7/16 tubing bender: suggestions?
I need to bend some 7/16" (OD) soft copper tubing. The coil spring bender I
have just won't hack it. It's all I can do to bend it with this by hand, I can't get a radius tighter than 2-3 inches, and what I get looks like hell. The "three sizes" die bender I have only goes up to 3/8". I haven't been able to find a rental shop that has one for this size. I tried to make a bigger bender out of hardwood, but it just flattened the tubing. I can buy one on Ebay for around $30 with shipping, but I only need it for this one job. Before I spend a couple of hours in the shop making a proper die, I thought I'd ask you experts. Anyone have any other suggestions? I know they fill music instrument tubing with ice before bending it, but they still use a die type bender. I've seen filling the tube with sand suggested, too. All ideas gratefully accepted. Thanks. I need to make at least two 90 degree bends and two 45's, all with around a 1-1.5" radius. -- Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways) |
7/16 tubing bender: suggestions?
Bob Chilcoat wrote:
I need to bend some 7/16" (OD) soft copper tubing. The coil spring bender I have just won't hack it. It's all I can do to bend it with this by hand, I can't get a radius tighter than 2-3 inches, and what I get looks like hell. The "three sizes" die bender I have only goes up to 3/8". I haven't been able to find a rental shop that has one for this size. I tried to make a bigger bender out of hardwood, but it just flattened the tubing. I can buy one on Ebay for around $30 with shipping, but I only need it for this one job. Before I spend a couple of hours in the shop making a proper die, I thought I'd ask you experts. Anyone have any other suggestions? I know they fill music instrument tubing with ice before bending it, but they still use a die type bender. I've seen filling the tube with sand suggested, too. All ideas gratefully accepted. Thanks. I need to make at least two 90 degree bends and two 45's, all with around a 1-1.5" radius. Go rent one. - GWE |
7/16 tubing bender: suggestions?
I used vee-belt pulleys to do passable bends on 5/16" copper tubing,
down to 3/4" radius. Bob Chilcoat wrote: I need to bend some 7/16" (OD) soft copper tubing. |
7/16 tubing bender: suggestions?
"Bob Chilcoat" wrote in message ... I need to bend some 7/16" (OD) soft copper tubing. The coil spring bender I have just won't hack it. It's all I can do to bend it with this by hand, I can't get a radius tighter than 2-3 inches, and what I get looks like hell. The "three sizes" die bender I have only goes up to 3/8". I haven't been able to find a rental shop that has one for this size. I tried to make a bigger bender out of hardwood, but it just flattened the tubing. I can buy one on Ebay for around $30 with shipping, but I only need it for this one job. Before I spend a couple of hours in the shop making a proper die, I thought I'd ask you experts. Anyone have any other suggestions? I know they fill music instrument tubing with ice before bending it, but they still use a die type bender. I've seen filling the tube with sand suggested, too. All ideas gratefully accepted. Thanks. I need to make at least two 90 degree bends and two 45's, all with around a 1-1.5" radius. -- Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways) Make sure the tubing is SOFT about one bend and it gets very hard. Jack |
7/16 tubing bender: suggestions?
Jordan wrote:
I used vee-belt pulleys to do passable bends on 5/16" copper tubing, down to 3/4" radius. Oh - good idea! I hope I remember it when I need to bend next 8-) Bob |
7/16 tubing bender: suggestions?
--Using a pulley; what a neat hack! Will remember that one.
--OTOH a friend made a fixture for bending not just tube but pipe and years ago I took some crummy photos. Here's a link: http://www.nmpproducts.com/boiler.htm -- "Steamboat Ed" Haas : Whatever happened Hacking the Trailing Edge! : to Pasquale Gumbo? http://www.nmpproducts.com/intro.htm ---Decks a-wash in a sea of words--- |
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