Re: ATM O.K. you idea people

["Bob May" <bobmay@nethere.com>]

Copper would have serious problems for strength as it sits.  It's a very
soft metal until you work harden it which will be a lot of work.  I don't
know how thick the sheet is but you will have to remember that you will have
to lift the entire sheet of copper and even more as you will be turning it
all into the tube.  On top of that, you need to to reinforce the secondary
area to keep the metal from deforming.  The metal blackens very nicely
(clean, clean and warm the metal when blackening!).
As to the not quite long enough sheet, you can always solder a ring on at
some point to lengthen the tube and this could also handle the Alt.
bearings - the sleeve could be inside and a ring could be of brass between
the two copper pieces (and the solder joints) to enhance the beauty of the
tube.
Bob May
My new web space address is http://webu.wigloo.com/bobmay/ or
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and my new email address is bobmay@nethere.com
Bob May