what to look for when getting new tubes

[ken150]

when getting new tubes in i noticed that some have chunks of the wood plugs notched out or missing, but not all the way through. this comes from the edges of the plug catching the side of the tube and nothcing it out. what im asking here is there any thing i need to look for when i get my tubes in for safty reasions like this or can i get some though as nails ,putty or some thing else to patch these up to make sure they dont have a blow out or something like that? next thing is some have the nails that go in the sides that hold the plugs in are bent up as well and dont go in all the way. is this also a concern that in need to look at as well? need some feed back on this because im setting these off to the sides in till i hear from some of you on this important matter. thanks

[pyrochris]

when getting new tubes in i noticed that some have chunks of the wood plugs notched out or missing, but not all the way through. this comes from the edges of the plug catching the side of the tube and nothcing it out. what im asking here is there any thing i need to look for when i get my tubes in for safty reasions like this or can i get some though as nails ,putty or some thing else to patch these up to make sure they dont have a blow out or something like that? next thing is some have the nails that go in the sides that hold the plugs in are bent up as well and dont go in all the way. is this also a concern that in need to look at as well? need some feed back on this because im setting these off to the sides in till i hear from some of you on this important matter. thanks
Well, i got my tubes from pyrogear.net and they use HDPE tubes with a staple gun through the side of the bottom half of the tube and use liquid nails for extra protection around the wooden plug.

[noel]

Pyrochris,

We (pyrogear) don't use any adhesive around the plug.
It wouldn't do any good anyway, common ahesives and epoxys do not bond to HDPE, yes, they will "stick" for a while, but they do not actually bond to it. Think of melted wax dripped on a counter top, it will "stick" but it comes right off because it does not actually bond.

Ken, Not sure who you got your tubes from, but it is common for small chips to come off the bottom of the plug when they are pressed in. In our case, they are 1.5" plugs, if more than 1/4" deep chip anywhere in the bottom of a consumer mortar, we reject it, remove the plug and re-plug.