"Wayne Bengtsson" wrote in message ...
"Allan Adler" wrote in message
...

The questions a
(1) How would one make a long metal pipe (e.g. a few feet) which is as
thin
and as hollow as a syringe needle?

As a thought exercise only, I offer the following possibilities:

1a-start off with a flat sheet, of the right width. form it first into a
"u" shape, then into an "0" shape. gently heat the resultant shape using
electricity to "weld" the seam together.
1b- syringe needles, joined end to end, with flared joints
1c- make a mold, using tungsten wire as the core.
1d-use an extruding mold, and a metal that's soft enough and melts at a low
enough temperature to pass through it. You specify "metal". You don't say
which type.

(2) And what if one wanted the pipe to follow some path other than
straight?
Probably it is too thin to bend without closing it off, no matter how
carefully one tries to do it. Maybe one has to make miniature versions
of all of the standard plumbing fixtures and, to make sure the
connections
are strong enough, one allows the outer diameters of the pipes to
increase
where the threads are. So that feature of the pipe design would also
have
to be included.

2a-compression fittings
2b-make the bends big enough and the tubing won't kink.




Ignorantly,
Allan Adler



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* Disclaimer: I am a guest and *not* a member of the MIT Artificial
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* Intelligence Lab. My actions and comments do not reflect
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I'd just order ss hypodermic tubing and components from
smallparts.com.
They're not cheap, but a hell of a lot faster and easier than making
the tubing, connectors, and fittings yourself.
As far as bending goes... I never tried to bend hypo tube and I hope
I never have to.

John B.

P.S. I have no connection with Small Parts Inc. (In fact, I think some
of their prices are "down right criminal") but when it comes to low
volume orders of small components, they're often the only source -
that I have found anyway.