wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. The tubing I bought is from lowes (it doesn't say anywhere on it what alloy it is) and when I tried to bend it I filled it with sand and bent it around a pipe with a ridius that fit my application. The die must be absolutely grease free and the compression element must be well lubricated at its two contact points. I pack with sand, go slow, go fast, use lube/ no lube, still no luck. One other thing I dont think that trailer is large enough to carry a compac 16 ! Add additional sand. Also, how do you precisely bend a pipe?
I bent .095 wall, 1' 6061 T6 with minor flattening and no wrinkles to 180 deg+. Just cut out the traced jig. . Does anyone have some suggestions for how to bend1/8 (or similar sizes) aluminum tubing to make intake manifolds without kinks? A grooved aluminum "pulley" would be much stronger but is harder to make if you don't have a large hunk of aluminum plate or a metal working lathe. These copper tubes are a mere 1/8" in diameter and may be easily bent by hand or formed around an empty tin can or jar of the proper diameter. A mandrel is put within the tube during various tube bending processes to prevent the tube from collapsing. 
Unlike steel, aluminum is a more tender metal and so it might seem logical to think that bending it is simpler, but it doesnt work that way. on Introduction. Pipe benders are machines that bend pipes. After the sand shows no further sign of settling, drive a wood plug into the top end of the tube being sure it bottoms solidly against the sand. The best way to bend aluminum pipe without kinking is by using two heat sinks connected together with non-conductive material: rubber or plastic. Such wavy flattened bends are the usual result of attempting to bend thin wall tubing to small radii without the aid of a tube bender. If you are having trouble logging in, please do not reset your password, but try again later. No wrinkles but notably more flattening with same material in .065 wall. Figure 5shows some options for making grooved tube bending devices, be they pulley types or the simple wood jig types. To create this article, 20 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. 
But, what about the bottom side that is jammed against the "bending form"? References. You keep the conduit very tight against the jig. First, the clamp area was made to hold the tube with more surface area, and the clamp was bead blasted for max grip. It is easy to see that packing a tube you want to bend with a solid material like sand or a molten bending alloy will greatly inhibit the flattening tendency. More About The Bending Process Making a Right Angle Bend (Method 2). After all, why use a fitting where a bend in the tubing will do as well? What is the tubings minimum bend radius? or would it kink?
The problem lies with localized uneven heating and poorly coordinated bending pressures . Mandrels being used in the process calls for a more costly bender, but will theoretically produce a higher quality bend in thinner wall tubing. I will continue in this, and my colleague, Fritz, and myself will post our findings as we prove them out. If the tube bender you have access to is made for larger diameter tubing you probably shouldn't use it as it might cause your bends to flatten excessively. Use a permanent marker to indicate the bends ends. 1. It is therefore essential, during the feasibility study (or design stage), to determine the precise characteristics needed for the material to avoid the following during bending: Drawing on its long experience, Tecnocurve works alongside its clientele as a reliable partner in the field of cold shaping of tubular elements in aluminium. just remember to bring your templates, too. wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Find the point on the pipe where the curve begins. It is equally important, when making any grooved pulley or bending jig, for the grooved edges of the form to be strong enough to resist the flattening and widening of the tube. The alloy is notably less easy to cold form in the T 4 and T 6 tempers. And this process will allow the piece to go back to T6 without being brittle? These items are definitely needed. Step 1: Multiply the circumference measurement by two. 9 years ago Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Zor, Jul 25, 2008. Check the back set or distance from the beginning of the radius to the centerline of the bend to make sure the finished pipe is the right length. (I understand that salt works as well although I have never tried it.) When you use an electricians conduit bender, the head of the bender supports the pipe and helps to prevent distortion while bending. Depending on the temper you are using other important tempers include T6, T4 and T1 aluminium tubes will respond differently to bending. This provides some support from inside and helps prevent it collapsing.
Or, I can scrounge a few pieces and send 'em to you if you can't scrounge some pieces from your local shop. 2. Aluminum tubing is not only used for fuel lines, it is also used for windshield and canopy bows and wing tip bows, too. Pat, if you try nylon line, lube it really well, since it can be a booger to pull out! It is being severely compressed and although the tubing resists this crowding it is beginning to show signs of buckling across the tube diameter. Salt? Share it with us! Cookies are required for this site to operate correctly. Allow even more for larger diameters . Aluminum will be less difficult to work with than steel. Do not be lulled into thinking that simply because 3/8" aluminum fuel lines are rather ductile you can easily form them by hand.
