# Pneumatic prop steel gauge???



## DarkOne (Oct 16, 2012)

Hello everyone. I'm curious to know what gauge steel people are using on their mechs. It looks like it's all over the board when I look at YouTube. Does anyone have some professionally built props that can weigh in? I think that 16 gauge steel, which is about 1/16" thick should be fine for lightweight props but wanted a second opinion. 

With repeated sudden motion, has anyone had any issues with welds or tubing ripping or bending? I'm not worried about my welds, I'm trained, but don't want to waste time and money buying materials that may be overkill or not enough.

Thanks.


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## bfjou812 (Aug 15, 2008)

If I remember ,I was using 11 gauge square tubing which was 1/8" or slightly thicker wall. In this situation overkill is never enough.You don't want to start launching parts and shrapnel should something come apart because you used too thin of material.


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## DarkOne (Oct 16, 2012)

I agree we wouldn't want to make projectiles out of our props. I guess for the more violent action props, 11 gauge would be good, but what about a vertical scissor prop with a slow ascent? Any thoughts?


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## wrasse (Aug 5, 2012)

DarkOne said:


> I agree we wouldn't want to make projectiles out of our props. I guess for the more violent action props, 11 gauge would be good, but what about a vertical scissor prop with a slow ascent? Any thoughts?


Most commercial builders use 16 and 14 gauge.
I personally use use anywhere from 12 to 16 gauge depending on the weight of the prop I have to support. The heavier the steel the more air pressure or a larger cylinder would be needed for the extra weight. I find that anything over 14 gauge is overkill.


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## bfjou812 (Aug 15, 2008)

Another thing to look out for should be how is it joined. Bolted , riveted , welded.....
If it is going to be a slow moving prop , then I would still go with probably 11 gauge. It's not really worth the effort to me to try to mix thicknesses of metals. If you need a larger cylinder, so be it.Hope this helps.


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## gadget-evilusions (Jan 26, 2007)

I build with 11 gauge for almost everything normal sized. There are some large props i build that go up to 1/4 wall.


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## DarkOne (Oct 16, 2012)

It would be a while before I'd need to bump up to 1/4". I appreciate your input!


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