some small stuff with some really small wall thickness'. It would be great for pitot tubes on aircraft and gun barrels on small scale armor pieces, but how would you cut the stuff? I know that the best way to cut it since it is stainless steel, would be a cut off wheel chucked up in a Dremel, but that would leave burrs that would be the devil to clean up. I don't think that make tubing cutters that are small enough to cut that, do they? Thanks for the information!

Best Regards,

Ken Bailey

(SonyKen)

Edited June 2, 2015 by SonyKen

[Alleycat]

Thanks for the replies. I actually specified "Hypodermic tubing" and NOT needles. I believe that is the correct term for small gauge stainless steel tubing. I searched the forum and found the previous thread but did not see the answer to my question. I had seen all three of these sites but was hoping to find a source that had an assortment pack and was a little cheaper. Not knowing what size ID and OD are most useful I wanted to get one of each but not at over $100. Still, McMaster-Carr has 1 ft. lengths for not too outrageous a price if I can narrow down the best sizes.

So can anyone with experience recommend the most useful sizes (ID and OD) for 1/72 jet and 1/48 WWII fighter pitot tubes and guns/cannon?

I have read that the best way to cut it is by using the corner of a small hobby file to file part way through and then break it off while holding between two sets of pliers and then just clean it up with a file or sanding stick. I have not tried it.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Alleycat

[dnl42]

Since you're in San Jose, this page lists the Albion Alloys products carried by Sprue Bros. For a tubing assortment, look for the "Selection Pack".

HTH

[Triarius]

Thanks for the replies. I actually specified "Hypodermic tubing" and NOT needles. I believe that is the correct term for small gauge stainless steel tubing. I searched the forum and found the previous thread but did not see the answer to my question. I had seen all three of these sites but was hoping to find a source that had an assortment pack and was a little cheaper. Not knowing what size ID and OD are most useful I wanted to get one of each but not at over $100. Still, McMaster-Carr has 1 ft. lengths for not too outrageous a price if I can narrow down the best sizes.

So can anyone with experience recommend the most useful sizes (ID and OD) for 1/72 jet and 1/48 WWII fighter pitot tubes and guns/cannon?

I have read that the best way to cut it is by using the corner of a small hobby file to file part way through and then break it off while holding between two sets of pliers and then just clean it up with a file or sanding stick. I have not tried it.

I sent the powers that be at ARC my table of correct tubing sizes for gun barrels and pitot tubes years ago, but I don't know if they ever posted it. You might try looking for it. If I upload it in this post, the formatting gets screwed up (it's an Excel file, also available as a .pdf.)

As for cutting, I chuck the part of the tube I want in a pin vise, hold the larger piece with hand or hemostat, and cut with an abrasive disk.

[balls47]

I contacted a local "mom & pop" pharmacy. The owner told me that he could order 12" lengths of non-sterile hypodermic needle. He said that the non-sterile is much cheaper and I can cut it in needed lengths by purchasing 12" pieces.

Edited June 3, 2015 by balls47

[balls47]

All,

That is some small stuff with some really small wall thickness'. It would be great for pitot tubes on aircraft and gun barrels on small scale armor pieces, but how would you cut the stuff? I know that the best way to cut it since it is stainless steel, would be a cut off wheel chucked up in a Dremel, but that would leave burrs that would be the devil to clean up. I don't think that make tubing cutters that are small enough to cut that, do they? Thanks for the information!

Best Regards,

Ken Bailey

(SonyKen)

I cut mine with a dremel cut off wheel. I tape the piece down with masking tape and cut it through the tape. This keeps the pieces from flying all over the place and seems to cut down on the burrs.

[Alleycat]

Balls47, I tried 3 local pharmacies and even showed them pages 39 and 40 of "Applied Modeling Encyclopedia" - euro Modelismo by Squadron/Signal and they could not help me. Did you ask your pharmacy about their source? or the pricing? Maybe you could provide contact info on the pharmacy. That would help alot.

I had forgotten about this. Your last post reminded me that I did that once. I used the needle from a dispensing bottle, put masking tape around it and used my dremel cut-off wheel to slice off a couple of 1/48 A6M2 cannon barrels for inside the wing. It worked perfectly with very little cleanup needed. The dispensing bottle cost $3 at the hobby shop, kind of expensive for 2x1/4" barrels. Since then I have been using Master barrels and pitot tubes but at $9.95 Canadian for two .50 Cal barrels (http://www.ultracast.ca/products/Master/48%20Scale/MAM-48-001/default.htm) it is kind of expensive. For barrels with holes or groves in the cooling shroud I guess this is OK, but just for tubes I think hypodermic tubing is a better value. 12" pieces sounds perfect but $7 to $10 apiece is too much to buy one in every gauge for any eventuality. If I can find these for $2-3 for a 12" piece I will jump on it. That would get you one of each gauge from 14ga to 30ga for less than $50 even with shipping.

