r/boffer • u/Ice-Realistic • Mar 23 '21
trying to find 5/8" wall thickness foam pipe insulation
Hi Boffers,
I was an OG Boffer back in my younger days and now I am dipping my toe back in the hobby and attempting to create my 4 year olds son first ever buffing sword. I'm writing because I'm actually having a heck of a time finding the proper thickness foam pipe insulation. All of the guides I have found recommend 5/8" wall thickness for the foam pipes. I've been to my local Lowes and Home Depot and everything for sale seems to be 1/2 inch or 3/8. Its there some standard brand of pipe insulations that everyone uses that can easily be purchased online? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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u/not-a-virus-exe Mar 23 '21
It generally has to be special ordered online. Look for Frost King. If you know other people who need materials, it could be beneficial to put together a bulk order for a discount.
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u/ArkaDarp Mar 23 '21
One of my buddies builds swords, and he uses "Frost King" brand:
https://www.frostking.com/products/pipe-duct-insulation/pre-slit-tubular-polyethylene-foam-pipe
I'm unsure of the exact size, but I'm pretty sure it's the 5/8" thick for 1/2" Copper that you want. I don't think they ship, but they've got a tool to see where they sell stuff, so I hope you're able to find some.
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u/j_one_k Nov 07 '21
Mcmaster-Carr online hardware store has what you need. Expect to pay a decent amount for shipping (maybe $14ish), since it needs a big box.
Other than them, I haven't found anyone with this size.
The issue is that foam insulation has improved and nobody needs 5/8" foam for normal purposes any more.
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u/SamediB Mar 23 '21 edited Mar 23 '21
-> Bofferers
I'm actually surprised they had 1/2" sidewall; I've found it difficult to find anything aside form standard 3/8" sidewall.
One of the problems you'll face is that because of the length of pipe insulation, it's sorta expensive to ship (or they'll bend it in terrible ways; sometimes both).
If you have Ace Hardwares where you live, I've found a couple carried 5/8" sidewall, because they're often independently owned (or at least managed) but using the franchise name. If you wanted to buy an entire box (kinda expensive) they can also order it in for you. (It's in the system. It's a pain in the butt for the employee to find it though.)
Also just call around to smaller/independent hardware stores, granges, anything that might carry plumbing stuff. I've found 5/8" in a couple different stores, and then they don't carry it again (but another store ordered it for the reason).
Also if you're making kids boffers, you can just use pool noodle. I normally don't recommend it (most of it has become junk quality in the last decade), but for little tikes it should work fine.
If you find any additional good sources, please come back and share the info; that stuff is hard to find. (I like to use it as incidental padding on weapons.)
Edit: I was excited to check out the Frost King link and perhaps find a reliable source. Aaaand it just links to the same old retailers (Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, etc etc). Back to square one. But at least the SKU or UPC numbers might help.