Pipe Bending Advice (for Exhaust)

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

i not long ago bought a 12 tone pipe bender with the intention of bending some steel pipes for an exhaust and every time i try to use it (on old scaffy bars i pinched hehehe) the bar just kinks!!!! and it is deff steel and it has 3mm thick walls iv packed the bar with sand and heated it with a propane burner bust it still kinks?!?!?!?!

 

if anyone has had this problem or has any advice id realy apriciate it

[sonofsam 5]

Scaff pole is usually galvanised steel or alumiuium isnt it?

Never used pipe benders myself, but do bend plenty of metals

 

How much heat did you give it? are you trying a too tighter radius to begin with, would assume you would need some sort of former to keep the pipe from kinking!

[Jrod 7]

Make sure you pack the sand really hard, Don't try bending to much in one place.

 

Took me a while to get the hang of it aswell.

Edited January 23, 2007 by Jrod

[Rippthrough 98]

Decent formers, good lube helps, how far are you trying to bend? We bend 2 and 3" pipe cold to about 50 degrees, with no packing and don't get kinking.

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

hey am only trying to get arround 30 - 40 degrees and im using somthing like this

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-12-TON-HYDRAULIC...tem330078376902

 

to do the bending, as for the lube i didnt use any, should i appy it to the bar the 2 rolers and the die?

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

im not sure how much heat i gave it was an `educated` guess i packed the sand as tight as possible using a plastic cap one end jubileed on and duct tape on the other and using a broom shank to pack it tight as hell, im going to try find some better stops for my next attempt i think

[16v205 9]

If you find out how to bend the pipe could you let me know

 

I bought one a few years ago and so far have made several feet of compressed oval pipe :S

 

Rich

[Rippthrough 98]

Stick some decent high pressure lube on the dies, should help reduce the force needed to move it.

[Beastie 1]

Decent formers, good lube helps, how far are you trying to bend? We bend 2 and 3" pipe cold to about 50 degrees, with no packing and don't get kinking.

 

You have highlighted the problem here: The pipe benders being talked about here have very poor formers. They're okay for DIY use because they are pretty cheap but you wouldn't want to use one professionally. I've seen these things in the flesh and if you look at the fixed pipe supports opposite the hydraulic former they might as well have been specifically designed to ruin the pipe straight away - it's going to have to be used with extreme care and very well packed sand to have any hope of working!

[mickie 3]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SEALEY-Industrial-Hy...VQQcmdZViewItem

 

 

something like that would be better.. we had no problem bending 3" pipe at college without sand, heat or lube

[Rippthrough 98]

The other trick I've seen is to weld up one end of the tube, fill it with water, then weld the other end over it, then heat the slightly to build up some pressure. Have to be careful though, too much can split the pipe.

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

Stick some decent high pressure lube on the dies, should help reduce the force needed to move it.

 

what sort of lube would you consider high pressure? do you thing some castrol grease would be ok, or oil? im going to dig the welder out tonight and ggive that water trick a go,

[Rippthrough 98]

what sort of lube would you consider high pressure? do you thing some castrol grease would be ok, or oil? im going to dig the welder out tonight and ggive that water trick a go,

 

I'd go with the grease, should be good. We use dedicated stuff or motorcycle chain lube