I am surprised more folks are not interested in this idea. I did look into needles from veterinary suppliers but they will not ship to California.

Triarius sent me his chart cross-linking tube gauge with gun caliber and pitot size (thanks) but I can not figure it out. It shows 1/32 scale .50 Cal as 27ga but 1/48 .50 Cal as 26ga. 1/48 is smaller than 1/32 but 26ga is larger in diameter than 27ga. This inconsistency exists several places in the chart so I think that maybe I am reading it wrong. I do understand wire gauge and caliber being that I am an Electrical Engineer with over 20 years experience on the electrical systems and wiring harnesses on a military weapon system with guns.

I guess if I knew the ID and OD numbers on any barrel or pitot I could do the conversion myself. So does anyone know of a source for this info other than searching the net and hoping I stumbler on it? Here is an example for anyone who does not understand what I mean:

I want to replace the pitot tube on a 1/72 Fujimi A-6A Intruder with needle tubing. The kit part is too fragile, bulky and unconvincing. The pitot tube itself is located near the top of the leading edge of the vertical tail. It is quite long for a pitot tube, starts with one diameter and steps down to a smaller diameter as you move forward. If I knew the diameter and lengths of the two sections I could fabricate a perfect replacement using needle tubing and sliding one section inside the other. I could then dispose of the poor kit part. Even if I did not know for sure I could estimate the sizes based on the kit part and photographs of the actual aircraft. If I had multiple sizes of tubing available it would make this process easier. That is why I am looking for tubing. Note that the online hobby shops do not have small enough or as high quality tubing as I am looking for. I did order some but it seems pretty useless for most purposes.

Sorry about the long post but I believe this is an important and interesting topic.

[duck]

Photo etch saws will work when cutting tubing.

http://umm-usa.com/onlinestore/product_info.php?cPath=21_28&products_id=35

[balls47]

Balls47, I tried 3 local pharmacies and even showed them pages 39 and 40 of "Applied Modeling Encyclopedia" - euro Modelismo by Squadron/Signal and they could not help me. Did you ask your pharmacy about their source? or the pricing? Maybe you could provide contact info on the pharmacy. That would help alot.

I had forgotten about this. Your last post reminded me that I did that once. I used the needle from a dispensing bottle, put masking tape around it and used my dremel cut-off wheel to slice off a couple of 1/48 A6M2 cannon barrels for inside the wing. It worked perfectly with very little cleanup needed. The dispensing bottle cost $3 at the hobby shop, kind of expensive for 2x1/4" barrels. Since then I have been using Master barrels and pitot tubes but at $9.95 Canadian for two .50 Cal barrels (http://www.ultracast.ca/products/Master/48%20Scale/MAM-48-001/default.htm) it is kind of expensive. For barrels with holes or groves in the cooling shroud I guess this is OK, but just for tubes I think hypodermic tubing is a better value. 12" pieces sounds perfect but $7 to $10 apiece is too much to buy one in every gauge for any eventuality. If I can find these for $2-3 for a 12" piece I will jump on it. That would get you one of each gauge from 14ga to 30ga for less than $50 even with shipping.

I am surprised more folks are not interested in this idea. I did look into needles from veterinary suppliers but they will not ship to California.

Triarius sent me his chart cross-linking tube gauge with gun caliber and pitot size (thanks) but I can not figure it out. It shows 1/32 scale .50 Cal as 27ga but 1/48 .50 Cal as 26ga. 1/48 is smaller than 1/32 but 26ga is larger in diameter than 27ga. This inconsistency exists several places in the chart so I think that maybe I am reading it wrong. I do understand wire gauge and caliber being that I am an Electrical Engineer with over 20 years experience on the electrical systems and wiring harnesses on a military weapon system with guns.

I guess if I knew the ID and OD numbers on any barrel or pitot I could do the conversion myself. So does anyone know of a source for this info other than searching the net and hoping I stumbler on it? Here is an example for anyone who does not understand what I mean:

I want to replace the pitot tube on a 1/72 Fujimi A-6A Intruder with needle tubing. The kit part is too fragile, bulky and unconvincing. The pitot tube itself is located near the top of the leading edge of the vertical tail. It is quite long for a pitot tube, starts with one diameter and steps down to a smaller diameter as you move forward. If I knew the diameter and lengths of the two sections I could fabricate a perfect replacement using needle tubing and sliding one section inside the other. I could then dispose of the poor kit part. Even if I did not know for sure I could estimate the sizes based on the kit part and photographs of the actual aircraft. If I had multiple sizes of tubing available it would make this process easier. That is why I am looking for tubing. Note that the online hobby shops do not have small enough or as high quality tubing as I am looking for. I did order some but it seems pretty useless for most purposes.

