tube bender
12-01-2008, 10:28 AM
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RE: tube bender
An old trick I read about in Hot Rod Magazine many years ago suggested filling the tubing with sand to prevent it from kinking. You could secure the sand in the tubing with 3/4" copper plumbing caps temporarily fastened to the ends of the pipe with two self tapping sheet metal screws. Application of heat (cherry red metal) with a propane torch would certainly help.
I bet it would work.
Bill
I bet it would work.
Bill
12-01-2008, 10:38 PM
#4
RE: tube bender
People in the HVAC industry might have a tubing bender for 3/4" pipe. 3/4" is a very common size for the refrigerant suction line on larger residential air conditioners. The tubing benders are used to bend soft refrigerant copper when routing the lines between the outdoor condensing unit and the house or indoor evaporative coil.
Sometimes they do put small wrinkles in the inside of a radius, but if you go slow and use the correct pressure in the correct spot it can be done without any wrinkles.
For an exhaust header, I'd probably fill it with sand just in case. Cap one end. Solder the cap on. It's got to be secure. Fill the pipe with sand. Add WATER to the sand and tap the pipe on the side. The sand will settle. Add more sand. Add more water. Tap Tap Tap. When it's stuffed to the top and all the sand is packed in, you need to solder a cap on the end. If you don't TRAP the sand and pack it in there very tightly, the tube can still bend. Might as well not even bother with the sand if you're not going to pack it in there tight and put caps on the end to keep it contained.
Sometimes they do put small wrinkles in the inside of a radius, but if you go slow and use the correct pressure in the correct spot it can be done without any wrinkles.
For an exhaust header, I'd probably fill it with sand just in case. Cap one end. Solder the cap on. It's got to be secure. Fill the pipe with sand. Add WATER to the sand and tap the pipe on the side. The sand will settle. Add more sand. Add more water. Tap Tap Tap. When it's stuffed to the top and all the sand is packed in, you need to solder a cap on the end. If you don't TRAP the sand and pack it in there very tightly, the tube can still bend. Might as well not even bother with the sand if you're not going to pack it in there tight and put caps on the end to keep it contained.
12-01-2008, 10:50 PM
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RE: tube bender
I want a professional means of bending, 3/4" or 5/8" probably stainless steel to make headers for exhaust systems. I already have $45,000.00 worth of hydr benders but they are for larger pipe and the radius is much to large, the dies made for our benders are not small enough. I was going to produce cans, headers, tunned pipes, etc.
