"sucker" flexible ducting source?

I used to work in Seattle-area shipyards. I was never a welder, but I sure worked around welders a lot. Very often I'd see this 3" metal flex tubing snaking its way around the ship. It would of course wind up in some little compartment where someone was welding, and it sucked the fumes. I used to see the electricians and sheet metal guys setting up these little sheet metal fans. They had two 3" input ducts (for sucker hose) and one square or maybe rectangular output duct, which they invariably cobbled with duct tape onto a 6" exhaust vent.

Some time ago, I obtained one of these little fans. No ducting. It works fine, and now I'd like to put it into service. Only problem is the 1970s were a long time ago and now I can't find the sucker hose anywhere. I'm confident I can find exhaust vent hose (spiral cloth ducting) but I never ever see the actual flex metal sucker hose anywhere. No welding supply stores, no industrial supply, noplace online I can find, nowhere. I'd settle for flame-resistant 3" flex ducting, which is what they use nowadays in the shipyards, but I don't even know where to buy that. Everyone wants to sell me an $800 "fume extractor" machine with big overarms and stuff. I can't afford that!

Anyone?

Grant Erwin Seattle, Washington

Reply to
Grant Erwin
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Grant, I don't know if this is the same stuff, but the place I've found similar is at the scrap yard. The stuff I had was about 3", the sections having a flat finish, instead of an accordion (like a shop vac hose). I think auto repair places use the same stuff to run the exhaust outside.

Steve

Grant Erw> I used to work in Seattle-area shipyards. I was never a welder, but I

Reply to
Steve Smith

Go to

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and enter 176 (for page 176) in the search window. And there's more on the next page. Is that what you're looking for?

Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com

"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

Reply to
Keith Marshall

What about a Home Depot, Aluminum Dryer Vent Ducting, My welding school uses it and its all aluminum, is flexible and best part its CHEAP!!!!. G

Reply to
me

"Grant Erwin" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com... | I used to work in Seattle-area shipyards. I was never a welder, but I sure | worked around welders a lot. Very often I'd see this 3" metal flex tubing | snaking its way around the ship. It would of course wind up in some little | compartment where someone was welding, and it sucked the fumes. I used to see | the electricians and sheet metal guys setting up these little sheet metal fans. | They had two 3" input ducts (for sucker hose) and one square or maybe | rectangular output duct, which they invariably cobbled with duct tape onto a 6" | exhaust vent. | | Some time ago, I obtained one of these little fans. No ducting. It works fine, | and now I'd like to put it into service. Only problem is the 1970s were a long | time ago and now I can't find the sucker hose anywhere. I'm confident I can find | exhaust vent hose (spiral cloth ducting) but I never ever see the actual flex | metal sucker hose anywhere. No welding supply stores, no industrial supply, | noplace online I can find, nowhere. I'd settle for flame-resistant 3" flex | ducting, which is what they use nowadays in the shipyards, but I don't even know | where to buy that. Everyone wants to sell me an $800 "fume extractor" machine | with big overarms and stuff. I can't afford that! | | Anyone? | | Grant Erwin | Seattle, Washington

Grant, look under semi truck cabs. It's flexible exhaust pipe, and you can get it in bulk at truck suppliers, or you might be able to find something at a truck wrecking yard, although I think most of those yards are in the south end. Liable to be rusty/sticking and short, although I don't know what kind of length you need. You can get smaller sizes at auto parts stores; the rednecks use it when they don't want to buy bent pipe or have a shop do it properly The shipyards used it because it takes a beating way better than any non metallic tubing. The stuff used for auto exhaust will do, but it flops around a lot, while the metal tubing will be a bit more rigid and stay where you put it (newer stuff, that is.)

This is what you're talking about, right?

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Reply to
carl mciver

Yes, I just don't want to spend a 3 digit number on a welding sucker hose.

GWE

Reply to
Grant Erwin

Really, the super-thin stuff like tin foil? No kidding ..

GWE

Reply to
Grant Erwin

The dryer hose someone else mentioned would probably work OK but I've only seen it in 4" diameter so you'd have to adapt it.

Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com

"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

Reply to
Keith Marshall

If you go with the exhaust tubing for your main run, you might consider using something like flexible heater hose to go from he metal hose to your point of pickup. This would make it easier to position the pickup. I've bought this at PepBoys and I think it was maybe 3' long.

