Newsletter

Decorative Brass Tube

Posted on June 11th, 2014

JDR supply twisted brass tube for Carousels and other vintage applications or restoration projects.

At JDR we take pride in our ability to bring together aesthetics, authenticity and engineering where customer requirements dictate. One example of this is our ongoing supply of decorative brass tube.

Decorative brass tube is primarily used in antique refurbishment or restoration projects, or vintage-style new build projects. A common application for JDR to supply to is traditional fairground carousels.

We are able to supply brass tube in a variety of decorative finishes, including:

Barley Twist Brass Tube – also known as square twist
Rope Twist Brass Tube – a traditional rope effect
6 Point Twisted Brass Tube – giving a 6 pointed star shaped profile
Patterned Brass Tube – giving an embossed surface pattern

Finishes can be applied to round or reeded brass tube to reproduce a range of traditional antique or vintage finishes.

To find out more about how JDR can supply your decorative brass tube requirements, from either your free issue material or from our own supply, please call 02476 326585 or email support@jdrproductsltd.com.

“Ali-Clad” Steel and Aluminium Composite Tube

Posted on May 30th, 2014

Aluminium tube is reduced tightly onto a steel tube core, ensuring a precise fit with excellent cutting and bending properties.

Some heavier duty applications demand the strength of steel but without the accompanying dirty finish and tendency towards corrosion. While powder coating or plating afford some protection, over time the protective layer may become scratched or chipped reducing its corrosion resistant properties potentially resulting in unsightly bubbles and blemishes. A more durable option that combines steel’s strength with the shiny finish and low corrosion afforded by aluminium is “Ali-clad” tube.

Ali-clad tube is a composite tube made up of a steel tube core and an aluminium tube shell. This method provides a much thicker and more durable protective layer for the steel than any coating or plating, while still providing an attractive metallic finish.

We have designed our production technique to ensure a finished tube with reliable mechanical properties. This is essential to our customers to avoid poorly or loosely fitting outer tubes that can result in the aluminium shell snapping, splitting, slipping or rippling during fabrication operations. These risks are eliminated with our method of Ali-clad production.

Using our Ali-clad production technique we achieve a precise fit between the aluminium tube and the steel tube core ensuring the tubes act as one in subsequent fabrication processes, including cutting and bending. We achieve this precise fit between layers by inserting the steel core into the aluminium tube and passing them through a reducing mill, which changes the diameter of the outer aluminium tube until it fits tightly around the steel core along the full length of the tube, so you can be confident of a correctly performing finished composite tube every time.

To find out more about Ali-clad composite tube please call us on 02476 326 585 or email sales@jdrproductsltd.com.

Reasons to Specify Seam Welded Aluminium Tube

Posted on May 8th, 2014

Aluminium Tube, outer diameter, inner diameter, wall thickness

Aluminium tube dimensions can be specified using outer diameter, wall thickness, and of course length.

Apart from the excellent external finish, one of the great advantages of seam welded aluminium tube is the tight tolerance possible.

Consistent wall thickness along the full length of a tube is particularly important where tube must take some kind of insert, whether the insert be another smaller diameter tube, a tube with a swaged end, or a molded plastic part.

The uniform wall thickness offered by seam welded aluminium tube provides a consistent end to the tube regardless of where it may be cut along its length. End dimensions will always be the same within tight tolerances, and therefore always take the insert.

For the same reason seam welded tube lends itself readily to taking load bearing holes – such as for rivets, button clips or other fasteners. Because the walls of punched or drilled holes will be of uniform thickness, along the whole length of the tube, consistent performance for all holes can be relied upon.

Typically seam welded aluminium tube can be specified as ‘OD x WT x Length’. Feel free to specify aluminium tube in combinations of Metric, Imperial and SWG. We’ll call you back to discuss alloy, temper and end use applications if it helps in getting the right specification.

If you’re not sure if your application requires seam welded, extruded or drawn aluminium tube, call us on 02476 326585 and we’ll be able to assist you.