I have all the pieces for my Ruben's Tube now EXCEPT for the quick-release hose that goes between the propane tank (dang, forgot to buy that today, too) and the tube. Ahh well, I don't need the propane until I have the hose for it.
Today I made a speaker mount for the speaker; I took an 8" end cap, drilled holes around the edge (using the speaker as a direct template), cut a hole from the center, and rolled the cut edge back with pliers.
I also took silicon caulk (good to 400 degrees F) and sealed up the fittings and whatnots that I will be using.
The hard part, which I didn't expect to be hard, was making the tube itself. It's 4" HVAC ducting, which is NOT sold assembled but as a slightly curled, yet also flat, piece. It has a clever interlocking system at the edge. Simple! Not so simple. After squeezing silicon caulk along the "female" edge, I undertook to slide the "male" adge into it.
No such luck.
I ended up putting hose clamps at the ends and force the pipe together at the ends by using the mighty pressure of the spiral inclined plane (e.g. screw). The rest of the tube remained resolutely agape, and I only had the two hose clamps! Hmmm.
I found one of my many webbing truck tie-down clamps. Not going to be able use it as a clamp, but the webbing might do the trick
Standing on one end of the strong ribbon, I wrapped it once around the tube and lifted up... hard. Yup, it made a flexible, circular clamp! With some effort, I was able to get the tube to mate with itself, one 6" section at a time.
Later, I went back and used the hose clamps to tighten it further; loosing the clamp, sliding it up, and re-tightening it until it could be tightened no more. Rinse, repeat!
Finally, I drilled a series of tiny (ummm, 3/32? I don't recall) holes at 1" spacings along the tube. I may enlarge them later. I may add more so they are at 1/2" spacing. We'll see.
Next up, the !@#$% hose and a tank of propane! Oh, and wire. And maybe an inline fuse. And I do need to assemble the bits. And fasten the hose end thingy to the other end cap. Okay, so there's lots to do still.
Next weekend, Fire! Unless, of course, my hose doesn't come in. In which case I'll have some serious words with the place that sold it to me.