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brimorse
10-19-2010, 08:34 PM
Greetings All,

Does anyone know the exact name of the material the black Smith tubes are made of? Just curious...

Best regards,

Brian
Joseph Plakis Jr, 00302V
10-22-2010, 08:13 AM
Brian
If you are talking about the newest black tubes that are sold the maker says they are rubber (I think it is silicone rubber). If you are talking about the black tubes that have been sold for the last 15 or 20 years they are made out of Polyethylene. Polyethylene is the same material that they use to make milk jugs. Polyethylene is about the cheapest material that can be used in injection molding. The Polyethylene distorts and swells as you use the tubes. The flash hole also enlarges with each and every shot.
The best injection molded tubes were the old white nylon tubes that were sold years ago. They stopped making them because they lasted too long (God bless capitalism).

Joe Plakis Jr, (the older Joe Plakis)
Hampton Legion 00302v
Scott Culver
10-24-2010, 10:07 PM
Joe, the white tubes shattered when they got cold, so every material has limitations.
Southron Sr.
10-26-2010, 09:40 AM
I got several hundred of those "white" Smith tubes. Approximately 1/3 of them had to be scrapped after the first time they were used. I considered them JUNK.

Maybe I got a "bad batch" but I will never buy another white Smith tube.
Joseph Plakis Jr, 00302V
10-26-2010, 09:51 AM
The original White tubes were from Mike Yeck and they were Nylon. They lasted forever. After Mike stopped selling them someone came out with white tubes they were polyethelene and yes they were no good. I still have about 100 of the old Nylon tubes - the problem with them was the flash hole enlarged.
I put metal inserts in them and they are still shootable.
Joe Plakis Jr
Hampton Legion
Joe Plakis, 9575V
10-26-2010, 09:53 AM
There are two types of White Smith tubes, the cheaper of the two is just made of the same milk jug material and has all of the same issues as the black tubes. The other white tubes were glass filled nylon, those where the good white tubes.
musketjon
11-03-2010, 02:05 AM
If you can find some made out of Delrin, that's the way to go.
Jon