How do the cheap pipe benders work on schedule 40 aluminum pipe?

Same as they work on steel pipe. That is to say they work ok, you get
distortion in the bend area, measuring the bend is a pain, and the
springback is pretty remarkable.

mark wrote:
How do the cheap pipe benders work on schedule 40 aluminum pipe?

On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:24:18 -0500, RoyJ
wrote:
mark wrote:

How do the cheap pipe benders work on schedule 40 aluminum pipe?

Same as they work on steel pipe. That is to say they work ok, you get
distortion in the bend area, measuring the bend is a pain, and the
springback is pretty remarkable.

And with aluminum pipe and a full 90-degree bend, unless it's
annealed dead-soft at the beginning of the bend, and possibly annealed
once or twice more as you stop in mid-bend, you *will* get cracking in
the pipe.

Aluminum doesn't stretch worth a darn, it rips. If you need more
than a few degrees of bend, it may need to be cut into wedge segments
and welded.

-- Bruce --

On Apr 1, 5:35 am, mark wrote:
How do the cheap pipe benders work on schedule 40 aluminum pipe?

I don't know about Schedule 40, but I bent a bunch of 1" ID 1/16" wall
6061 thinwall tube by wrapping it around a 1000 lb drum of
communications cable. Granted, not everyone wants a 20" bend radius
on their parts, but it worked for what I needed (gripping a rubber
ball with a 40" diameter).

On the construction job I once worked on, the electricians bent aluminum up
to 4" daily with their benders. Of course the aluminum rigid conduit might
well have been a special alloy.

RJ

"Bruce L. Bergman" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:24:18 -0500, RoyJ
wrote:
mark wrote:

How do the cheap pipe benders work on schedule 40 aluminum pipe?

Same as they work on steel pipe. That is to say they work ok, you get
distortion in the bend area, measuring the bend is a pain, and the
springback is pretty remarkable.

And with aluminum pipe and a full 90-degree bend, unless it's
annealed dead-soft at the beginning of the bend, and possibly annealed
once or twice more as you stop in mid-bend, you *will* get cracking in
the pipe.

Aluminum doesn't stretch worth a darn, it rips. If you need more
than a few degrees of bend, it may need to be cut into wedge segments
and welded.

-- Bruce --

On Fri, 4 Apr 2008 09:49:55 -0500, "Backlash"
wrote:

On the construction job I once worked on, the electricians bent aluminum up
to 4" daily with their benders. Of course the aluminum rigid conduit might
well have been a special alloy.

RJ

The vast majority of electrical work you would see in the US is done
with thinwall mild steel Electrical Metallic Tubing, or heavy-wall
seamless (mandrel drawn) Rigid Steel Conduit that is threaded in
standard pipe sizes. Both are galvanized to resist the effects of
water.

Both of those conduits bend up nicely, because the steel allows for
easy bending without failures. You can do it in dead-soft aluminum,
but not aluminum pipe that is many years old - just age alone will
start to harden some alloys.

Aluminum conduit is avoided, because when it gets wet and/or
attacked with alkali soil and pool chemicals and fertilizers it
quickly rots away to a jelly or oxide crumbles. Been there a few
times (when people tried homemade parts) and had to replace the whole
thing.

If you have corrosive or 'special' conditions, or underground, you
use gray PVC plastic conduit for the wiring.

