What's a cheap way to make different size of steel cylinder shapes?

[Anonymous No.2737440]

I'm making some metal art and need different sizes of cylinder shaped pieces. Diameters in mm are: 20, 32, 55, 70, 75, 80, 95, 140, 155, 250mm. Length ranges from 30 to 200mm. Normal steel.

Now I could go to the metal store and buy different sized pipes but some of those larger sizes get very thick and expensive. And since I only need small parts of it I'd have a lot of leftover pipe.

Another option would be to buy some 1mm plate and cut out the circumference then ply it to the desired shape. But then I still need something of those sizes to ply it around. Maybe some pvc pipes?

If anyone has a good idea to do this on the cheap, I'd love to hear it.

[Anonymous No.2737453]

>>2737440
metal isn't cheap. best to buy what is made in the largest quantities for general plumbing applications. black iron is probably your best option without breaking your wallet. really common here in the states. dunno about where you are.

[Anonymous No.2737472]

Electrical metallic tubing(aka steel conduit) I think would be good for your purposes, at least for the smaller sizes, though I would check at an electric supply store rather than Home Depot as you might get better prices. Though I'm doubtful you will find anything bigger than 6 inches, and anything over 2in is basically impossible to bend by hand.

[Anonymous No.2737481]

>>2737472

I don't mean bending the tubes or pipes. I meant cutting out a rectangle from the 1mm plate and bending that around a cheap piece of pvc pipe. It doesn't have to be perfectly round.

Basically I need to come up with something cheap of the right diameter and size that's strong enough to bend a 1mm plate around. Once it's bent 360° I can just weld the edges together, and then cut out a top circle from the plate, weld that on there to close it off.

Unless they want to sell me some leftover pieces that I can just cut to measure myself. But that would still give me some thick walled pipes to work with for the larger sizes.

[Anonymous No.2737498]

>>2737481
I see. Well perhaps the cheapest way would be to make a type of cast by rolling some type of thick but soft compound, and you could use a wire to cut a hole through the centers, then fill the molds with something hard like concrete. You would end up with concrete cylinders to fold the metal on. Would be cheap and you could get the exact size you want, though I have no idea what material would be good for a mold, but something like play dough I would assume.

[Anonymous No.2737616]

Trying to bend plate into tube by hand will look like complete shit, not even anywhere close to round. Go to scrap yards until you find what you’re looking for. Ask them nicely to cut off small pieces for you.

[Anonymous No.2737622]

>>2737440
OP do you have access to a wood lathe?
You could probably bend the metal around a wooden cylinder with a hammer and some clamps.
But you'd have to get or make wood cylinders the appropriate diameters to be your anvils.

[Anonymous No.2737629]

If all you want is 1mm thick tubing for such short lengths, the way to do this is to roll it to the diameter you want from sheet steel in the diameter above an inch or so. If you buy one of the generic Chinese shear/brake/rolls that would work for the larger size ranges you mention. The smaller sizes could be machined from bar stock.

ideally you re-roll to get a high quality result. so roll to base shape. weld the kerf, grind the weld flat, then reroll the tube.

[Anonymous No.2737631]

>>2737629
This is the correct answer

[Anonymous No.2738821]

>>2737629
Is a sensible answer. Before investing in more tooling know you can actually sell what you make. If you're any good than your profits will pay for decent equipment to speed production and make more money.

Make personal connections at scrapyards, metal suppliers and fab shops since leftovers are easy to monetize, metal art being just easy kitsch when it's make in that style. Alexander Calder style dangling art was a favorite of one of my welding instructors because it's popular and easy.

[Anonymous No.2738830]

>>2737440
>>2737453
Metal suppliers will have structural pipe of various wall thicknesses. They will have people at the front desk willing to cut you a deal if you tell them it's for an art project. Bring a portfolio. They only care about their competition not making a buck. They sell plumbing grade pipe that comes with certificates ($$$) or "regular pipe" that does not come with certificates (cheaper). Hardware stores and plumbing suppliers will only have heavy schedule stuff for actual plumbing, with a plumbing certification markup.
Curtain poles, grab bars, roll cages, buggy chassis, lazy boy chairs etc are thin-walled. They are getting their metal from somewhere too and it's not the plumbing section at Home Depot.
>1mm sheet
You will never roll 1mm plate by hand. Plus you will have to run a continuous weld along to close it and make it not bend just by trying to support its own weight. Look at videos of how factories make steel pipe. You are grossly underestimating the amount of effort required to make pipes the way you describe.
>>2737472
Nasty stuff, dirty galvanized disgusting. No want.
>>2737498
Wut.
>>2737616
Only sane answer so far.

[Anonymous No.2739163]

>>2737440
simplify your design to one or two or maybe three diameters based on your budget. then just buy the tube sizes with the wall thickness you want from a steel supplier and cut to the length you need. anything else is a collosal waste of time. hell even if you need all sizes its still cheaper to just buy the correct tubes in the 20ft lengths then try to fab some stupid shit