Tool for bending copper/brass tubes/rods

[aurfalien]

Hi all,

I've a batch of K&S copper, aluminum and brass tubes and rods in 3/32", 5/32", 9/32" and 1/4".

The brass and copper tubing seem really hard to bend.

I saw this K&S spring style tube bender and read that if you place the tubes/rods in a freezer that it will be easier to bend.  Is the suggested method?

Thanks in advance.

[Yenkocamaro]

I never heard of that trick, but I certainly am willing to try it. I was told the opposite, that heating the tubing, would allow it to stretch during a bend, without kinking. You can find tubing benders at places like Micro Mark, or your local Hobby shop, if you are lucky enough to have one. I picked up a small hand held tubing bender at Harbor Freight, and it works great on the smaller sizes, but I needed to bend 1/4" tubing, and it would not bend without kinking. I tried several different suggested methods, but failed at each attempt, and I've tried brass, copper, and aluminum with the same results. The spring style tubing benders, work fairly well on small sizes, but are not really the best option. 

 

Cheers,

Lance

[aurfalien]

I picked up a small hand held tubing bender at Harbor Freight, and it works great on the smaller sizes

Oh cool, did you get this one;

http://www.harborfreight.com/tubing-bender-3755.html

[Mike Kucaba]

The freezer trick works but you fill the tubes with water. You have to bend before the ice melts. Check with Hobbico,they have hobby sized tubing benders for the RC hobby.

[aurfalien]

The freezer trick works but you fill the tubes with water. You have to bend before the ice melts. Check with Hobbico,they have hobby sized tubing benders for the RC hobby.

Would you happen to have a link?

My searches are producing el zilcho.

[BigTallDad]

Here's another method

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/102629-bending-tubing/#comment-1438712

[Kit Basher]

Not sure about copper or aluminum, but K&S brass rod bends much better if you anneal it first. Heat it up to red hot then let it cool slowly.

[Aaronw]

The spring type work for relatively shallow bends, less than 90 degrees.

I've had good luck bending around a dowel or other tubing with the approximate radius of the bend I want. Just go slow and sort of massage the tubing around the curve until it is at the angle you want. Tight bends being harder than those with a larger radius.

Just had a look at Big Tall Dad's link. Same idea as the dowel but his way is even better even if slightly more complicated.

Edited June 15, 2016 by Aaronw

[Mike_G]

Not sure about copper or aluminum, but K&S brass rod bends much better if you anneal it first. Heat it up to red hot then let it cool slowly.

To anneal non-ferrous metals you heat the metal to cherry red and quench it in water.

[aurfalien]

Cool, thanks for all the relies.

Think I'll give the HF tool a shot;

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-8-eighth-inch-to-1-4-quarter-inch-tube-bender-94571.html

 

 

 

[Art Anderson]

FWIW, unless you really HAVE to have hollow tubing showing at an end (say, an exhaust pipe or dump), why would tubing be necessary?  Consider that K&S makes brass rod stock in all but their very largest diameters, and brass rod bends far more easily than does tubing, without the tendency to collapse, or tear apart (larger brass rod will of course, exhibit at least some "fracturing" or "tearing" around the outside of a sharp bend, but that can be dressed down smoothly.

I've done a few tubular race car frames back 30-45 yrs ago, in my once-passionate Indy Car building years, and learned to do tubular frames from solid rod stock.  The techniques are very much the same save for not needing any special bending tools, the cut ends "fishmouthed" to accept another section of round stock at a right angle for soldering (even fishmouthed at various angles as well).  Just a thought here.

Art

[aurfalien]

FWIW, unless you really HAVE to have hollow tubing showing at an end (say, an exhaust pipe or dump), why would tubing be necessary?  Consider that K&S makes brass rod stock in all but their very largest diameters, and brass rod bends far more easily than does tubing, without the tendency to collapse, or tear apart (larger brass rod will of course, exhibit at least some "fracturing" or "tearing" around the outside of a sharp bend, but that can be dressed down smoothly.

I've done a few tubular race car frames back 30-45 yrs ago, in my once-passionate Indy Car building years, and learned to do tubular frames from solid rod stock.  The techniques are very much the same save for not needing any special bending tools, the cut ends "fishmouthed" to accept another section of round stock at a right angle for soldering (even fishmouthed at various angles as well).  Just a thought here.

Art

Well, that's an excellent point.  But I already have a butch of K&S stock on hand, got it for cheap.

Many sizes, flat, round, square, hollow, filled...  Starting to wrap my head around there many applications and uses.

[Yenkocamaro]

Cool, thanks for all the relies.

Think I'll give the HF tool a shot;

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-8-eighth-inch-to-1-4-quarter-inch-tube-bender-94571.html

 

 

 

Hey Brian, that's the one I have, the blue one.

 

Cheers,

Lance

[Mike Kucaba]

Would you happen to have a link?

My searches are producing el zilcho.

the company that makes them is Du-Bro I see them on ebay but couldn't copy the link

[aurfalien]

the company that makes them is Du-Bro I see them on ebay but couldn't copy the link

Ah yes, Du-Bro, I've seen, they look cool.

Edited June 15, 2016 by aurfalien

[Cato]

Well, that's an excellent point.  But I already have a butch of K&S stock on hand, got it for cheap.

Many sizes, flat, round, square, hollow, filled...  Starting to wrap my head around there many applications and uses.

You don't need bending tools; you need jigs or mandrels to bend brass tube or rod around. Here is 3/32 tube annealed and worked around a 360 degree jig.

Here's what you get when done and chromed:

[DR JAY]

I bent up these fender well headers from K&S aluminum tubing by hand...I straightened some paper clips and inserted them inside the tubing 1st to prevent kinks

[Yenkocamaro]

Hey Brian, here is a pic of mine, with three bends I did in just over a minute.

 

Cheers,

Lance

[Mike_G]

Some great ideas in this thread