EViS
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| posted on 11/4/06 at 11:12 PM |
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Pipe Bending - How?
Simple one this (i hope), in order to bend metal pipes for roll cages, wishbones, pedals, and so forth, what equipment is needed? How expensive is it
to purchase? And does it take long to master the art of bending  ?
On a similar note, do most of you 'build from scratch' guys make your own outlet manifolds and exhausts, or do you generally purchase them
from specialists?
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JoelP
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| posted on 11/4/06 at 11:25 PM |
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good bending is hard work  can be done with a hydraulic thingy and a former, but i believe its better done on expensive machines.
I once made an exhaust from salvaged tubing, it worked but looked fugly. Twas mild steel. I wouldnt dream of doing it like that again!  So id say,
buy a tig and do it stainless or get it made for you.
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Simon
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| posted on 11/4/06 at 11:26 PM |
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Don't bother trying - I bought a tpipe bender from screwfix to bend up my ex pipes. Tube wall too thin (16swg) and tube just creased.
Best to buy all the bits - I got mild steel tube (including bends) from various places Demon Thieves/Custom Chrome etc. I painted it with two coats of
heatproof paint and they're as rusty as very rusty things.
I've gotta make some new manifolds as I'm twin turboing, so whole lot will be stainless, with polished side pipes.
ATB
Simon
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NS Dev
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| posted on 11/4/06 at 11:39 PM |
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Recently bought all the bits and some more to make my manifold in stainless (mate will tig it all for me)
Got all the stuff from here, less than half the price of Demon Thieves (in fact the stainless was less than 2/3 the custom chrome price for mild
steel!!!)
SDW fabrication
ring em up to find out, but I got 14 off 1 3/4" 90 deg bends, a couple of 1 3/4" 150 deg bends, couple of 180 deg bends in the same dia, a
couple of 30 deg in the same dia, enough bend to make 2 off 4-2 collectors from tube (and they showed me how to jig em up and make em too) plus enough
2" bend to make the 2-1 collector, plus 2 off 90 deg 2" bends, plus 1m of 2.5" straight stainless, 2m of 2" straight
stainless and 2m of 1 3/4" stainless, for £200, which I really cannot argue with.
All bent to order on a hydralic mandrel bender and extremely good!
really helpful place and extremely friendly (lots of coffee and chat and generally musing round the workshops there)
regards
Nat
Retro RWD is the way forward...........automotive fabrication, car restoration, sheetmetal work, engine conversion
retro car restoration and tuning
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Kissy
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| posted on 12/4/06 at 06:29 AM |
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MK now have a decent tube bender (mandrel) which they seem keen to be utilised; and the quotes I got were very fair. Mandrel bending is best for
cages and exhausts as it minimises necking in the tubes. I have a Hilmor bender which is a manual mandrel bender (ex-MOD), but I can only reasonably
do 25mm mild steel.
Powerspeed in Ashford, Kent (not too far for you) will make whatever you want or just bend bits to order.
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MikeR
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| posted on 12/4/06 at 08:42 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Simon
Don't bother trying - I bought a tpipe bender from screwfix to bend up my ex pipes. Tube wall too thin (16swg) and tube just creased.
Best to buy all the bits - I got mild steel tube (including bends) from various places Demon Thieves/Custom Chrome etc. I painted it with two coats of
heatproof paint and they're as rusty as very rusty things.
I've gotta make some new manifolds as I'm twin turboing, so whole lot will be stainless, with polished side pipes.
ATB
Simon
Problem with the screwfix / machine mart etc benders is they are for PIPE and not tube. Its a different size etc. You need the correct formers to make
it work - then thin wall is still difficult.
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tks
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| posted on 12/4/06 at 08:56 AM |
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or...
do it the way i did.. (see pic archive)
buy the curves pre fabricated, and just hooksaw them in the right angle and tig it all up.
else i would buy everything prefabricated from a mk etc.
The problem is the engine you have in my case it wasl needed to make the axhaust to fit sow it was just tag weld and measure and try to make
everything equal.
It isn“t the easy way, but its the cheapest....
Regards,
Tks
[Edited on 12/4/06 by tks]
The above comments are always meant to be from the above persons perspective.
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Minicooper
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| posted on 12/4/06 at 09:17 AM |
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I bought and imported one off these, not practical for a few bends, but it does work brilliantly, the bends are perfect even on the thin walled stuff
1.6mm
http://www.pro-tools.com/105.htm
Cheers
David
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TheGecko
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| posted on 12/4/06 at 09:20 AM |
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I think it depends to some extent on what quality of result you want ie perfectly bent with not crimpled edges, squashed sides etc.
I tripped across the following a little while back (the site was linked from the Make magazine website -
http://www.makezine.com/blog -which is always good for a look with all manner of interesting techy projects).
Some instructions on bending metal tubing by hand:
http://www.metalgeek.com/archives/2005/05/01/000047.php
and a video of it actually being done to prove it:
http://www.metalgeek.com/archives/2006/02/05/000053.php.
