That's cool, Vera! Stefan would love the blue and yellow one. Will you make one for me, too?! kisses from Cologne, Bianca

wow those hoops are great. Where did you find that cool purple tape? i can only find boring colours.
jane

I got the tape at Lowe's too.

sweet!

Hi there-
I live in SF and I have been searching for poly tubing for weeks!! Do you have any extra tubing left/ or are you making and selling hoops(I wasn't sure).. or any tips on where I could get some.. (I am car-free).
Thanks!

Hi Megan,

Lowe's in Livermore is the closest place to SF that has the tubing. Yes, I make and sell hoops. Email me if you would like to know more.

Y'all are fixin' to say somethin' REGIONALIST but...
Barbque charcoal lighter fluid is the only solvent I have found that is more effective than nose grease at removing the the labeling print on the raw pe tubing.

Ooh Awesome colors.. I just started making my first ones and pertty much stuck to basic colors- cause that was the only tape I could fine - but now - I'm definitly going to go searching for some brighter ones!

Are you gals adding the insulation/padding mentioned. What are the benefits?

Hi Esti,
Which insulation/padding mentioned where?

Sorry for not being specific. Jason's instructions (http://www.jasonunbound.com/hoops.html) which I thought everybody else is as familiar w/ as I am, has this towards the end:
"At this point you could also apply some padding. Matt recommends wrapping copper pipe insulation; I like Rubatex pipe insulation that fits over the hoop.."

Thanks Vera for asking.

Ohhh, I haven't tried that...

How do you determine the size? I have 5 kids and want to do a homeschool project with them, but dont know how to pick the size for each kid. Thanks! monikaspassions@peoplepc.com

Standing on the ground, you will want the hoop to come somewhere between one's belly button and one's chest.

I planning to make hoops w/ my fourth grade class. I bought the 3/4 inch poly tubing that's used for dripping, but it doesn't seem firm enough. Is there a certain grade or thickness that you purchase?? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Pamela

Pamela,

If you follow the link to the polyethylene tubing at Lowe's, it will tell you exactly what kind of tubing we use. You will want to make sure that it's 100 or 160PSI.

Is there some other non-PVC way to make a hoop that you know of?

HI! I'm ALL the way on the other side of the country...in MD. :) Thanks for sharing your hoop making experience. It seems like you had a lot of fun! I'm considering going out to buy the stuff and making it this weekend! This is ALL on a whim, as I was websurfing to find a place to actually BUY one. Now, I know I can make one. Hehehehe I'm so excited now. If I remember, I'll post back here to let you all know about my experience. (I don't have a camera, so I can't send any pics.)

Take care...and thanks!
Traycee :)

Yes! I was an awesome hula hooper when I was a kid. Back then you could buy Hula Hoops from the store that were made of good, heavy plastic and they worked great. For the past 10 years, I haven't been able to find any hoops for my kids that worked. Every hoop that I find at the major retailers are made of such cheap, light plastic that they don't work. I was convinced that my kids would never know the fun of hooping. I will go tomorrow and buy the materials so I can re-live my youth!

I'm trying to make my own and I fond the piping but can't find the connectors!! Is there a technical name for them? I"ve tried insert connectors, tubing connectors, tubing inserts etc. etc. They only have 1/2" kind and my piping is 3/4"....any ideas??

Hi great hoops, I make my own too and am curious about adding water? Do you have any experience with this? I wonder how much I should add? Thanks

Does anyone have trouble getting the hoops to be that perfect circle? Mine sometimes end up a bit warped and I was wondering what the magic secret was...

I've made several hoops following Jason's instructions and they turned out great. The only thing I did differently was use a mallet to pound one end of the connector in and use the blow dryer to soften the other end before connecting.

I left one in my car for 2-3 days in the heat of August in Oklahoma. The end connected with the blow dryer expanded and came undone and did not contract back after cooling down inside the house. I will have to cut off about an inch and re-connect that end.

Anybody else have this problem? It would be nearly impossible not to leave them in the car sometimes if you're traveling.

