NEOPRENE RUBBER

[schmanman]

I need a small piece of neoprene rubber for my new cannon. a piece 2 or 3 inches x 2 or 3 would be enough to where If I screw up, I can make another sealing surface. If anybody has any they could spare a small piece of, please pm me or reply here. It s small enough and light enough It could probably be slipped in an envelope and mailed. I will pm you my address and stuff. thanks so much for any help. also, would a small piece of bike innertube rubber work? It will go on a steel piston cannon, with a 1/4 and 3/8 inch barrel, with a piston valve (obviously) I will shoot steel bar and bb's. look for it soon.

[SpudStuff]

Yes! You can use the rubber from the buke innertube. In fact you can even use some tupperware lids or the silicone sturing stuck at the store. You know thoes little clear containers with the rubber caps for screws or nails? Well the lids work perfectly and they are quite cheap.

[schmanman]

thanks!

[L.J.R]

Another good rubber is the bladder from soccer balls and footballs. I think basketballs would work ok as well

[MrCrowley]

i used the sole of some sport shoe and it was rubbery and worked perfect but i found something better.

[schmanman]

last night, I was laying awake, and had a great idea. since they don't make 1/4 inch fernco rubber couplers, use surgical tubing to cover the 1/4 inch steel, and to create a rubber sealing face.

EDIT: since it is difficult to cut the surgical tubing perfectly straight, roll it back a little, and It becomes a nearly flat ( flat enough for sure) rubber sealing face. this, and bike inner tube on the piston almost guarantee a good seal, after a little tinkering, and a couple adjustments.

[boilingleadbath]

I have a 3" square peice of 3/16" 70A neoprene in an envelope at the moment. If the person who origionaly requested it still wants it... I'm still waiting for <i>your envelope</i> with the money in it...

...otherwise...

[mark.f]

Yeah. You want a thick material thats fairly hard and plenty durable for a sealing face, unless you want to replace it every 100 shots when the sealing surface slices through it like a punch.

[schmanman]

The inner tube wasn't up to my standards, and neither was superglue. I ended up getting some two part, self mixing epoxy in one of those dispensers. And for the sealing face, i took a small length of surgical tubing, cut it length wise, like when you make sheet PVC, then glued it on, and trimmed it. seals very nicely. It fills up instantly when hooked up to my 25 gallon compressor, and with a bike pump, 150 psi is easily achievable, In 6-7 pumps because the volume of the pump is greater than that of the chamber. oh, and since the sealing face is surgical tubing, and the pipe going through the reducer Is sleeved with surgical tubing, and rolled over where the piston seats, The pipe cant punch through the surgical tube on the piston.

[sgort87]

Personally, I order rubber sheets from McMaster.com. They got it to any specs you need really. And it always shows up at my house in two business days.

[schmanman]

wow, all that trouble, and even the epoxy doesn't bond to the rubber!! that's okay, though. The surgical tube going through the reducer then folded over did the trick, and some filing, then some emery cloth and a large buffer did the trick. now, the gun seals and functions properly! I accidentally shot a steel snow shovel in my barn when I bumped the blowgun. It would've gone through, but it was only at 80 psi!