-- Bruce --

On Apr 1, 10:24*am, RoyJ wrote:
Same as they work on steelpipe. That is to say they work ok, you get
distortion in the bend area, measuring the bend is a pain, and the
springback is pretty remarkable.



mark wrote:
How do the cheappipebenderswork on schedule 40 aluminumpipe?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I bought a 16 ton air/hydraulic bender with dies up to 3" yesterday. I
tried it on some 3/4" sch 40 aluminum and it cracked wide open, also
3/4" sch 40 steel pipe kinked/folded . If I try to anneal the aluminum
with my oxy/acetelyne torch how do I know how hot to get it and do I
just let it cool in the air? Would annealing the steel pipe make any
difference. Thanks

Ronald Thompson wrote:
mark wrote:
On Apr 1, 10:24 am, RoyJ wrote:
Same as they work on steelpipe. That is to say they work ok, you get
distortion in the bend area, measuring the bend is a pain, and the
springback is pretty remarkable.



mark wrote:
How do the cheappipebenderswork on schedule 40 aluminumpipe?- Hide
quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

I bought a 16 ton air/hydraulic bender with dies up to 3" yesterday. I
tried it on some 3/4" sch 40 aluminum and it cracked wide open, also
3/4" sch 40 steel pipe kinked/folded . If I try to anneal the aluminum
with my oxy/acetelyne torch how do I know how hot to get it and do I
just let it cool in the air? Would annealing the steel pipe make any
difference. Thanks

Maybe you are using the wrong die. The pipe should fit fairly snug in
the die, if there is too much wiggle room side to side it will kink.
If there is too much room and you are using the closest die you have,
you may have some luck by using shims in the die. shims can be plate
steel or sometimes plywood.


Did he ever say how tight a bend he's trying, or needing, to make? All
this is so if he wants a one-shot bend. If he can settle for a long
sweeping bend he could do it in several smaller incremental bends.

mark wrote:
On Apr 1, 10:24 am, RoyJ wrote:

Same as they work on steelpipe. That is to say they work ok, you get
distortion in the bend area, measuring the bend is a pain, and the
springback is pretty remarkable.



mark wrote:

How do the cheappipebenderswork on schedule 40 aluminumpipe?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


I bought a 16 ton air/hydraulic bender with dies up to 3" yesterday. I
tried it on some 3/4" sch 40 aluminum and it cracked wide open, also
3/4" sch 40 steel pipe kinked/folded . If I try to anneal the aluminum
with my oxy/acetelyne torch how do I know how hot to get it and do I
just let it cool in the air? Would annealing the steel pipe make any
difference. Thanks

Quick-N-dirty anneal.

Soot the area to be annealed, with an acet flame. Heat till all gone.

Or, scribble on area with Sharpie marker, heat till gone.

Not perfect, but it works.

Cheers
Trev

On Apr 9, 5:51*pm, Ronald Thompson
wrote:
mark wrote:
On Apr 1, 10:24 am, RoyJ wrote:
Same as they work on steelpipe. That is to say they work ok, you get
distortion in the bend area, measuring the bend is a pain, and the
springback is pretty remarkable.

mark wrote:
How do the cheappipebenderswork on schedule 40 aluminumpipe?- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

I bought a 16 ton air/hydraulic bender with dies up to 3" yesterday. I
tried it on some 3/4" sch 40 aluminum and it cracked wide open, also
3/4" sch 40 steel pipe kinked/folded . If I try to anneal the aluminum
with my oxy/acetelyne torch how do I know how hot to get it and do I
just let it cool in the air? Would annealing the steel pipe make any
difference. Thanks

Maybe you are using the wrong die. The pipe should fit fairly snug in
the die, if there is too much wiggle room side to side it will kink.
If there is too much room and you are using the closest die you have,
you may have some luck by using shims in the die. shims can be plate
steel or sometimes plywood.

--

Ron Thompson
Riding my '07 XL883C Sportster
On the Beautiful Florida Space Coast,
right beside the Kennedy Space Center,
USA

http://www.plansandprojects.com
My hobby pages are hehttp://www.plansandprojects.com/My%20Machines/

Visit the castinghobby FAQ:http://castinghobbywiki.plansandprojects.com/

The member map is hehttp://www.frappr.com/castinghobby

This ain't football, you can't just sit in a computer chair and memorize
facts.
-Ron Thompson- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

There might be 1/16" of play but I am using the right die. I also
tried 1" sch 40 and it bent well but flatened out a tiny bit.