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Old 07-05-2009
NoL NoL is offline
Aspiring Overclocker
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
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NoL is just getting started
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Let me explain this picture a bit.
It's fairly hard to shove one tube inside another tube. It's especially hard as the lengths required get long and longer. When making a heat exchanger using 3/16 and 3/8" tube, it becomes an exercise in insanity.

Both tubes must be nearly perfectly straight.
That means, even the tinyiest imperfections become a problem. As you begin to push one through, friction becomes a huge problem. Even a degree or two at a tiny spot pushes parts of the tube against the inside of the other tube.
This isn't a problem with performance, simply that it becomes impossible to push one tube in any farther. You must then withdraw it, figure out what's stopping you, touch it a tiny little bit, and try again.

My method involves 5 ft long steel beams and clamps.

Clamp the tubes straight as possible.

And try.

When your looking down a 20ft long barrel though, things get interesting.
This took 3 days.

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