Most of the tubing we use in homebuilts is either 1/2" or 3/4" in diameter (sometimes 5/8", too). A wood form, particularly a plywood form, is rather weak in this respect so it should have considerable edge distance between the groove and the edge of the pulley, form, jig or whatever. However, I assure you that these few components are important and many of them are, for the most part, highly visible.
What is the best way to bend it, it's pretty thin walled. A filler material (sand, bending alloy or salt) for those hard to make bends. This will allow for the spring action of the tubing. Hope this helps. Fill it with sand and close both ends (corks do a great job here). To provide a better user experience, EAA uses cookies. It has always worked perfectly for me. the wrinkles are killing me. Your tube is now ready for bending. Please enable cookies in your browser. I was going to pack it with sand, then heat it and bend it like steel. Obviously, you cannot bend the tube very much in any one place if your bend requires a radius many times larger than the bending device pulley. 11 years ago +1 on filling with sand-it appears in old school DIY magazines I have. One end should be clamped to a form. This added depth permits the walls of the groove to exert a restraining effect against the tube's tendency to flatten. Aluminum is very malleable, making it both simple to work with and easy to bend by mistake. I have not bent any tubing as of yet. I've had excellent success with a rotary compression type bender that I got from pro-tools.com. Hand bending it without the aid of a form is likewise very difficult to do successfully. Here is another tip that may help you. Privacy Policy. This is a slow way but it can make an otherwise severe bend possible. Would doing a jig like this, but for a small 3 or 4 inch radius work for 1/2" conduit? I made an exhaust recently, and decided the best way to bend aluminum in small radii is to not use aluminum. I'm just using a couple of old 2x4's. Mark: yes, the insulation that I use is just standard house fiberglass. If, on the other hand, the surface beneath has a small radius, the curvature developing in the tube will be localized. Chemicals &Consumables Thanks, HEINZ.
My question is-can I bend 6061 thin wall aluminum tubing(1/2" O.D.) It reduces the tendency for tubing to flatten and somewhat sharper curves or bends in the tubing are possible. Yes, as the temperature reaches a specific threshold, it will turn from dark to light brown rather immediately. You don't need much in the way of equipment or materials to make good uniform bends. Tubing bends are much lighter, cheaper and, unlike fittings, can't leak. Templates cut from plywood. Reply After you bend it, it will return to t6 temper in about a week as 6061 is an age hardening material. Accordingly, aluminium tubes, tubular sections and sections bars are often used in the following sectors: We are at your disposal for more information. At this point, multiply by four for a 90-degree pipe turn. (thin wall) 1100 aluminum tubing? The transition from grip area to start-of-bend was made as smooth as possible. The larger the tube diameter, the greater the pressure you must exert to make it bend. Method 1: Using a Tube Bender to Bend Steel Tubing. on Step 4, if you fill the conduit with sand it will not kink, Reply 12 years ago A flattened fuel line can restrict the flow of fuel and could, ultimately, fail in service. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 124,188 times. The info that Tom gave you was highly informative ! Here, you can see that I take a piece of scrap (from the earlier cut) and attach it to the table to complete the jig. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. The method is significantly easier for individuals who need to measure the radius of a pipe that has already been bent. You may want to practice with some cheap amluminum conduit to get the hang of it. Your wood should be somewhat thicker than the diameter of the tube you wish to bend. This article has been viewed 124,188 times. The sand has to be dry and well sifted to remove all foreign matter and the larger grains of sand. Do not forget to check the tubing after the bending is completed to be sure that it is not twisted, as viewed from the ends. Locally you might have access to some commercial tube bending machine. The trick is to get it hot and let it cool in its blanket until about 100 F and bend it from there. I form the coil on a mold I had turned on a machine lathe. There is another way to reduce the risk of making a poor bend. 9 years ago The top side of the bend is now under increasing tension and has to stretch. If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: Jobshops Oftentimes if you're trying to bend thin walled tubing, you can fill it with sand and TIGHTLY cap the ends before bending (no sand leakage). Reply Pack the tube with sand before starting the bend. If the radius of the underlying object (form) over which you are making the bend is large, the bend will be large and gentle and the tube will retain its round cross section. It will ordinarily take much longer than you would expect. and use DRY sand and tamp very tight. You can, of course, but hand formed ends often become flattened and have a poor irregular appearance. Bending causes the metal to harden somewhat. Ultralight builders utilize a lot of pre-bent aluminum tubing in structural elements but these components are, ordinarily, purchased pre-cut and pre-bent from the factory or supplier. To make a bend in classic mandrel pipe and tube bending, a bend die manufactured for a specified radius is needed. Since I work for a lawn and garden equipment dealer, I bring home scraps of weed trimmer nylon line of various thicknesses for bending chores. I bend quite a bit of 1/2" aluminum tubing for fuel lines. So, by heating the tubing you can anneal it and continue the bending carefully after the tube cools. 