Hope this is of interest,
Dominic
[Edited on 12/4/2006 by TheGecko]
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Hammerhead
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| posted on 12/4/06 at 10:11 AM |
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Can you fill the tubes with sand to prevent kinks?
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NS Dev
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| posted on 12/4/06 at 10:22 AM |
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You can, but then you need oxy-acetylene to heat the tube up enough to bend it, the sand takes the heat away too fast and oxy-propane may just about
do it but really you need acetylene.
Retro RWD is the way forward...........automotive fabrication, car restoration, sheetmetal work, engine conversion
retro car restoration and tuning
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Minicooper
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| posted on 12/4/06 at 10:27 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Hammerhead
Can you fill the tubes with sand to prevent kinks?
Yes you can but it must be bone dry otherwise it boil and blow out the heated part of the tube, not good, and it must also be compressed into the
pipe/tube your bending
Cheers
David
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EViS
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| posted on 12/4/06 at 10:33 AM |
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Best to buy a rollbar/cage and exhaust system from a manufacturer (such as MK, Mac#1, etc) then?
Other than the rollbar/cage and exhaust system, what else would need bending on a self build?
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 12/4/06 at 10:35 AM |
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Years ago I had a copy of an article from an aussie magazine, about some old boy who hand-bent exhaust pipework using sand and oxy-acetylene.
I can still remember the pictures of the man in his shorts and short-sleeved shirt, in his workshop, one hand managing 2 metres of pipe red-hot in the
middle and the gas torch in the other hand with a HUGE flame. He was using a special tip ('rosebud' rings a bell) that gave a hot, wide
and long flame, designed for heating up big stuff.
Very scary!
David
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Hammerhead
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| posted on 12/4/06 at 11:11 AM |
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The american guy who does monster garage, Jesse James, hand bends 2" round pipe for chopper frames.
He makes a jig. heats the pipe and then hand bends it to shape. He also does some bending without heating.
Motorcycle mania (his program) shows the method.
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JonBowden
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| posted on 12/4/06 at 12:03 PM |
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Rorty has some info for bending on his site
http://www.rorty-design.com/content/sand_bending.htm
Jon
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MikeR
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| posted on 12/4/06 at 12:31 PM |
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Yep, i remember it as well, got the article at home somewhere.
I also remember what he was doing, rebuilding tanks - he used this for the exhaust.
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lexi
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| posted on 13/4/06 at 11:17 PM |
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Buy Kilndried sand at B@Q. Weld a stop at pipe ends. Made a sledge for grandson from the Locost 25MM tube, Bent the runners this way........aint got
it SVAd yet!!
Alex
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Ian Pearson
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| posted on 14/4/06 at 10:43 AM |
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After reading the "AUSSIE" article, I made the frame for my scuttle using sand and MAPP gas. I used sharp sand that I dried in a
microwave.
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Syd Bridge
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| posted on 14/4/06 at 11:32 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
Years ago I had a copy of an article from an aussie magazine, about some old boy who hand-bent exhaust pipework using sand and oxy-acetylene.
I can still remember the pictures of the man in his shorts and short-sleeved shirt, in his workshop, one hand managing 2 metres of pipe red-hot in the
middle and the gas torch in the other hand with a HUGE flame. He was using a special tip ('rosebud' rings a bell) that gave a hot, wide
and long flame, designed for heating up big stuff.
Very scary!
David
I can't say if he still does it this way, but Mike The Pipe here in UK does his exhausts this very same way. Is he still in business? He did
some very artistic work as manifolds, which should have been in an art gallery.
Cheers,
Syd.
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Ian Pearson
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| posted on 14/4/06 at 02:56 PM |
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Tried to contact Mike The Pipe a few years ago to get my exhaust manifold made, and I'm sure someone said he had retired?
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philipppe
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| posted on 16/4/06 at 12:43 AM |
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pipe benders
I have learned a few things the hard way about bending tubes and all I have to say about hydraulic pipe benders is do not throw the baby with the bath
water. Pipe benders are not meant to bend large tubes. The directions that came with my chinese 12 ton pipe bender say fill the pipes with sand to
avoid flattening, kinks, etc. Since we are not bending plumbing pipes and that tubes do not come threaded and are not easily plugable, I would say it
is not a big help.
Here is what I found. You can bend up to 1" x .125" wall tubes without flatening and without kinks up to 85-90 degrees with the
conventional hydraulic pipe bender. Use the 3/4" die that comes with the bender (not the 1" one which is too wide).
On the Locost, wishbones could be bent that way. I have made roll hoops with 1" tubes too. It is all at the tak welded stage but you are
welcome to see my pictures if you like:
http://usera.imagecave.com/philippe
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Alan B
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| posted on 21/4/06 at 03:53 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Minicooper
I bought and imported one off these, not practical for a few bends, but it does work brilliantly, the bends are perfect even on the thin walled stuff
1.6mm
http://www.pro-tools.com/105.htm
Cheers
David
Yep, same as mine...great tool...
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