Reply to
Alex H. Sallwey

Yes, that's about it. Strange page, that. - GWE

Reply to
Grant Erwin

maybe

confident I can find

extractor" machine

F.B Wright is our local supplier (Detroit area)...

Reply to
Rick

Hey, I resemble that.. I don't use it on cars but I like it on a 4wd, it allows flex in the system and gives a place to give and fail, if need be, if you rub on a hump of dirt or some drifted snow. You can really bung up an exhaust when going backwards, the flex pipe will rip instead of folding shut.

John

Reply to
JohnM

Same stuff we use for remote venting of ovens. I have seen it at Lowes near the ovens and vent hoods.

Reply to
Steve W.

At the welding school, people are in day and nite classes 5 days a week. everyone re-positions their "sucker" to their liking and from what I've seen the dryer vent of today is a helluva lot thicker and more robust than the "tinfoil" vent hose of yesteryear, and yes I guess it is 4" but that only affords you more flow, less resistance and overall better "Suckage" of the fumes. g

Reply to
me

When are you coming through my place again? Ive got a 200' box of

2.5" spiral flex plastic hose. Tough stuff.

Gunner

"This device is provided without warranty of any kind as to reliability, accuracy, existence or otherwise or fitness for any particular purpose and Bioalchemic Products specifically does not warrant, guarantee, imply or make any representations as to its merchantability for any particular purpose and furthermore shall have no liability for or responsibility to you or any other person, entity or deity with respect to any loss or damage whatsoever caused by this device or object or by any attempts to destroy it by hammering it against a wall or dropping it into a deep well or any other means whatsoever and moreover asserts that you indicate your acceptance of this agreement or any other agreement that may he substituted at any time by coming within five miles of the product or observing it through large telescopes or by any other means because you are such an easily cowed moron who will happily accept arrogant and unilateral conditions on a piece of highly priced garbage that you would not dream of accepting on a bag of dog biscuits and is used solely at your own risk.'

Reply to
Gunner

Too small, however. I need some 3" flex metal ducting, maybe two 25' pieces, for intake, and an 8" spiral cloth exhaust duct, can be cloth or thermoplastic, maybe 15-20' long.

It is very hard for me to believe how hard this stuff is to find locally. The big box stores used to carry materials for making dust extractors for woodworking -- no more. They used to carry generic duct materials, no more. Great place to buy resin patio chairs, though - pfah!

I did buy a short 8' piece of aluminum semi-rigid duct, though. I'll try that out for a bit and see if it can handle being a few inches from an arc.

GWE

Reply to
Grant Erwin

It really doesnt need to be that close to the arc,, given a decent airflow and some intelligent drafting.

Have you looked here?

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Gunner

"This device is provided without warranty of any kind as to reliability, accuracy, existence or otherwise or fitness for any particular purpose and Bioalchemic Products specifically does not warrant, guarantee, imply or make any representations as to its merchantability for any particular purpose and furthermore shall have no liability for or responsibility to you or any other person, entity or deity with respect to any loss or damage whatsoever caused by this device or object or by any attempts to destroy it by hammering it against a wall or dropping it into a deep well or any other means whatsoever and moreover asserts that you indicate your acceptance of this agreement or any other agreement that may he substituted at any time by coming within five miles of the product or observing it through large telescopes or by any other means because you are such an easily cowed moron who will happily accept arrogant and unilateral conditions on a piece of highly priced garbage that you would not dream of accepting on a bag of dog biscuits and is used solely at your own risk.'

Reply to
Gunner

The other deal is you will need to set it up with a sliding door INSIDE the tubing, helping you regulate how much suction, too much and your shielding gas will be sucked away and your weld quality will suffer, not enough and you'll be choking on the fumes. G

Reply to
me

No, I hadn't looked there, but that's the stuff the big box stores carry. I picked up an 8-footer of that stuff for about $7 last night.

I need some 8" blower duct too.

GWE

Reply to
Grant Erwin

Rats - have some wanting in the Yard Barn - it was the heavy duty 'sucking' tube that had a large metal end with a handle. Was connected to my 12HP chipper. Sucks the leaves, twigs and small anything off the ground. I stopped using it. Gave the unit finally to a friend for the motor.

Maybe a Chipper or small engine repair place can find a part number... The chipper company went belly up.

Martin

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

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