$20 Cool Tube

Is there anything I could use safely on the end where I would put the light to close that end off?

goten said:

That`s very good my man

im surprised how easily that process is

Iv never fucked with cooltubes before because of the prices

Do you have any pics of how you went about attaching it to you light and all ?

+rep

Edit

no rep for now for you , i gotta spread some more around first

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I did it the cheap easy way but will have to modify it when I attach my filter. I strung a length of bailing wire through the hanging holes on my socket fixture and then bent them up at the ends to hold the glass.





This is what I plan on doing:

I'll take a 6" piece of metal duct about 4" long and mount it to the top side of the glass tube. I will then run a piece of perforated steel strap from one side of the metal duct to the other. My socket will attach to this steel strap and be suspended in the tube. As long as I notch out a small spot for the power cord I should have an air tight seal. To suspend horizontally just use some steel strap or two of those straps you can tighten like in the picture above.

+

That sounds like a pretty good idea. Really appreciate this man. You just saved me $50+.

Thats amazing, perfect cut. Thanks for sharing.

+rep

Nicely done! Thanks for sharing.

save your 5 bucks
tie yarn soaked in iso alcohol around bottom
then light on fire
then just after then flame gets good and going
place base of vase in ice cold water. tapping the base on the bottom

[video=youtube;Y9etHD9F90E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9etHD9F90E[/video]

That 5hit said:

save your 5 bucks
tie yarn soaked in iso alcohol around bottom
then light on fire
then just after then flame gets good and going
place base of vase in ice cold water. tapping the base on the bottom

[video=youtube;Y9etHD9F90E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9etHD9F90E[/video]

Click to expand...

Very nice! I've tried this before but it always leaves a jagged break or small fractures. I feel like this thick glass breaks much more evenly than the thinner wine bottles I was trying it on and that method is definitely a bit more fun

wouldnt you be losing some lumens with that thick of glass though? im very interested in using a cooltube in my tent so i can upgrade to a 1000 watter lol

1/4" thick glass is standard on reflectors. Glass should block IR but not the visible spectrum unless tinted.

A few improvements so I can run my carbon filter from the other side.

I strapped a piece of 6" ducting to the top, cut a notch for the cord, added a tiny reflector I had sitting around for shits and giggles and then strung it up.

Great tube in last post, with the reflector.
I was a bit sceptical on using a vase for my 150w HPS, but now when i see that i works with 600w im definetly gonna make one for myself tomorrow.
added rep.

I want to do this. but i have broke 2 of the VASE's so far. i have tryed glass cutter, flaming twine, torch, I just can get the bottom off with out breaking the whole thing...... Any idea's????

so now the money i tryed to save but ordering a Grow light with out a cool tube ($30) is now costing me close to $40 and i anit got a cool tube yet!!! DUH!

That is what I call GENIUS!!! I +rep ya on this one... Probably the simplest yet one of the most effect DIY's anyone could do.

Broke anouther one, it will work tho, it has a big v chunk out of it, The best way to do it looks like , Make a scored line with glass cutter, run under cold water, than dip the Bottom (base) of it in to really hot water... I tryed hot water than cold, and it didn't work for me. but cold to hot works. JUST MAKE SURE YOU DONT GO ABOVE THE LINE WITH HOT WATER, or yours will look like mine.

KushDog said:

Broke anouther one, it will work tho, it has a big v chunk out of it, The best way to do it looks like , Make a scored line with glass cutter, run under cold water, than dip the Bottom (base) of it in to really hot water... I tryed hot water than cold, and it didn't work for me. but cold to hot works. JUST MAKE SURE YOU DONT GO ABOVE THE LINE WITH HOT WATER, or yours will look like mine.

Click to expand...

Someone purchased a couple of these from me so I had to make several and quickly realized that it doesn't go as smoothly as my first attempt. The key it to get a very straight score mark (if the ends don't line up don't even bother), and to use warm/hot water and cool water - not boiling water and cold water.

You need to heat the glass very evenly. Pour the hot water slowly so that all parts of the score are covered and rotate the glass while doing this. Make sure all of the bottom part of the glass and score mark are evenly heated and then slowly introduce into a stream of cool water. What works best for me is to slowly spin the vase under cool running water. Eventually a fracture will start at which point you need to slowly follow it with the cool flowing water until it connects with the other side. In order to have the fracture evenly spread all the way around you really need to evenly heat the base slowly but for long enough that the heat is retained while the fracture is followed with the cool water.

If the bottom does not just drop off gently tap it on a hard surface. Repeat until it separates but don't get angry and hit it too hard like I did a couple times.

If the fracture doesn't make it all the way around refrain from hitting it with hot water again - it will splinter. Wait for it to cool completely and then try again with warm and cool water. Rapid changed between hot and cold will cause unplanned reactions.

How much light would you loose through the glass????

splifchris said:

How much light would you loose through the glass????

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You lose about 5-12% of the lumen output and the UV rays that help create bigger trichomes, but you can put the light closer to the plants than before so the lumen thing kind of works itself out. The thing I struggle with is the UV loss.

How does the glass take the heat of the bulb? I would think something Pyrex would be safer... I noticed this post is from May, how has it held up since then?