Bending stainless and ordinary steel pipe ?

[sarabande]

In very general terms, will a standard plumber's pipe bender for mild and copper (e.g. Record 226) be able to deal with stainless tubes of the same diameter ?

I'm considering a number of projects which need ordinary steel and copper plumbing , as well as stainless, pipework to be bent.

 

[coopec]

My answer would be no. You would need to heat (anneal) the copper pipe before bending. I have a 12T hydraulic pipe bender which will handle heavy pipe for farm gates etc but I'm sure a plumber would never use one



When I needed to bend exhaust pipe I went to people who made up exhaust pipes but they were one of the few that could bend SS pipe using a mandrel. For deck railings etc I made up a pattern (bent rod, marking on cardboard) and took it along to people who specialize in ss fittings (mainly for boats)

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?452491-bending-stainless-tube

 

[PaulRainbow]

In very general terms, will a standard plumber's pipe bender for mild and copper (e.g. Record 226) be able to deal with stainless tubes of the same diameter ?

I'm considering a number of projects which need ordinary steel and copper plumbing , as well as stainless, pipework to be bent.

No chance Tim. This wioll do it though https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/hilmor-k...110111?hash=item4d951bd19f:g:H8YAAOSw0Hpc5Bhc

 

[PCUK]

Depends on the size and gauge of the stainless. Up to about 25mm 1.6mm wall should work with the Record 226 although it will be a bit of a struggle.
Those hydraulic benders do a pretty crappy job but if it's not seen then it doesn't matter.

 

[coopec]

"but if it's not seen then it doesn't matter"
Exactly!

I learned very quickly early on when I bought a length of SS for about $60 and tried to bend it in the middle!:disgust:

 

[Seajet]

Remember the old trick of filling tubing with sand when bending, but you still need the right kit.

 

[DownWest]

After looking at Stakesys nice but expensive kit, I built a tougher version of this: https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-ccb1b-compact-bench-mounted-parts-bende/ and turned the pulley style formers for 20 and 25mm tube.
Makes acceptable fair bends for things like solar arches.

Here is the real deal: https://www.stakesys.co.uk/tube-pip...al-ratchet-tube-bender-inc-degree-ring-handle . but the die formers are on top.

The hydraulic ones pictured above don't make fair bends with thinnish small tube like 25x1.5mm. Know in the trade as 'kinkers'.

 

[rogerthebodger]

In very general terms, will a standard plumber's pipe bender for mild and copper (e.g. Record 226) be able to deal with stainless tubes of the same diameter ?

I'm considering a number of projects which need ordinary steel and copper plumbing , as well as stainless, pipework to be bent.

I think that the record 226 bender will bend stainless but you will need to fix it down very firmly.

I use one of these bolted to a steel bench bolted to an outside wall of my house using a very long heavy steel tube to give me extra leverage.

The hydraulic press benders are for thick wall schedule tube like what is sometimes called gas tube.

https://www.adendorff.co.za/product/hand-pipe-bender/

I have bent hoops for sun covers on my dingy and motorboat with this bender.

 

[sarabande]

It's clear I have a lot to learn about bending tube and pipe !

Trying to do too many things with just one tools - it evidently doesn't work, so let me start from the product end rather than the process.


I want to make these separate sets of items:

1 Small steel cages from 8 and 6mm stainless rod, to protect instruments and controls in the cockpit.

2 Liferaft holders from SS flat strap, to attach to either a wooden 'pallet' by the mast, or to the pushpit.

3 Radar and solar panel arch out of (?) 25mm) SS tube

4 Steel arch to go above a garden table as a sunshade, using old sails.

5 Some domestic (copper) plumbing with bends rather than soldered joints


It looks as if I need two separate tools; a bar/flat bender for =<8mm bar and 30x5mm flat, and a tube bender for 25mm, which is not going to 'kink' the tube and make it look carappy.

And yes, I could turn all these jobs over to someone in a proper workshop, but I want to DIY, as a sense of owning the whole process is important.

 

[seanfoster]

I bought a tube roller similar to this:
https://www.frost.co.uk/metal-fabrication-tubing-roller-tube-pipe-bender-ring-roller.html

You can get cheaper versions on ebay for around £150.

They are really for putting a radius into a tube rather than a bend, thought I'd mention it for reference.

Seascrew are good and sell a wide range of pipe fittings, 't' and cross fittings which fit on with a grub screw: https://www.seascrew.com/browse.cfm...-HANDRAIL-FITTINGS-FOR-25MM-TUBE&l=0000000175

 

[vyv_cox]

I have bent 25 mm 1.6 mm wall stainless tube with a pipe/conduit bender. It was well bolted down, I only wanted a small bend and it succumbed to a 6 ft extension on the handle. Took my friend's full weight to do it.

 

[rogerthebodger]

It's clear I have a lot to learn about bending tube and pipe !

Trying to do too many things with just one tools - it evidently doesn't work, so let me start from the product end rather than the process.


I want to make these separate sets of items:

1 Small steel cages from 8 and 6mm stainless rod, to protect instruments and controls in the cockpit.

2 Liferaft holders from SS flat strap, to attach to either a wooden 'pallet' by the mast, or to the pushpit.

3 Radar and solar panel arch out of (?) 25mm) SS tube

4 Steel arch to go above a garden table as a sunshade, using old sails.

5 Some domestic (copper) plumbing with bends rather than soldered joints


It looks as if I need two separate tools; a bar/flat bender for =<8mm bar and 30x5mm flat, and a tube bender for 25mm, which is not going to 'kink' the tube and make it look carappy.

And yes, I could turn all these jobs over to someone in a proper workshop, but I want to DIY, as a sense of owning the whole process is important.

I would agree with all of that.

The important part of bending thin wall tube is the former to support the sides of the tube to stop it kinking. The radius you wish to get dictates if you need a plug inside the tube to also support the inside as well as the outside to prevent kinking.

To roll a tubular ring you also need formers to support the outside of the tube. Rolling is OK for big diameter rings.

The mast pulpit as shown on my website was rolled from 38mm dia tube and the ends had a stainless steel bend welded between the ring and the vertical aft leg.

The crows nest consists of 3 rings from 25mm tube rolled and welded also on my website.

I don't have a ring roller as I don't have any formers for my flat ring roller so a friend is rolling me 2 rings one 900mm dia and a second 350mm O/D so I can make a new steering wheel with 6 off 8mm dia stainless spokes fitted into a boss laser cut then machined and drilled to attach the spokes and to fit the 25.4 dia steering shaft.

 

[DownWest]

Here is my effort and the first samples at 25mm. It also bends 40x10 flat bar to a fairly tight rad. Minimum pin on the centre is 16mm, so r=8mm
Cost of it was bits from the bin, say €10 and some ally scrap from the yard, so say another €10. I have a rickity old lathe, but prob an hour of someone's time on a better one.

Humm, first go at photos... need practice The angled bit is the fixed bit, with two ally semi-circle guides, the vertical one pulls the tube round the former and has a 4 foot tube to do it..

 

[coopec]

Well I'm impressed with that effort.

I wonder how it would go bending the ss sheet metal for my yacht's bow roller?



I went to a number of Machine Shops and theyall referred me to a crowd who had a 1000 tonne hydraulic press. I'm sure they didn't need 1000 tonne but maybe several 100 tonne?