Simple Hydralic Lift help

Tobes

I have this project for school and it is all about Pascal's Principle. Well Ive decided I would like to make a hydraulic lift to go along with my presentation and just need some help with the design.

I figure I can make it out of PVC or Copper tubing, either way I dont mind buying most of the materials. I just need a sort of "U" shape lift that I think would work, my problem is that I dont know what I could use for the "piston" portion. If it came down to it I guess I could just use two different size seringes(sp?) but I dont want to settle for less.

Any ideas? Not clear enough?

Danger

I guess this doesn't count as doing your homework for you. Until I read down to where you discounted it, I was actually going to recommend using syringes. I got well over 100 lbs. of lift from a 50cc unit using compressed air.
If you want something bigger and/or classier, you could use an old style bicycle pump or modify a hatch-back gas strut.
In the event that you want to make your own, go ahead and use ABS or PVC pipe. You can make a piston simply by filing a groove around the circumference of a puck-shaped item (in fact, why not a puck?) and installing an O-ring for sealing. Screw a piece of theaded rod or just a big bolt into the centre and attach your clevis or whatever to the other end.

Tobes

Ok thanks that helps a lot!

Q_Goest

Another idea for a piston would be to take any cylindrical object such as a jar or hocky puck as suggested by Danger, and wrap tape around it to build it up so the OD fits just right into the ID of the pipe.

If you wanted to use the O-ring idea, it might be easier to layer on some tape and put two more layers above and below the O-ring to center it.

Hmmm... tape again. Must tell ya something about my mentality.

Danger

You have got to be a Red Green fan.
Good idea about the tape.

Tobes

Thanks, Ill let you guys know how it turns out.