Some time back I had to replace the pump on my shop air compressor. Since I
used a third party pump, shop built adapter plate to mount it, and needed to
get it going right now I used a 175 PSI rated piece of plastic air line bent
in a loop. I had copper line on hand, but I've never had much luck bending
short pieces without kinking it. I figured I'd order a proper tubing
bender, and fix it properly in a few weeks. Well about 8 months later -
yesterday - that "temporary" air line blew. It had gotten brittle and hard.
Probably from the heat cycling so close to the pump.

Note to self: Add another jobs board to the shop for temporary repairs that
need permanent repairs. LOL.

Anyway, I was back at the same point I was before. I needed to bend a piece
of copper tube less than ten inches long to an exact fit between the pump
and the check valve. Still none of the vendors that are open at the time of
the evening had one in stock. Not one I would own anyway. I bent a piece
by hand and with holes in the frame of my steel work bench that was a fair
fit us... with some small kinks, and it probably would have worked fine, but
I wanted to do better. Packing with sand is an option I have used, but
bending and forming small pieces by hand is tough. I needed a tool.

The holes in the work bench frame worked fine except of course they have
little or no radius. You wind up with a series of tiny kinks or one big
kink if you get to aggressive with it. I have a coupe dozen pulleys and
sheaves hanging on the back wall from various salvage. I clamped one in one
of the bench vises and pushed the copper tube down into it. It slightly
ovaled the tube, but it worked amazingly well. I matched it up to my kinky
test fit piece, trimmed the ends to length and it dropped into place on the
first try.

On Wed, 5 Dec 2018 12:00:01 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
wrote:

Some time back I had to replace the pump on my shop air compressor. Since I
used a third party pump, shop built adapter plate to mount it, and needed to
get it going right now I used a 175 PSI rated piece of plastic air line bent
in a loop. I had copper line on hand, but I've never had much luck bending
short pieces without kinking it. I figured I'd order a proper tubing
bender, and fix it properly in a few weeks. Well about 8 months later -
yesterday - that "temporary" air line blew. It had gotten brittle and hard.
Probably from the heat cycling so close to the pump.

Note to self: Add another jobs board to the shop for temporary repairs that
need permanent repairs. LOL.

Anyway, I was back at the same point I was before. I needed to bend a piece
of copper tube less than ten inches long to an exact fit between the pump
and the check valve. Still none of the vendors that are open at the time of
the evening had one in stock. Not one I would own anyway. I bent a piece
by hand and with holes in the frame of my steel work bench that was a fair
fit us... with some small kinks, and it probably would have worked fine, but
I wanted to do better. Packing with sand is an option I have used, but
bending and forming small pieces by hand is tough. I needed a tool.

The holes in the work bench frame worked fine except of course they have
little or no radius. You wind up with a series of tiny kinks or one big
kink if you get to aggressive with it. I have a coupe dozen pulleys and
sheaves hanging on the back wall from various salvage. I clamped one in one
of the bench vises and pushed the copper tube down into it. It slightly
ovaled the tube, but it worked amazingly well. I matched it up to my kinky
test fit piece, trimmed the ends to length and it dropped into place on the
first try.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/180-Pipe-Tu...l/153114578734

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Tube-Bender...RIAL-370-FH/33

https://www.ebay.com/itm/HVAC-Refrig...t/371503007051

Having the right tools to do the job is good.

On the other hand..finding a way to do it without the proper tools is
also good.

Nicely done!!

Gunner
__

"Poor widdle Wudy...mentally ill, lies constantly, doesnt know who he is, or even what gender "he" is.

No more pathetic creature has ever walked the earth. But...he is locked into a mental hospital for the safety of the public.

Which is a very good thing."

Asun rauhassa, valmistaudun sotaan.


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On Wed, 5 Dec 2018 12:00:01 -0700, Bob La Londe wrote:

Some time back I had to replace the pump on my shop air compressor. Since I
used a third party pump, shop built adapter plate to mount it, and needed to
get it going right now I used a 175 PSI rated piece of plastic air line bent
in a loop. I had copper line on hand, but I've never had much luck bending
short pieces without kinking it. I figured I'd order a proper tubing
bender, and fix it properly in a few weeks. Well about 8 months later -
yesterday - that "temporary" air line blew. It had gotten brittle and hard.
Probably from the heat cycling so close to the pump.

Note to self: Add another jobs board to the shop for temporary repairs that
need permanent repairs. LOL.

Anyway, I was back at the same point I was before. I needed to bend a piece
of copper tube less than ten inches long to an exact fit between the pump
and the check valve. Still none of the vendors that are open at the time of
the evening had one in stock. Not one I would own anyway. I bent a piece
by hand and with holes in the frame of my steel work bench that was a fair
fit us... with some small kinks, and it probably would have worked fine, but
I wanted to do better. Packing with sand is an option I have used, but
bending and forming small pieces by hand is tough. I needed a tool.

The holes in the work bench frame worked fine except of course they have
little or no radius. You wind up with a series of tiny kinks or one big
kink if you get to aggressive with it. I have a coupe dozen pulleys and
sheaves hanging on the back wall from various salvage. I clamped one in one
of the bench vises and pushed the copper tube down into it. It slightly
ovaled the tube, but it worked amazingly well. I matched it up to my kinky
test fit piece, trimmed the ends to length and it dropped into place on the
first try.

Nice job Bob!
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