BigTallDad Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 For those that make roll-cages, custom exhausts, etc. I've tried a variety of methods (filling the tubing with various materials) but this one works the best for me. Mount a bolt, threads up in a vise. Put two washers and the nut on the bolt. Place the tubing and a drill bit the same size as the tubing between the washers and make the nut very finger-tight (don't use a wrench). It'll look like this. Hold one end of the tubing and pull the other end, wrapping it around the bolt. Re-position the tubing and the drill bit and repeat as necessary. Once you're past 90 degrees, you don't need the drill bit. The drill bit keeps the washers level/even and the washers keep the tubing from blowing out and kinking. If necessary, you can also use the washers and nut (this time with a wrench) to further flatten the curve. When all is said and done, the end product looks like this This was about a 100 degree bend. After I put my camera away (dumb thing to do) I was able to bend this tubing 180 degrees with no splitting. I first annealed the area to be bent using a lighter; this softens the tubing and reduces splitting. Obviously, the size of the bolt determines the curve radius e.g. larger bolt, bigger curve. There are products on the market designed specifically for bending tubing, but my approach uses common houshold stuff, works pretty well, and can bend a large variety of tubing sizes; the tubing can be aluminum or brass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Nice technique. Works as well as some of the complicated ones you have to have a mill and lathe to make. And works WAY better than those silly wire-wrapped "tube benders" that won't even come off of a sharp radius bend sometimes. Good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintagercr Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Ray, another great how too!Tip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Honestly, being a box sock builder I wondered how it was done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny B Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Ray, really good idea. Do you have any ideas on how to make a 90 degree bend on 1/2 styrene tube? Ken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 It still seems to flatten a bit against the bolt, but I like this method for something that has plagued me for a long time. Using different sized bolts opens up many possibilities and the drill bit ... have most tube sizes I use permanently loaded in pin vises .. Thanks for this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
426-Hemi Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I do something similiar to this..... (I got those "spring" type benders from K&S USELESS!!!) I do plan to machine out a bender such as thise with my lathe, as I'm finding, I need to bend more and more..... Source of bending materials.....Go to the Dollar Tree store, (If one is near you) and look in their "craft" section, for "Floral Wire"...... SOLID aluminum, and easy to bend, and not "kink"....$1.00 for 6 feet! I use it alot for exhaust pipe designing...... My first truck in my "Father & Son" build uses this stuff for exhaust pipes..... I also invested in a pair of Necklace "craft" pliers, also good for bending..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1hobby1 Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Definitely giving this a try soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yenkocamaro Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Here is a recent purchase. I picked up this hand held tubing bender at Harbor freight tools for $10. It works great for every size it will bend, except 1/4" tubing, which is what I need, for a 1/18 project. It bends 1/8"- 3/16"- and 1/4". Cheers, Lance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasser59 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Great little tutorial Ray. Thanks for sharing. Looks like I'm off to Harbor Freight tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twokidsnosleep Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Thanks for posting this, will definitely try it Sometimes the simplest things work the best and I already have everything I need to do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIPTROIT 71 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Why didn't I think of that??? What a great idea!! Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete J. Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Great idea! I will be stealing that one! Having said that I rarely bend aluminum tubing, because I almost never use it. I use solid rod. Most of the time it doesn't matter if the piece is hollow or not and rod is much easier to bend. If the end is open and the hollow shows like exhausts, then I suppose you have no choice, but most of the time it just isn't nessesary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooknladderno1 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Ray,What an awesome tutorial! I have long wanted to bend small diameter brass and aluminum tubing at 90 degree angles to make ambulance stretchers and brush guards. I didn't want to spend the big bucks on a tool that I wouldn't use often. I will be getting the components together and giving this a try! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miatatom Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 Some suggested frozen water. Another substitute is sand packed into the tubing before bending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveM Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Great tip! I use a lot of solid rod too, but sometimes, you need to have a hollow end. Then, I try to find a soft, solid wire that will fit inside the tube as tightly as possible. You just put enough wire in to fill the part of the tube you are bending, leaving the end of the tube open. If you have to have a bend right near the end, then you will probably see the filler wire when you look at the end of the tube, so it won't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTallDad Posted July 30, 2019 Author Share Posted July 30, 2019 (edited) I HATE how Photoshop clutters up my images with their advertising... Edited July 30, 2019 by BigTallDad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 On 7/29/2019 at 9:10 PM, BigTallDad said: I HATE how Photoshop clutters up my images with their advertising... They completely ruined them now, for me anyway - but I can just see enough to figure out how this works...great technique! Thank you for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTallDad Posted January 30, 2020 Author Share Posted January 30, 2020 (edited) On 6/3/2015 at 6:52 PM, BigTallDad said: ANOTHER VERSION, WITH CLEANED-UP IMAGES... I've tried a variety of methods (filling the tubing with various materials) but this one works the best for me. Mount a bolt, threads up in a vise. Put two washers and the nut on the bolt. Place the tubing and a drill bit the same size as the tubing between the washers and make the nut very finger-tight (don't use a wrench). It'll look like this. Hold one end of the tubing and pull the other end, wrapping it around the bolt. Re-position the tubing and the drill bit and repeat as necessary. Once you're past 90 degrees, you don't need the drill bit. The drill bit keeps the washers level/even and the washers keep the tubing from blowing out and kinking. If necessary, you can also use the washers and nut (this time with a wrench) to further flatten the curve. When all is said and done, the end product looks like this After I put my camera away (dumb thing to do) I was able to bend this tubing 180 degrees with no splitting. I first annealed the area to be bent using a lighter; this softens the tubing and reduces splitting. Obviously, the size of the bolt determines the curve radius e.g. larger bolt, bigger curve. There are products on the market designed specifically for bending tubing, but my approach uses common household stuff, works pretty well, and can bend a large variety of tubing sizes; the tubing can be aluminum or brass. Edited January 30, 2020 by BigTallDad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTallDad Posted January 30, 2020 Author Share Posted January 30, 2020 19 hours ago, CabDriver said: They completely ruined them now, for me anyway - but I can just see enough to figure out how this works...great technique! Thank you for sharing! Look at them now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 52 minutes ago, BigTallDad said: Look at them now. Brilliant!! Thank you so much for updating this! It’s a great technique, I’ll definitely be using this a LOT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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