best pipe for bending?

[opindown]

since getting my 94 dualcab lux i have been doing the things that have needed to be done mechanically but i want to get the frame knocked up for the canopy that i got for it. i tried with some 32nb xtra light black pipe and all it did was kink. seen as i work at a steel company getting the pipe aint a prob. i just need to know what would be the best pipe to use.

cheers

[mike_nofx]

What bender and dies are you using?

[opindown]

the bottle jack type. once i get my self a little more set up i will be getting a air/hydraulic one but it is only what my old man has at the moment.

[bigbear]

You really need to mandrel bend light wall pipe as youve discovered. 32nb medium should have enough wall strength to distribute the bending load across the dies. You may also need some lube/thick grease so the pipe can seat itself neatly into the die shape.

My 10cents

[TROY_86]

When bending all our pipes with the bottle jack type of bender we have to pack the pipes
with sand so it bends rather than just kinks or squashes the pipe flat.
Recently got a jd2 bender bloody awesome bits of gear and saves so much time.

[opindown]

thanks, i did grease up the die, i will give filling the pipe with sand and see how that goes.
cheers

[Slunnie]

When bending all our pipes with the bottle jack type of bender we have to pack the pipes
with sand so it bends rather than just kinks or squashes the pipe flat.
Recently got a jd2 bender bloody awesome bits of gear and saves so much time.

Same. Full dia bends and accurate with the bend angle.

[v840]

5 friendly tips, brought to you by me:


1. Get a dawn die and an adapter to suit your bow and arrow; no more kinks, no more sand packing. Also sand/grind off the paint on your benders rollers. The further apart the rollers are, the less chance you have of fawking the metal up.

2. Remember to keep the pipe's seam on the inner radius of the bend.

3. Check out "tube bending 101" on Pirate, it will save you much time and head scratching. DRS had a full head of hair before building his cage, he chose not to peruse said thread.

4. Read Wendles buggy build threads, they were all built with a bow and arrow.

5. Always, ALWAYS, keep in mind that pipe is for poop and whatever you build out of it will spontaneously explode with little prior warning.

[stilivn]

Copper
On a serious note v840 how much was that adaptor part your talking about cost.

[v840]

IIRC it was just a fancy washer that was about 12mm (I think) thick that had an OD the same as the hole in the bottom of the die and an ID the same as the stud on top of the bender. I made it with a holesaw and pedestal drill at uni out of scrap so it cost nix. I'm not aware of anyone making them to sell but i'm sure a local engineering joint would do it for beer money.

[ferog]

Moved to general tech.

[opindown]

thanks. i didnt know whether i had put it in the right area or not.

[drr]

As stated earlier, medium pipe is best for this type of bender, you'll struggle with anything thinner. If you're doing anything structural/important use tube, not pipe, and a proper bender. Pipe would be strong enough for most things but it's made out of lower carbon steel and isn't rated for structural use, only rated for pressure.