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Originally Posted by Karantanec
I understand that normal copper tubing is cheap and widely available, but why hasn't anyone used (as far as I know) finned copper tubing instead?
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If
passive, a lot of fins may not help much because they'd insulate the rad like hair does (I think). Sparse or short fins would help though (I guess).
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I began to make a finned radiator once, just to try a manufacturing idea: This was interference fit fins put on parallel copper pipes. I used strips of sheet copper, drilled with rows of holes smaller than the pipes. I whacked all the holes with a large centerpunch, so they had a flare that seated over the pipe ends. Then I used a plywood scrap drilled with slightly oversized, matching holes, as a tapping block. The fins tapped down tight, with a temporary 1/8" shim between for the gap. I quit at two fins.
Sheet copper is easily available through up-market roofing companies. They'll even give away their off-cuts on a good day.