Maybe this belongs in the long term section, dunno...

I'm thinking about setting up a stash of PVC pipe and fittings at my folks. Realistically, about the hardest thing I can think of to make that we would really miss is pipe. I've also been inspired by Wildman's food tube, so I've got a few designs in my head for things like a jumbo match case.

But I've never worked with the stuff.

Do I need the primer, or can I get by with just the glue? The fewer things I have to store, the better.

Do the glue and primer get funky if they are allowed to freeze? Where I have in mind to store this isn't climate controlled.

And I've been toying with a screw-in inspection plug and fitting that I picked up the other day, and it leaks. It's also reached the point where I want pliers to get it off sometimes. I know it isn't this complicated, and they aren't supposed to leak. What am I doing wrong? For a match case, this is kinda critical.

I have tried using 3/4 pvc pipe for a large match case and a Sheriff's deputy friend of mine just about had a fit that I was putting strike anywhere matches inside a pipe.

It did work very well though.

I use the primer along with the glue.

The food tube is a 4"x2' length of PVC pipe that has the flat cap on one end (there are flat bottomed and the curved caps) and a sewage access (threaded) plug on the other end.

The threaded cap can take some significant hand grip and strength to screw in tightly and to unscrew it. You might try cutting a rubber gasket to place inside the access port. That would provide a better seal and should require less effort to seal and unseal the fitting.

I used some stout wire ties at each end (wrapped around each end just inboard of the two caps) along with "easy links" to attach a shoulder strap.

I roll the food tube inside of my sleeping pad and then secure that at the bottom of my ALICE pack,,,or I can carry it as a single piece of gear, using the shoulder strap.

The primer is good. I have glued a bunch of joints without it, and had one fail from time to time. Can't help you with the freezing part, sorry. All of the screw in pvc fittings seem to be hard to open/close sometimes, good reason to keep a multi-tool around. As for the leaking, that shouldn't be happening. Did you have it screwed in all the way? Putting some pvc tape on the threads might help with the waterproofness, and might even help with the ease of opening/closing. One thing to keep in mind: no matter what they claim, pvc is not really UV protected, at least not the usual schedule 40 stuff. It gets brittle with time. So if you start to build up a stash, I would recommend storing it out of the sun...

Thanks guys.

I'm using 2" for this experiment, and they have a 1" square on them. I haven't tightened it down, not quite- I can't with just my hand, which makes it less desirable for this purpose. Maybe I should put a pair of small channel locks and a decent modular screwdriver in BOB....

Why is it every time I get a good idea, I want to put more weight in BOB?

My brother has used a lot of PVC pipe in the high desert, where it's cold and hot.

Primer is good, it makes the adhesive grip better.

Both primer and adhesive (in original containers) can take the cold (freezing) but not heat. Heat makes some part of the contents evaporate, which makes the stuff useless.

Since it can be very difficult to reseal the cans, several smaller cans of primer and adhesive are better than one large one.

PVC isn't very tolerant of UV light, as mentioned above. The easiest way to protect without taking up valuable storage space is to bury it, marking the spot.

Sue

Not exactly what you are asking about but its worth reminding everyone that pvc pipes are very flexible stuff that you can use to make/improvise all kinds of things.

Look at these chairs amde of pvc pipes.

Regarding the food tube

I have read about PVC tubes being used for a buried cache. Some may put in it a survival kit or food ..etc.. In such case I understand the use of tough material like PVC to hold the survival gear underground. However, when you need to carry it with a shoulder strap, the straight hard tube isnt comfortable to carry for a length of distance. A soft duffel bag is much better for that purpose and it can douple as a sleeping pillow.

Am I missing something here ?

Just a quick idea, I'm not super familiar with PVC piping, but for the threaded end, if the raised square part is solid, could you not drill a hole through, and insert a dowel/rebar etc for torque, eliminating need for specific tools?

PVC continued...A Texas Aggie + idea + PVC = American capitalism!
Go, USA!
http://www.dewiechairs.com/owner.html

When I was in high school I read a book about PVC pipe being used to cache supplies as well. The author stored everything from a break-open single shot .22 and several boxes of cartridges to camping supplies, etc., and had several buried all over. There was a caveat, he said, with doing this - anyone with a metal detector and a little bit of curiosity could find your stash in the woods before you dug it up to use it, and he wrote this had happened to him several times. I totally forgot who the author and what the title was though. I was surprised enough that the book was in my high school library. I should have swiped it when I had the chance...

Love the PVC chairs as well - looks like something my college buddies would do in their dorm.

THANKS very much for sharing Chisel!