10 years ago How else can you check the bend you are making? Tubing in aircraft work is usually bent cold. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. A simple plywood bending form nailed to a work bench is a good basic bending device for large bends in small diameter tubing. From a bending standpoint, its always ideal to bend these components while theyre still annealed and then temper them to the proper temperature. Here, I show a quick and dirty method to bend aluminum tubing. You cannot hurry your tube bending chore. Step 1: Fill your pipe with water. These alloys have a very low melting point, some as low as 165 F. When this bending alloy is heated to its melting point it can be poured into the tube you want bent . Anyone building a tube and fabric airplane will probably encounter more opportunities for developing his tube bending skills than he would if he were building a composite. While bending, try to keep the pressure against the jig instead of the tubing. Find the beginning of the bend on your bending die. It didn't collapse at all but when it got to about 60 degrees it snapped in two and left a nice pile of sand on the floor. Alternatively, provide a wide tolerance in your bend radii wherever feasible. Youll need to anneal anything tougher than 5054 aluminum by heating it along the bend line. Depending on the pipe and tube size as well as the radius size, these bend dies may cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000. This is the extent of my experiments to date. Aluminum pipe may crack if you are using an alloy that doesn't have sufficient. Figures 1 through 5should give you enough ideas to help you devise a bending device of your own. (Use a black laundry marker on aluminum tubes and a silver lead pencil on steel tubes.). I've used ice in the tube for similar bending jobs. The 3/4" is .035" The 1" is .058 and .065 with a couple of pieces being .125. This instrument is used by electricians to bend pipe without crimping it (go to www.homedepot.com and search for pipe bender, sku # 784795, $14.98). If you continue the bending, the flattening on the top side will become more pronounced while at the same time, the crowded metal on the bottom side relieves the pressure by developing more wrinkles. In short, bend it cold. Answer: 6061-T6 aluminum is tempered and known for its resistance to bending. Would like to know more. To anneal the tubing I wrap it in fiberglass and foil tape a heat gun to one end and heat it to 750 to 800 degrees for an hour or so, let it cool down slowly in the insulation. + around a 3&1/2' die no wrinkles and minor flattening at bend with 1010 low carbon .095 wall thickness. How Technology Has Transformed the Financial Industry. ). In addition to bending and roll bending, Tecnocurve can also perform boring and slotting before bending, with the aid of a laser tube. The bend radius for all tubing is 8" with the maximum bend being 90 degrees (.058). Develop the tech skills you need for work and life. If warpage is present, a twisting pressure in the proper direction will take out the warp. This temper has technical characteristics that do not make it suitable for the bending of aluminium tubes and pipes. Step two is to bend! Preferred browsers: Google Chrome, FireFox, or Microsoft Edge. Annealing should be done at 775 F for 2 to 3 hours followed by controlled cooling at 50 F per hour down to 500 F, then air cool. I think it should work ok. Just pull very hard and go slow. But giving it your best effort does not mean you have to make a big production out of this tube bending thing. A. Hi, you have to anneal your 6061 t6 tubing in order for it to bend nicely. This scrap will be used to build the bending jig. . Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. The EAA website is currently undergoing maintenance. You may not be able to bend the metal at all depending on its thickness. High precision bending for the aluminium sector, this bending equipment is designed and produced directly in-house, boring and slotting before bending, with the aid of a laser tube, Substantial differences and/or deformations in the aluminium tube after tube processing. Use a filler material. While you can easily form a 90 bend in a 1/8" diameter copper line that is only 6" long, you simply cannot do the same with a similar length of 3/4" tubing. A. There are three ways to readily manipulate this material to work it. However, if you start bending steel with it, you should check at SWAGs kit for attaching an HF pipe threader to it so your shoulders can rest. Why is that? A square (not shown) is used to make sure your pipe is at a correct right angle. Then you would place it over some hard curved surface and push down hard on both ends of the tube . Aluminum tubing bends easily and quickly with the use of a torch. The material can be reused any number of times. When rectangular tube is bent the hard way, the material frequently exhibits less deformation (see Figure 2). The risk of a flattened bend will have been considerably reduced. Tube Bending Devices In other words, it is possible to make bends over a smaller radius if you anneal the tube once or twice as the bend progresses. I have been looking for alternatives to buying conduit benders (they are not cheapand I amlol).
