Need to create a long drinking straw for a disabled friend, 3 feet or so. He's currently using a tube from a piece of medical equipment, but it's not designed for drinking thru, and has a strong plastic taste - probably all sorts of nasty chemicals leeching into the water.
Its only for cold water, but needs to be flexible. A decent length that we can snip 3ft pieces off would be ideal.
Anyone know of any sources? TIA.
Have you thought of contacting an organisation that supports folk with disabilities as they are bound to have come across this problem before .
I confess I haven't, but good idea. But in the meantime suggestions still welcome.
Try a supplier of home-brewing kit.
Boots used to sell something that might do - sold as part of their wine making kit and it was used for syphoning wine into bottles.
I'm not sure boots still do winemaking gear, but other places must (no pun intended). Might be a bit big - but would certainly be food safe. Try Wilkinsons or similar?
Darren
Google he say
You might find a few ideas for drinking devices at
Home brew shops are a good source of wider bore tubing but it isn't particularly flexible. The tubing used in a number of bits of medical apparatus such as drip sets is more than food safe and usually much more flexible than PVC.
At work we use silicone tubing a lot. It's inert and flexible. We normally buy from
Yeah, that's what I was going to suggest
which reminds me - anyone know a good source for 2.5 or 3mm diameter nylon cord ?
An outdoor activities shop will be able to supply a hydration system intended for climbers, hikers and so on. I believe that some of these systems can incorporate a pump to reduce the suction needed to get a drink. Three feet (if that's more or less vertical) would need quite a sucking force.
HTH -
I cant think of a plastic that's UN-safe, so its really a matter of 'taste' :-)
and rigidity.
My local (non-chain) has cord in 2, 3 and 4mm; also has elasticated cord. I use it for boot laces and other things. Needs the ends burning else it unravels.
Para cord from any outdoors shop
e.g.
Mine did before it shut down a few years ago
Homebase - £1.99 / metre ... FRO !
In message , TMC writes
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember geoff saying something like:
Venetian blind refurbishers. You can get it in 100m /500m rolls (like they do), but I'm buggered if I recall any names of suppliers.
Yuo'd also need them to have one hell of a drop to justify para cord!
Many many thanks for the suggestions chaps. I'll try the local home brew shop.
I also intended to suggest that.. however it is very soft and may collapse under vacuum. The ordinary stuff isn't very flexible when cold.
Have you considered a complete solution such as the Camelback drinking systems used by athletes and hikers?
These have a reservoir of drink, a flexible plastic tube, and a mouth piece which can be bitten to open the flow of liquid. The reservoir/bladder can be positioned so that gravity can assist the flow of liquid if this is desirable. Food safe and designed to be easily cleaned. The plastic bits (which fit inside many backpacks) are available at most outdoor shops.
HTH
Dave R
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