I'm not sure if this comes in an appropriate size, but I know you can sometimes get flexible/rubber pipes. Maybe something like this would be easier to stash. You fill it, seal/glue the ends shut. If you ever take it from the cache, you just cut it open. Negates worrying about leaks from the ends, and needing a pair of pliers to get it open.

If you are looking for UV resistant PVC use the sch 80 grey electrical PVC. It is easy to find at hardware stores and building supply stores. The white UV rated PVC is used by the patio furniture places, some of them will sell PVC and fittings.

Using the primer greatly enhances the glue working properly. But i have used quite a bit of glue without primer and get away with it most of the time.

Someone else mentioned buying several small cans of cement and primer which is the way to go. As long as the can has not been opened it will stay good for years, i store it out side in the garage and i live in florida so it gets hot. If you want to check the condition of the contents with out opening the cans shake them. The primer is almost water thin so it sloshes(sorry for using such highly technical terms) around in the can easily, the regular glue is a little thicker so it doesn't slosh quite as well but you should still be able to easily hear and feel it slosh in the can. The PVC glues that can be used under water are fairly thick but you should still be able to feel it move around in the can when you shake it. If it doesn't slosh throw it out.

The threads on PVC fittings are molded which means that they do not always fit together well. Teflon tape will help, normaly two to three wraps is enough. Tightening the fittings by hand is not enough, wrenches on both sides of the fittings will be needed. If you want to make sure that it doesn't leak AFTER THE FITTING IS SCREWED TOGETHER place a bead of RTV silicone sealer over the joint where the two fittings meet. If you put RTV on the threads and then screw it together it will not leak, but you will not get the fitting back apart. When you need to remove the fitting peel off the RTV and then unscrew.

I got a custom plastic container that telescopes and is airtight to put a rifle in. It is great, and so long as I keep it out of the sun, it doesn't show signs of aging.

I've used gorilla glue on pvc pipe ends as well. You know, you can actually glue together two pieces of same diameter pipe with gorilla glue, and once it cures up completely, it is like you welded the pipe almost.

Keep in mind also that plastic pipe, especially pvc, will deform under pressure in time, so if you bury it, better to bury it in something that will take the load, otherwise it will go out of round or even collapse.

I am still in the learning stages with our metal detector, but I suspect that as long as you buried your stash a couple of feet deep, most metal detectors would skip right over it without a beep...

"...you just cut it open..."

One could do that with PVC also. Just glue end caps on both ends, when it comes time to open it, just seesaw the pipe near a cap with a shoelace (kindasorta like shining a shoe), it will cut thru the PVC almost like a hot knife thru butter...

Match cases are one of the things I have in mind. Holes in a match case... Kinda defeats the purpose. :P There is a part that sticks out, but if I put a hole in it, I have no way of ever being 100% that it would be water tight. I've got more matches, but this would be the big one in my big bag.

I haven't priced them lately, but I suspect that you can buy Coglans matchsafes as cheap as, if not cheaper, than you can make something similar out of PVC. They are not the best, but will probably work as well as any you can make...

Well, the match case is where I want to start. I'm looking for something that can take more abuse than a basic match case, and if I like it, it might be adapted to other roles.

Hmm, glass jars maybe. You know, there's probably a lot of lost loot buried in old mason jars that old farmers planted and forgot about or lost track of. Baby food jars are airtight, long as the lid seal is still intact and handled right. I am guessing, though that you want something a little more durable than glass.

Polystyrene and closed cell foam can be pretty handy things for small, durable containers. Ever think of cutting a slit into a piece of closed cell foam, inserting a few matches, then sealing the end with glue or some such? I imagine the same could be done with styrofoam if you needed something a little more rigid.

I've also seen some pretty cool watertight containers made from rawhide coated with polyurethane.

Well, these may not be the best for long term storage, but they ain't bad.

The carrying strap is for short trips in the area I am camping in. It is also good if I have to grab & run.

Many types of things can be carried in a tube the size that I have made.

My food tube is painted - desert tan

I have a 4" x 1' tube that I carry my cell phone external antenna, misc electronic parts (pigtails) in. I couldn't help myself from adding a "radiation warning sticker" on the outside. It's a warning label we use in regards to electromagnetic radiation around our transceiver antennas (radar & radio) and I have spray painted this tube - pine forest green (or Detroit Diesel Green)

My 3rd tube measures the same as the Food Tube and is also painted desert tan. I am storing T.V. cable parts in it at the moment.

Glass is plenty durable as long as you aren't going to plow or shovel through it.

But metal jars rust, so use plastic. Plastic quart mayonnaise jar lids usually fit quart mason jars just fine. A gasket wouldn't hurt, either.

Sue