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About the Ribbed Rubber Sleeve for the Lewis...


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I used vinyl tubing secured with copper couplers on my hardware Lewis, see pics here. I sprayed it with a dullcote after to remove the shine. I'm thinking of replicating this with my hyperfirm lewis but I would need a smaller diameter tubing.

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I had seen those pics before--nice job, btw. I was just curious if anyone knew what the real object was and where a similar item could be found.

I found this http://www.envproduct.com/catOtherSeals2.html (scroll down to the "Flexible Isolation Tube") and am using it as a lead.

Unfortunately the website was just a showroom and didn't have a product ordering page. I suppose I could contact them and find out if they actually sell to non-contractors.

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Here's another site. The pipe may not be as spot on as the previous one I linked to but these guys will sell short cuts of theirs.

http://www.ducting.com/Short_Section_Hoses.html

I'm sure a short cut of ducting followed by some sort of rubber coupling with a clamp the mystery part could be relatively accurately replicated.

Unfortunately, the price is pretty steep since they only deal in orders that cost around $100 bucks...the hunt continues.

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The diameter of the hyperfirm lewis barrel is 3.35 inches or about 3 5/16" where the pipe section should be. One problem with a sheath type solution is getting it on past the sight and other greablies on the barrel. It would have to be a clam shell or wrap solution.

Whose gun is that in the picture you posted? I've studied that gun too but I wonder if it belongs to someone who could help.

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The diameter of the hyperfirm lewis barrel is 3.35 inches or about 3 5/16" where the pipe section should be. One problem with a sheath type solution is getting it on past the sight and other greablies on the barrel. It would have to be a clam shell or wrap solution.

I've considered that, however the Hyperfirm is pretty soft and will compress to allow something with a 4" diameter to slide over it. Mine is currently unpainted but I'm not sure if bending a painted one will screw up a paintjob. A clamshell solution was probably used for the original when you consider that they used a clamp to hold it in place. A real lewis wouldn't compress either.

If you look at the picture up close you can see that the ridges are rounded as opposed to peaked, which makes TK1009's solution the best so far.

I'm just not sure if the reference pic I've posted is a screen used prop or a replica. I'm thinking the latter is probably the case.

I don't really hold much hope in obtaining a isolation tube from that site. If they in fact did sell their parts individually and to the general public I can't imagine they would let them go for an affordable price.

I believe that the object that I'm looking for is some type of industrial dust boot.

ADDENDUM: I think I'm onto something...check it out: http://www.thomasregister.com/olc/SmartCat...h+Collar_Length

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With the original they should have been able to remove the cooling barrel and slip on the mods from the back, not an option for our hyperfirm though.

The gortite looks good but it has the peaks, if they were rounded it would be perfect.

One thing about the Star Garrison Lewis is the ribs look a little uneven which happened on mine, maybe they used individual tubes?

Great research by the way and this is a fun thread, I've been wondering what the best solution to this part is ever since I started building my first Lewis.

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Here's a reference photo of of the on screen Lewis. I upped the contrast to enhance the detail.

Posted Image

It's hard to tell if the ribs are rounded or peaked. They definitely seem shallower than the Gortite bellows.

It also seems that the ribbed sleeve has a level of gloss to it. Either they painted the rubber or it might be made out of a plastic material.

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