Need LRT !

Guides and discussions about building water blasters and other water warfare devices such as water balloon launchers.
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soakinader
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Need LRT !

Post by soakinader » Thu Jul 04, 2013 6:09 pm

So I tried to order some LRT from McMaster. I got this message:
Due to the complexity of U.S. export regulations, McMaster-Carr accepts international orders only from our established customers. This decision also applies to orders shipping within the United States, because it is based on the final destination of the items. We cannot accept this order or future orders.
US export regulations my butt. That's legal speak for screw you, buddy.

So that's it. I can't even get anything shipped nearby to the US because the "final destination" is in Canada. Note the final word- I've been banned for good.

I did some research, apparently this started last year, other fellow Canadians suffer the same shut-out. Some kind of legal fiasco between McMaster and customs. Now McMaster refuses to ship to any new Canadian clients. I sent several emails but like everyone else on this side I got no responses. You can read a bit more about it here:
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com ... arr-17927/
Because we're terrorists, eh? They fear our metric system...

Anywho, so I have several options.
Option 1 is to make ANOTHER new McMaster account and try and get an order shipped to my usual place in Washington, USA. Cross the border, pick up a box for 3.50$, and done. Customs doesn't care about all of the ebay things I have bought, or all the parts and such. I have heard of some people being successful but I fear McMaster has caught on by now and refuses to ship there anymore.

Option 2: There is a place called angrovesales that supposedly takes McMaster orders and ships them to you, for a small fee. I sent an email but no response yet.

Option 3: That's why I am here. Anyone have some LRT for sale, or anyone willing to help me out by ordering the LRT for me? I have paypal, and you will either ship it to Washington (98281) or to BC (Area code V3S ___) .
My friends call me Nader. My foes just run.
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marauder
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Re: Need LRT !

Post by marauder » Thu Jul 04, 2013 11:10 pm

Just a word of caution about LRT from McMaster. I bought some and it was slightly curved. Like it was part of a giant circle. Did anyone else encounter this?
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soakinader
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Re: Need LRT !

Post by soakinader » Fri Jul 05, 2013 1:28 am

Well yes, I have heard of that quite commonly. Not really helpful though.

I found out that Lowe's and Home Depot carry a few sizes of "Latex Tubing"! Appears to come under the brand name "Watts". It looks like the translucent amber variety, but it's way cheaper than McMaster Carrap. Unfortunately they only appear on the US website, not the Canadian one.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Watts-3-8-in ... dZltjv2ZvI
http://www.lowes.com/pd_35791-104-RLGE_0__
Has anyone heard of or tried out this tubing?
My friends call me Nader. My foes just run.
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wetmonkey442
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Re: Need LRT !

Post by wetmonkey442 » Fri Jul 05, 2013 2:30 pm

How is that not helpful? He's sharing some potentially useful information about the material that you are interested in. FYI, my orders have always been curved as well.
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soakinader
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Re: Need LRT !

Post by soakinader » Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:20 pm

I need help ordering LRT. That's what this thread is for. LRT from McMaster has been used for countless repairs and homemade. Whether or not it is curved is completely irrelevant information, unless one were to suggest an alternative LRT and there was a good reason to NOT use MCM tubing.
Now, I know that people get off topic sometimes, but monkey, it's not your business to defend everybody from me.

Back on topic, I think I am going to go with option 1. I talked to someone at the package holding place (literally 50 feet from the border), and he said that he receives McMaster shipments every day. The trick will be to actually get McMaster to take my order. Not to mention finding some way to pay for my order. Blarg.
My friends call me Nader. My foes just run.
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marauder
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Re: Need LRT !

Post by marauder » Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:29 pm

I mentioned that because I have found the curvature to be a problem when using longer pieces or when doubling it. If you're using a short length it shouldn't be a problem, but in the future I plan on trying to find some that's straight. I know GJIV has gotten some before which was straight and it was also translucent amber. Perhaps it is the kind that Lowes and Home Depot sell.
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martianshark
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Re: Need LRT !

Post by martianshark » Sat Jul 06, 2013 12:55 pm

marauder wrote:Just a word of caution about LRT from McMaster. I bought some and it was slightly curved. Like it was part of a giant circle. Did anyone else encounter this?
Well, duh. They have it on rolls before they cut a length for you.

I have maybe a foot of LRT, but it's very small - around 1/4" in diameter.
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SSCBen
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Re: Need LRT !

Post by SSCBen » Sat Jul 06, 2013 5:16 pm

McMaster-Carr has only shipped to the US for many years. I've had discussions with people from many different countries, especially the UK and Canada, about how the articles on SSC are too US-centric and that I need to tell them which stores to buy components from in their home countries. More or less I've told these people "Let me know where you buy things and I'll post it. I don't live there, so I don't know what's available." I can't say people have helped me much in this respect.

