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bending pipe

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turbojoe

86 GREY T-TYPE
Joined
Feb 13, 2004
Messages
330
How to bend metal pipe w/o a pipe bender? Any hints much appreciated. bending mostly small dia stuff.
 
You won't get very far without the proper tools. Working with small DIA stuff you risk kinking it.
 
I kinda figured that. :( Gotta convince wife that I now need a pipe bender!:eek: I once heard of someone bending pipe with a discarded pulley of some sort, forget how or what he did. I think he somehow bent the metal pipe around it using a larger pipe or somethin for leverage.
 
If you put a socket in a vice you can bend brake lines easily without kinking them. Just pull on both ends and keep the tube tight against the socket. Bluepoint also makes a bender, but I broke mine the first time I used it :rolleyes:
 
How small a diameter? If it's brake line the benders are cheap but if it's bigger you'll need something more expensive. I read an article years ago about making a bending fixture with plywood and cutting the radius out of wood, mounting it to the plywood, filling the pipe with sand, capping it and then bending it around the mounted radius. It might work but I have a bender so I don't need it.
 
A long spring of the correct diameter will substitute for sand in the tube. Heating it with a torch helps to soften it up too, but I'm not sure I would alyer the tensile strength of a brake line.
 
I'm an electrician by trade, and 1/2" in trade size equals 7/8" o.d.. If thats what you're talking about, any home depot/lowes type store sells a bender for around $35 (last time I looked). If you need further advice on how to use it pm me with your number and I'll try and talk you through it.
 
About brake line - just an FYI as the post is not about it but mentioned here - there is some new stuff out that one can use to tie their shoes with and not kink it! :)
 
We use that stuff sometimes at the shop. Pretty neat stuff. It's green in color.

I had to bend some hollow shifter rods up a little while back. I got a proper bender from Graingers. It was much easier with the proper tool.
 
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