Has anyone tried empty cigar tubes for edc/ psk containers?

They are quite thin and crushable so I use them to store non-essential stuff like pipe cleaners, small maps, etc

I used them to store matches, and it soaked the heads of the matches too much.

"I used them to store matches, and it soaked the heads of the matches too much."

I don't understand. Could you explain?

Sue

I have a Savage 24C .22RF/20ga. O/U firearm, there is a hollow in the buttstock made to store 2-.20ga shotshells, I have considered using the space to store a cigar tube filled with survival gear. The contents of your Cigar Tube Kit therefore will be of interest to me. Mike

Paintballers sometimes use them to store small amounts of ammo. My experience was that cheap plastic cigar tubes would allow moisture inside over time, which caused ammo to get lumpy & spoil. I'd expect that they'd make so-so containers for survival items.

They do have a few things going for them, though. They can be cut to a shorter length if you want. Paintball websites sometimes sell caps that stay clipped on to the tube so you won't lose the cap on the ground. Also, the tubes fit very nicely into shotgun ammo loops.

They do make nicer, aluminum cigar tubes that (I think) are airtight. They come with one of those desiccants built into the cap, but I think they expect you to soak it with water to humidify your cigars instead of keeping things dry.

Here a few shot of some custom tubes that I had made.
These were made from a mag D cell flashlight for prototype purposes.
I use one for survival items and the other for first aid items.


Custom aluminum tube


These threads were cut on a manual lathe.


Each cap has an o-ring which make the tube water tight
(I have tested to the depth of my bath tub for over ten hours - dry as a bone inside).

I liked these so much I decided to commission a run of some tubes of my own design.
Here are some initial 3D renderings of my design. Material for consideration is 6061 Aluminum.


Tube - view 1


Tube - view 2

The caps will thread down onto the tube and will be sealed with an o-ring.


Cap - view 1


Cap - View 2


Cap - View 3

Very nice. would be great if they had an attachment point at one or both ends.

How is this?
Edges would be chamfered to reduce stress on the lanyard.

 

I carried 2 of my maglites to a machine shop aroung here to do the very same thing, I even had the caps for both ends. The gentlemen there told me that it would be "real expensive to chase those threads", he acted like he didn't wanna do it. So I left. Was it that hard to do?

There are two ways that I know of to cut the treads. Either by lathe or tap. A tap in that size is very expensive and can probably distort the tube if not done properly. The other way is the way my machinist cut them which was on a manual lathe--there is plenty of labor involved plus machine bit wear and tear. The tube also has to be cut evenly so the cap will seat properly onto the tube when tightened--and the tube end needs to has a slight chamfer to help the o-ring 'get skinny' (without tearing) and seal into the tube.

I had thought of those but I ended up experimenting with craft bead tubes. These and coin tubes are available at the craft/hobby store. Look in the Photo Gallery for my tube and its contents (shameless plug).

DW had some Epi-pens for her allergies expire. I kept the plastic tubes they came in. The top seals pretty well, and I think I could waterproof it with some duct tape or silicone sealant if I had to.

Just another idea to float out there.

Went to Wally World, and by the vitamins and supplements, where I get my ClifBars, there are tubes of Super Whey Protein. The tubes are about 2.5mm thick, 6.5 inches long, and have an inside diameter of 1 1/8 inches, and have a screw on top. Thick plastic, very rugged and cheap, about $1.25. I dump the contents and use the tube. I have about ten of them, and use them for FAKs, extra batteries, pre-measured drink mixes, meds, anything that will fit.

i find that a series of tubes makes for excellent, compact storage.




(also, insert internet joke here.)

go over to candle power forums and look for the homemade/machining section, there are people with mini lathes who can do things like that.

Finding a hobby machinist is going to be your best bet. Finding a machine shop that is willing to to one of a kind work can be difficult. Actually doing the job is not difficult when you have the right toys, but it takes time. The last job shop I worked at the owner would have looked at a job like that and said that will be $75 an hour with a three hour minimum if we were busy and if it was slow he might have settled for $100. So chasing a few threads can be expensive.

I went to a local cigar store and spoke with the manager for a while, ended up being gifted with about 20 aluminum cigar tubes.

Most of them are currently holding one chem light each. We had a problem with some of our chem lights being accidently activated in our pouches / packs etc. and now that they are in the tubes, that problem is history.

We leave the chem lights in their original sealed packaging and just fold it over the ends of the chem lights until the chem lights and their packaging fit the tubes.

Regards,
Comanche7