Responses

  1. A heat gun (700F-1000F) will make the tube ready for the connector in seconds and you can usually find one for around $20. Don’t bother with a hair dryer, they don’t go above 140F and won’t really do much to the tube.

  2. As a piece of advice (I’ve been making hoops for 7+ years) the best way to heat the tube is by boiling water. It’s fast, free (as in no tools), doesn’t over heat where you burn your hands, and doesn’t release toxic fumes from the Poly tubing.

    Simply stick about 2″ into the boiling water, and insert your coupler. Give it a minute and do the other end. If the water is boiling you will only need to hold it about 15 seconds in the water. The tube heats up plenty to accept the coupler but doesn’t over heat to create flat spots or burning of your hands.

  3. Try staging and theatrical companies. Gaffer tape is used in the theater/concert industry (Gaffers is job title). Also call “Spike” tape, if you’re coming from the film industry. Comes in many light reactive colors for markings on stage. Easiest to get it online from Identi-tape online.

  4. this is awesome. thanks veena. do you think they would have connecters and tubing at my local hardware store? would i just go in and ask….for connecters and tubing? or do they have specific names? lol

  5. Couple questions on making my hoop…I want to use some of the newer duct tapes with designs- will that work? How can I make my hoop collapsible for travel -use a softer psi? I bought 160psi but it’s too stiff to collapse.

  6. I just finished making my purple and green hoop! It’s so cute and I can’t believe I made it!! 🙂 thank you so much, Veena for this lesson! I will also add that it is a great shoulder workout sticking on all this tape! 😀

  7. These are great instructions! I didn’t have access to a PVC cutter, so used bypass loppers (long-handled thing that you’d use to cut branches that are too thick for pruning shears), which worked easily, although I didn’t get an especially straight cut. I think plenty good enough, though. The boiling water trick is brilliant — this really is an easy project! Thanks!

  8. Veena, I never thought of hooping but you make it look like so much fun. When you said I could do it everyday you had me. Where do I get the tubing? Home Depot, Loews, AceHardware?? BTW, I love your site. Its the best adult playground.

  9. I was never able to hula hoop as a kid. I made mine yesterday following the tutorial and made it 2″ above my belly button as Veena recommended and for the first time in my life I could keep it up and going. Could even switch from sides to front and circling the hips. My husband was quite impressed too:). Looking forward now to learning these other hoop moves and making hula hoops to fit my granddaughters next time they come to play.

  10. Made hula hoops this week for me and my daughter! Ours have ended up being weighted a bit to one side, as our hardware store only had copper connectors (and we’re only allowed to order online and pick up but not actually go in). Thanks for the video!