You're going to have to do some digging yourself to find a supplier. One company I have emailed before (but never ordered anything from) is Primeline Industries. They'll ship anywhere, but you might have to buy in bulk. You also can find latex tubing (and many other parts) on Amazon. Note that the sizes available might not be acceptable for water guns. Latex tubing available in most hardware and home improvement stores is far too thin, for example.

Another option is an intermediary, as you've mentioned, but I don't think there's any reason to use them. Just find a more local company to buy from.

marauder, curved latex tubing is perfectly normal, though it might be an issue for longer tubes. It never was an issue for the foot-long segments I used, and they'll expand to be about 3 feet long, which is plenty for me.

soakinader
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Re: Need LRT !

Post by soakinader » Sun Jul 07, 2013 1:23 pm

Thanks, Ben. I don't know about the past, but I actually looked at Primeline Industries last week, and they specifically state " Primeline does not sell product over the internet. We have excellent online stocking distributors that do" . Annnd I emailing them, asking for a local distributor.... I guess I will wait and see. Amazon has nothing of a useful size (or lengths less than 500 feet!)
And you are right, found 1/4" latex tubing at Rona. Good for slingshots. But no good for a CPH, thanks anyways.
What exactly is the problem with the curving? Does it just look funny or does it cause the LRT to burst, have trouble expanding? How long of a piece did you have this problem?
All I know is that I am so close to finding a solution. Whether it is MCM or some wonderful local distributor, I will be getting LRT soon, one way or another.
My friends call me Nader. My foes just run.
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marauder
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Re: Need LRT !

Post by marauder » Sun Jul 07, 2013 3:03 pm

I used a foot length and then colossused it with another piece. It didn't expand normally, and by normally I mean straight back, but expanded backwards and down (direction of the curve) and then ended up scraping against the bottom of the PC shell which made it difficult to pump. I'm sure you'll be fine so long as you don't get 2 large pieces. That was really overkill.

Are you using this for a homemade, mod, or repair?
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Andrew
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Re: Need LRT !

Post by Andrew » Sun Jul 07, 2013 8:22 pm

Did you use a slider in the PC casing? That should help with curvy LRT by stopping the back of the tubing from touching the wall of the casing, if the sliding piece can be made to move smoothly enough. AFAIK the only way to get LRT over here is via a forwarding company, like angrovesales, but internationally.

In your case I'd say forwarding sounds the easiest (esp. If MCM don't send to Washington, although they really should be able to), but it will cost you more, as you pointed out. If it's not too much of a problem, and MCM allows you, it may be better to just cross the border to collect it, although it might not work out that much cheaper in the end.

soakinader
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Re: Need LRT !

Post by soakinader » Sun Jul 07, 2013 10:12 pm

@marauder: thanks, that is interesting. Actually, this LRT purchase is for all three. Plus if I can get several different sizes of LRT I will do some experimenting as well.
And yeah, I was planning on using some kind of slider/pvc ring in my gun. It makes sense to use one, so that you don't put unnecessary stress on the tubing.
Of course, if I end up jamming the LRT into a 2" pipe, the slider would likely be moot.
I can get McMaster to send my order to that place in Washington as long as they "don't know" that it will end up in Canada. Due diligence and whatnot. The trick is to do that, and pay them.
But I will wait another day or two for Primeline and see how that turns out.
Thanks guys...
My friends call me Nader. My foes just run.
Photos relocated to: https://www.flickr.com/photos/151868511 ... 8741427445
I find 'em, I fix 'em.

soakinader
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Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2012 2:10 pm
Location: Surrey, BC, Canada

Re: Need LRT !

Post by soakinader » Wed Jul 10, 2013 2:53 pm

OK, so I have been doing all kinds of crazy running backwards bending over, and I have finally given up on options 1 and 2.
Mcmaster won't accept: 1: my Canadian credit card 2: My American credit card 3: My US virtual credit card which I can fill with paypal 4: but will accept my other VCC which won't accept paypal.
Angrove sales charges double what MCM costs, plus I have to pay "shipping and brokerage fees" which from experience, can be so expensive that it's not even worth it.
Primeline's only distributor in BC only sells 1/16" tubing which is completely useless. They will sell direct to me but despite my questions seemed to indicate that I would be ordering 50 foot minimums and be charged extra "for their service". Oh and it will take 3-5 weeks to process.

Soo I am looking for a friend here with Paypal and a Mcmaster Carr account! Honestly at this point I will just throw you the money. I'm tired of this whole retarded process and I just want to be done with it. Please post if you have any questions or PM me.
My friends call me Nader. My foes just run.
Photos relocated to: https://www.flickr.com/photos/151868511 ... 8741427445
I find 'em, I fix 'em.

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