Allow yourself plenty of time for bends that do not have a uniform radius. A substitute for the vise would be a good solid immobilized bench to which you could bolt a bending device horizontally. I have had a little experience bending tubing, as I was a band director who "dabbled" in instrument making in my early years. I have a tolerance on the wrinkles. The bigger the difference between the sides of the tube (for example, a 16-by-4-inch piece has a greater difference than a 12-by-4-inch section) the easier it is to bend. The pressure die and wiping die are made of aluminum or bronze and are used to maintain the work pieces shape and surface as it glides past. where do I get 5052? An improved variation of the plywood bending jig (form) is one with its edges grooved to the diameter of the tube for which it is intended. It dries real quick & my aluminum pipes don't flatten/kink when I bend them. I had to modify the bender in several areas to bring up the bend quality. I used a little carriage bolt that ended up fitting perfectly. To create this article, 20 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. . An even greater improvement would be to make the routed groove somewhat deeper so that the tubing will nestle in it beyond its half diameter. Fill the pipe halfway with sand or other filler, then fasten three layers of window screening with double hose clamps on the ends. . Portions of the website, including membership login, join, renewal, shopping, and AirVenture ticketing may be unavailable at that time. We are currently experiencing some issues with slow log ins. I have some 1/2 inch aluminum tubing that I want to put some "U" bends in.
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(ihrce=GoogleBase, http://www.micromark.com/5-PIECE-SPR-SET,7048.html. Tecnocurve also has a 5-axis work centre and a modern CNC lathe that ensures we can supply our customers with products that have already undergone most of the tube processing they require. I am documenting how I built a new bow rail for my sailboat. CapitalEquipment A more effective filler, of course, is any of the commercial bending alloys, CERROBEND, for example. I built my own sail boat. You can bend tubing successfully with just about any simple homemade tube bending device if it is properly made. What Happens When A Tube Is Bent? you will need the added leverage it affords. Being so visible, their fabrication merits your very best effort. Previous closely related Q&A's, oldest first: Q. I make high wattage CB antennas. Not ductile enough. It is constructed from 1" and 3/4" 6061-T6 tubing.
Hey.. Remove the distorted end. A. The thicker material will also require more muscle or the use of a power bender. I am interested in a little more detail with regards to Ed Bowe's comment about wrapping the piece in fiberglass and heating it. Allow to cool before continuing. Equipment Needed You will need a large rugged vise. Some of them also have tubular wing tip bows, fuselage formers and seat frames as well. When you are ready, get the polished stuff. How do you bend metal tubing, for example? on Introduction, Reply The metal will EASILY bend at this stage, but it will not fracture or shatter, and it is not yet at the melting point. The groove is important. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. on Introduction, 9 years ago I have an Imperial Eastman tubing bender that does an excelent job so long as the material is forgiving. The first step is to close one of the pipes ends. Aluminum pipes are bended in the same manner as copper tubing. As an aid to checking the accuracy of your bend as you proceed, you should mark a center line around the tube to use as a reference mark keyed to your template. 14 years ago wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Choose the right-sized die for the tubing youll be bending. For example, if you have a basic 90 degree bend in a 20 mm tube, would the bend radius of 40 mm, 50 mm, or 60 mm make a difference to your design? 4. Some basic facts: Cold working in the O temper condition is readily performed.