Sorry about the long post but I believe this is an important and interesting topic.

Alleycat, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that it was really inexpensive at the time when I asked the owner. IIRC, the price was less than $5 for the 12 piece. The bad news is that the owner sold out, but the store is still in business. My neighbor girl is a pharmacist, so I can check with her. I'll get back with you if/when I get an answer. Either way, I'll let you know.

[chukw]

Albion Alloys make it easy with their nesting sets. Brass is easy to solder, both brass and alu cut easily by rolling a knife blade over the tubing and then snapping it off. That method is also how I cut stainless. HTH!

[TheRealMrEd]

A tube size I use is as follows:

*****************************************************************

1/72 -

.30cal / 7.92mm = 33 gauge (.004 Inch ID)

.50cal / 13mm = 29 gauge (.007Inch ID - .013 Inch OD)

20mm = 28 gauge (.010 Inch ID - .014 Inch OD)

30mm = 23 gauge (.017 Inch ID - .025 Inch OD)

1/48 -

.50cal / 12.7mm / 13mm = 28gauge (.014Inch OD & .010 Inch ID)

20mm = 23 gauge (.025" OD & .017" ID)

30mm = 20 gauge (.0355" OD & .026" ID)

1/32 -

20mm = 20 gauge

30mm = 18gauge (.050" OD & .038" ID)

****************************************************************

You can figure it yourself. Let's say we need a .50 cal wing gun. We know the I.D. is .50 inch, and the O.D. (figuring barrel walls of at least 1/4") would at least be 1.0 Inch. That would be 12.7mm I.D. and 25.4mm O.D.

Divide each number by the scale (1/72 is 1" = 72") or 72, so 0.5"/72 = .0069" I.D. and 1.0"/72 = 0.0138" O.D. (Or 0.176 mm and 0.3527 mm, respectively.

Look at each suppliers offerings. I usually try to get closest to the I.D. number, because I rarely have a .50 cal aircraft weapon laying around to measure!

[compressorman]

I cut mine with a dremel cut off wheel. I tape the piece down with masking tape and cut it through the tape. This keeps the pieces from flying all over the place and seems to cut down on the burrs.

What a great idea! Thanks

Chris

[Lucas C.]

A tube size I use is as follows:

*****************************************************************

1/72 -

.30cal / 7.92mm = 33 gauge (.004 Inch ID)

.50cal / 13mm = 29 gauge (.007Inch ID - .013 Inch OD)

20mm = 28 gauge (.010 Inch ID - .014 Inch OD)

30mm = 23 gauge (.017 Inch ID - .025 Inch OD)

1/48 -

.50cal / 12.7mm / 13mm = 28gauge (.014Inch OD & .010 Inch ID)

20mm = 23 gauge (.025" OD & .017" ID)

30mm = 20 gauge (.0355" OD & .026" ID)

1/32 -

20mm = 20 gauge

30mm = 18gauge (.050" OD & .038" ID)

****************************************************************

You can figure it yourself. Let's say we need a .50 cal wing gun. We know the I.D. is .50 inch, and the O.D. (figuring barrel walls of at least 1/4") would at least be 1.0 Inch. That would be 12.7mm I.D. and 25.4mm O.D.

Divide each number by the scale (1/72 is 1" = 72") or 72, so 0.5"/72 = .0069" I.D. and 1.0"/72 = 0.0138" O.D. (Or 0.176 mm and 0.3527 mm, respectively.

Look at each suppliers offerings. I usually try to get closest to the I.D. number, because I rarely have a .50 cal aircraft weapon laying around to measure!

One key thing to remember for the .30 and .50 cal guns is that, on airplanes, they generally use a different barrel with a shroud. This shroud makes the outer diameter noticeably larger. See this site for the exact dimensions of the .50 cal barrel. When you take that into account, 22 gauge would be best for a .50 cal airplane barrel in 1/72 (closest OD). I double-checked these numbers with the 1/72 aftermarket barrels I have (generic M2s and P-47 barrels) and the 22 gauge tubing is an almost exact match. Doing the math for 1/48, the closest gauge would be 18.

Edited June 6, 2015 by Lucas C.

[Alleycat]

I just received one of each of the Albion Alloys variety packs(ALBSFT1 and ALBSFT2 - $6.49 each) from Sprue Brothers yesterday. Thanks for the suggestion chukw. There are 4 x 12" (actually 305mm) pieces in each pack (one each of 0.3-0.5-0.7-0.9mm and 0.4-0.6-0.8-1.0mm). I don't know off the top of my head what gauge these correspond to. They do look like they will make an acceptable alternative to hypodermic tubing. I have not tried it yet so can not say for sure how well it will work but I do like that I can solder it if needed.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Alleycat