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)

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

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.

"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

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

--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---