Beginning your hoop-making journey can be a little intimidating, but fret not! We are here to help you make this as easy as possible while answering many of the basic questions you might have as you start out.
Supplies Needed for Making Hoops
– Tubing
– Pipe cutters
– Riveter
– Handheld power drill or drill press
– Drill bits
– Push buttons
– Rivets
– Tape measure
– Super glue (to glue gaffer tape ends down – optional)
– Other supplies you may need depending on the type of hoop you are making include decorative tape, 3M crystal clear protection tape to cover decorative tape, and gaffer tape or 3M grip tape to add grip to a hoop. Gaffer adds a nice subtle grip, while 3M grip tape provides a super grip that many people love. Some people prefer to have their hoop bare with no grip, and others may prefer to have the hoop sanded with sandpaper or waxed with hoop wax for a more natural grip that doesn’t add any weight to the hoop.
Extra Info on Rivets, Snap Buttons, and Drill Bits
Rivets are used to secure one side of the insert piece to the hoop, while push buttons are used on the other side of the insert piece to make a hoop collapsible. The push button allows you open up the hoop and coil it down for travel! While push buttons are not necessary, they are used in most hoop connections for convenience in shipping and traveling.
Snap Button Sizes:
Extra Small snaps are for 1/2″ hoops (3/8” insert material)
Small snaps are for 5/8″ hoops (1/2” insert material)
Medium snaps are for 3/4″ hoops (5/8” insert material)
Large snaps are for 7/8″ and larger PE hoops (3/4” insert material and larger)
Universal Straight Leg snaps are for 5/8” and 3/4″ hoops (1/2” and 5/8” insert material)
Small Coil vs. Large Coil & How to Stretch and Store Tubing
Small coil is wound on a smaller hub, so the diameter of the coil is much smaller and can fit in a smaller box- the main reason the cost is much lower. Large coils are larger in diameter and make it much easier to make larger hoops out of since you do not need to stretch the tubing.
Large Coil
Most people, however, still choose to use small coil and stretch it out themselves. This can be done by opening the coil of tubing as soon as you receive it (cut the tape and ties off). Many people leave the coil flat on the floor to expand on it’s own, which works great for HDPE tubing. For polypro tubing you may need to coil the tubing around a large object such as a box, etc…
Whatever coil size you choose, make sure to cut the flat parts off both ends of the tubing. This wastage is common in hoop making and each coil is a few feet longer than 100’ to allow for these flat parts to be cut off. Coils should be stored reconnected with a piece of insert material to keep the round shape of the ends, and can be stored flat on the ground or you can hang them with bungee cords on a rack!
Small Coil
Additional information regarding tubing sizes and the comparison of Polypro & HDPE can be found in our guide here!
Insert Material
There are various types of insert material available in the hoop world today. The most popular type of connector is polycarb, for it provides a very straight and sturdy connection so that the hoop will not bend at the connector. Polypro and HDPE may also be used in hoops that won’t quite work with polycarb inserts, and can make great connections as well.
As always, please feel free to contact us with additional questions. We are here to help at all points in your hoop making journey!