Before you cut off that end you may want to try boiling some water and sticking that end into the boiling water for 30 - 45 seconds.. Careful.. the tubing will be hot but it will make is soft and should make it contract more than the hairdryer method. Try reconnecting the tube and holding it together until the ends cool.

I always use boiling water instead of the hair dryer or heat gun methods and it works very well.

Hey - just starting out making some hoops and I tried adding water to one, but it seemed to make it a little wobbly. Any ideas on other ways to add a little weight? I haven't tried sand yet. Thanks!

Hey Ally I would not use sand, it is way harder to hoop with sand. Water works best.
If you know some one who has a sand filled one , try it. It feels ssslllowwwer to me.

hi im 10 and love hooping but ive got a rubbish plastic hoop! i live in the uk can i still get hoops here cause my mom says i cant get one off the internet!?

if you have a dremmel tool, it is also quick & easy to sand the little nubbies off the middle of the coupling - than you can push the 2 ends of the tubing right together!!

If you use the padding, what kind of tape will stick to that? Thanks.

A friend has bought a hoop, now wants to re- tape it herself, she's asked if she can just keep going over the old tape?

While hear, Hello hoopers everywhere, big wave from KENT UK

Here is a link to buy the coupling

http://www.watergarden.org/s.nl/it.A/id.754/.f

Hi, How much did it cost and how long did it take you overall? its a beautiful hoop :)! Awesome that you made it instead of paying a lot more I bet

I just bought a hoop that is far too big for me! Is it best to simply cut it? Even thought the width also seems too wide (4 inches around!)

I'm 5'3 and it is just at my nipple. I see most people using a hoop much smaller and thinner looking as well. They seem much more agile...

Your instructions are great, thanks. seems I'll be better off making my own! :)

Vera,

I live in San Francisco and made hoops with my kids last weekend. Urban Farmer, with stores in San Francisco and Richmond sells the tubing. They didn't have it in stock in San Francisco, but were willing to have it sent from the Richmond store and would have gotten it in a few days, but we drove to Richmond so we could build the hoops over the weekend. They sell it in 100 foot lengths or in you can buy 10 feet at a time at a slightly greater rate. They weren't surprised when I said we were going to make hoops out of it.

I have been frustrated that I have not been able to hoop as an adult when I remembered being able to as a kid. I generally don't believe in blaming the equipment, but in this case, it was. With the right size hoop, I was able to get it going right away.

We used colored duct tape and electrical tape to decorate the hoops. The problem is that they don't wear very well. Any better suggestions for decorating that won't wear off right away would be appreciated.

Thanks to Don for the tip re. Urban Farmer! I went to the SF store yesterday, nice folks, and they've apparently been supplying enough hoopers to be able to offer some tips to this first-time hoop-maker. Yes, a bit more expensive than when buying the 100' coil at Lowe's, apparently; but being able to bike over there and have relatively instant gratification (plus the nice sales help) made it worth it.

When making a hoop,how much water do you put in so that the hoop weighs say 3 lbs, 4 lbs and 5 lbs.? Does anyone have any ideas about what to put around the tube to help prevent bruising?

Thanks

No images anymore??

Yeah I'm also having trouble getting to hoop to look like an even circle...i just made my first one 10 minutes ago. Should i just wait and see if it slowly reshapes itself or do i need to make a new one?

Just noticed that many people are freely interchanging "PVC" and "polyethylene" with regard to the tubing. These two materials are not the same. PVC tubing will not work. PVC should only be used for the connector. Another little tidbit from a plumber's daughter...the "connector" is actually called a double male coupling.

I bought 3/4" PEX tubing and 3/4" inserts. I used a hair dryer and hot water on the tubing, but it didn't get soft. When I measured the inner diameter of it, it measured 5/8", not 3/4". I don't see any way the inserts will fit into it, and I don't know why the tubing says 3/4", but measures 5/8". Any thoughts?

I notice that my hoop started to come apart after a few months of hooping.

Question: Is it ok to use "Hot" cement to close the hoop. I would think that it would never come apart then.

In the past, I've used hot water to close the hoop. I got a hoop from someone that looks..like she has done the same thing too her too (use some type of piping cement)any thought on this matter?

Thanks :)