# I'm looking for conical/tapered brass tube



## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Does anyone know of a source for conical/tapered shaped brass tubing? By that I mean it's wider at one end than the other.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

I've never seen it offered anywhere. I think there would need to be some common purpose (or maybe many purposes) already extant in order for anyone to offer it... besides... what taper are you seeking... there are an infinite number of tapers. 

I think you are going to have to either find something that already exists that uses the taper you need, or manufacture it yourself. 

Take a tube that is the largest diameter you want and slit it lengthwise in a wedge shape and then curl one end tighter and re-seal the seam as necessary for the purpose you have. (Rivet/solder/weld/???)


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## Jack - Freshwater Models (Feb 17, 2008)

Dimensions???????


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## david bunn (Jan 4, 2008)

Got to agree, never seen it and have always had to either roll it or slit a piece of tube of the diameter of the small end almost through,just leaving a very small piece intact and then spread the other end to the wider diameter.Once done you can solder in a triangular curved piece to fill the gap.Just remember that if it is for a boiler some coned boilers were level at the bottom and only coned at the top which makes the construction even more interesting!!!
Regards
Bunny


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## Paul Norton (Jan 8, 2008)

You could use one of the tapers off a funnel.


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Bunny,

Did you see the recent thread where someone used a tin can and inverted funnel for an upright boiler for a steam donkey? Looked darn good. Also, same thread, someone else used a Palmolive bottle and cap, which looked okay, too. (All this after painting, of course.)

A way--I'm just suggesting this for anyone who might be interested--a way to form a given taper with light metal is to take a block of wood, say a 2x4 scrap. Then set the table on your bandsaw to whatever taper you would like to have (within the limits of the machine) and cut a circle out of the scrap. You then have a tapered piece, flat on both ends around which you can form the metal. Or, form a piece of paper for a pattern, then lay it on the metal and cut to suit.

Be aware that there are limits to the smallness of the circle you can cut, depending on the front-to-back width of your sawblade. So for small circles under perhaps 4" you'd want a very narrow blade in the saw. Figure on staying outside the circle you thoughtfully scribed on the block of wood, as tilted saw bases cause interesting effects. I usually clamp a scab of furring strip on the table near the saw blade to act as a sorta base--at least it'll help a little. And don't expect a pencil-point, centered tip--the world's just not that forgiving. It'll get you close enough.


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## Chrisp (Jan 3, 2008)

Hello,

I second - or third- the funnel suggestion. Here's the funnel mentioned in the thread. It was a home-made job using sheet tin by a frugal person long ago. Buy or make your own.











You could also check out nozzles for frosting bags that they sell at kitchen stores. I used one for the stack of my Climax:


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## SandyR (Jan 6, 2008)

If it's a water tower spout that you're building, you could file a dowel to a bit less than the diameters of the small end and the large end, and then make a wrapper around it, using it as a form. Use 36 ga. brass from your local crafts store. You'll still have to cut it into three sections and reverse the second section, top to bottom, to get the spout shape...or maybe you could find someone who could turn the basic shape from a solid piece of metal... 
SandyR


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## FH&PB (Jan 2, 2008)

What dimensions are you looking for (approximately)? There are formulae for laying out cones from flat stock. Here's a simple one: http://www.red-bag.com/engintools/calccone.php. 

If you're doing a shallower cone, you'll have to accomodate for "tilting" that results when you cut a section out of a circular shape. That involves figuring the radius of the base, then dividing the cut-out crescent into sections and drawing an arc of the radius of the base on each section. Does that make sense? If not, I'll send you the procedure from "Laying Out For Boiler Makers", a splendid book.


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