gary jackson Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 anyone ever tried putting solid wire inside plastic tubing when heating to bend for rollcage. i thought it might keep the tubing from collapsing. i dont care if i have to leave the wire inside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stitchdup Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 It should work and if you did need to remove the material you could use sand inside the tubes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plowboy Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 A lot of builders do it that way and it seems to work. I use solid rod for roll cages, exhaust and headers. I don't have to worry about it collapsing or breaking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarheelRick Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 Floral wire works pretty well, however there is still the possibility the tubing will crack across the outside of the bend. Like Plowboy said, solid rod seems to work better for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 It does bend nice with wire inside, but if you touch the bend with solvent glue, the tubing will instantly crack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 I have done a couple of exhaust systems using hollow plastic tubing and a length of brass rod inside to hold the shape when bent. You may still have problems depending on how tight of a turn you want such as making a roll bar setup. A hard 90 degree bend is pretty hard to do with out the plastic starting to crack and even break open on a real tight bend. Gentile bends seem to work just fine, but remember the brass rod can't be removed after bending. I have seen plastic rod that already has a rod inside but I think you would have the same problem depending on how tight of a bend you're trying to make. My suggestion would be to experiment with a solid plastic rod and use some light local heating to make your bends. A jig of you roll bar setup might be a good idea and remember when heating plastic there seems to be a very fine point of getting it hot enough to bend and not so hot that it starts to melt or even catch on fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary jackson Posted July 9, 2022 Author Share Posted July 9, 2022 cant seem to find 3/32 rod online is there another size that would work for rollcage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 11 minutes ago, gary jackson said: ... is there another size that would work for rollcage What scale are you working in? What kind of car (drag racing, road racing, etc.) ? What era? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plowboy Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 41 minutes ago, gary jackson said: cant seem to find 3/32 rod online is there another size that would work for rollcage I use .080 for roll cages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 (edited) .080” (x25) is 2” diameter in 1/25th scale or 1.92” diameter in 1/24th scale. .100” is 2-1/2” diameter in 1/25th and 2.4” diameter in 1/24th. .080” is likely better, but either size would work. 3/32” is right in between them and probably only available as tubing. Edited July 9, 2022 by NOBLNG 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary jackson Posted July 9, 2022 Author Share Posted July 9, 2022 5 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said: What scale are you working in? What kind of car (drag racing, road racing, etc.) ? What era? 1/25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 57 minutes ago, gary jackson said: 1/25 Cages and bars these days are usually 1 5/8"or 1 3/4", depending on class and speed. 1 3/4" is 1.75". Divided by 25, that gives you .070". I notice the difference using .080", but it looks pretty good usually...and is usually what I use too. But I think anything bigger looks wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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