Looking for help on bending up a large hard line

Not a job shop. Not interested in anything less than huge production quantities.

Spending a lot of energy trying to talk me out of this. I don't know if it's beyond his capabilities or he's just not interested in the work. We'll see.

Didn't sound very promising (equipment/expertise), but was going to talk to the boss and call me back if he came up with any ideas on how to solve.

Just got off the phone with Doug. He is checking his bending dies and is going to get back to me.

I think the key to making this is to bend up some tight radius 90° bends out of scraps, cut them down as tight as possible, and then TIG them together to make the "tight bend" I need. The other bend (I got the routing down to 3 bends total) is easy... I did it in a piece of 1/2" aluminum with my bender without issue. It's the other 2 bends that are way too tight for me to bend. I did manage to make a 1:1 scale mockup out of 1/2" aluminum so I can provide to whoever can actually make this for me. Mine is, of course, hideous, since the 2 tight bends are crushed. Picture angles are a little deceptive. All 3 bends are 90°'s.

See...

 

Just heard back from this guy... he says he can't do it. So, I suggest he rethink his marketing pitch, which reads...

Bent is the nation's permier custom hard line plumbing specialists.

(cut and pasted from his website-- typo and grammatical error are his as well, so there's another thing he can't do)

 

XXL
what measurements are the center to center of the bends.
A line drawing would help, must folks who work pipe,
use these dimentions.
Think I'll get out in the shop and have a go.
That short offset may have to be welded.
tap

 

Here's a quick and dirty drawing of centerline measurements (tape measure and eyeball accuracy off of the aluminum piece I posted pics of just above).

The 3rd axis not shown begins at the blue circle and goes straight into the paper. That length is 4.25", and needs to have a 37° flare on it after tube nut and tube sleeve are slipped on. That is the side that goes to a -AN fitting coming out of the water pump.

 

Dougs didn't have the mandrels needed to make the bends, but he did point me in a few directions that might help.

McMaster carries some bends that could be chopped up and welded together to make what I need. Anyone on here proficient at welding thin stainless steel tube into something pretty?

Here's what I'm thinking...

Take the below 180° and slice it in half, rotate one side down 90°, and then zip it back together. That gets me the "hard bend" I need in this piece. Then, lop off the flared ends on a regular 90° and the above piece, throw in some straight tube and weld it all together, smooth out the welds, and voila. I just made it sound easy... and I realize it's not. If you have the skills to help me on this, please PM me so we can discuss, and to see if I can afford those skills

 

How thick are these prebent elbows and what grade stainless are they. Stainless TIGs really easy but I've never done tubing less than .049 wall. Someone closer than me should be able to weld them for you, but if you were to cut and fit them with no gaps or thin spots,( file the ends where they fit flush perfectly ) mark them with a sharpie where they fit together you outta find someone locally to do it. If not PM me.

 

XXL, get a hold of Henry Charest at Weld Craft welding in Visalia. (559)732-2109. A few years ago, he had some custom stainless bends made for an airplane project, and the place he used then (in So Cal) advertised that they could do a 1 tube diameter bend radius. Can't remember the name of the bend company, sorry.

 

I'm new here, so easy on me (also old and fragile).....
You are asking for a "compound" bend area, meaning back to back bends (begining tangent to ending tangent) no clamping area between bends.
Your 2" dimension is impossible with a 1-1/2" CLR.....1st bend @90* = 1.5" from up CL to tangent, I have 1.5" CLR tooling....mine needs 1.5" clamp area before start tangent of 2nd bend 90* (which also = 1.5" to CL of end tangent) all of this meaning you'd need that 2" dim. to be 4.5" without a weld.

 

I don't have them in hand yet. Trying to line up a solution before I throw more money at parts ... according to the McMaster spec sheet, they are 0.032 wall. I ASSume I could also find similar wall thickness in straight tube for the runs. I'm pretty sure I could lop off the flanges on the 180 and 90 bends with a Dremel cutoff wheel, and then cut up some straight material for the runs. But I'm not sure where to look locally for this kind of welding. Last year I wanted something as simple as a second wideband O2 sensor in one of my other hoopties and everywhere I went, when I asked if they welded on 304, I either got blank stares, dumb looks, or one guy who said (I kid you not), "is it metal?" I'm sure there are people around... I just don't know where to look... other than to the many talented people on the HAMB.

 

Build it out of 3/4" copper and make sure it works/Fits/clears/ flows /brackets/ vibrates yadda yadda
You can treat the ends to increased od decreased od or threads for your hoses.

OK now you have something you can polish, chrome, paint get coppied in stainless.
If you were to send me the parts and a copper mock up, I'd do it for a bottle of my favorite tequila.

 

Hey WTF man I was gonna ask for a case of beer, glad to know I'm not the only person who can be "liquored up and taken advantage of."
Rocky

 

http://www.classictube.com/manufacturing-home

 

http://youtu.be/ot0Cxmk2aa4

 

Man that's slicker than a minnows dick. I'll bet that rig costs more than my house.

 

I was going to mail him my bender.

 

This tool came up in another thread last summer... and I decided that I want to sell my house to buy one, and then just figure out how to live inside the bender. My wife disagrees.

I did actually call them on the chance they could help me. They can't (sort of). The Nissin bender only handles 0.75" through 1.5" tubing. However, I did discuss with them about bending this part up for me using other methods they have available. They indicated it's something they might be able to do, but that because of production/setup costs, etc., would cost me many hundreds of $$$$. While I want to get this silly tube project finished, I can't afford to get a second mortgage over it. So... back to my previous plan a few posts up to get some bends and liquor one of you HAMBers up to weld it up for me.

 

Slip the 1/2 into some 5/8 and then slip that into the 3/4, bend away and then carefuly cut away the tubing down to the 1/2.

Find out who there customers are and see if they can do it-- OR-- Most of these companys that sell big equipment like this CAN be hit upon to make one as a test piece before you deside to buy the machine. YOUR contract with a major company hinges upon the bender being able to do the job in one peice and pass inspection.

 

YOUR contract with a major company hinges upon the bender being able to do the job in one peice and pass inspection.




That might go over about as well as a fart in church.
I'd fall for it, wouldn't you ?

 

I had to bid on some second opperation work. Machines were going to cost 200k each, floord with tooling. I had to know if they were capable of the speed and tolerance for volume of the contract and they ran 20 pieces for me and I put them through QC. Did not get the contract as the company did them in house at a loss of what I bid the job for.
HEY, pull my finger

 

Still looking for someone who can help me with this more conventional solution...

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8635439&postcount=47

 

1800 silver tequlia 100 proof black label.

 

The big question here is What are you willing to PAY to have it just the way you want it. Not being nasty here but if you only want to pay a couple bux , well then I am going back to the mill, I know a guy that knows a guy whose step brothers uncle has this freind that can get it done but I am not going to approach anybody without a clear idea on whats its worth to you.

 

I don't want to price your work. You should do that. Then I can decide if I can afford it. I never suggested I was only willing to pay "a couple bux." The only mention I had about dollars was that one company wanted to charge me $500+ machine setup time... that's a bit more than I can afford (and more than I think the actual work is even worth). It's a tube.

 

PM sent.

 

OK if you feel better about it , a big bottle of crystal head vodka.

 

You are not pricing my work, If my contact wants $75 to do it and your buget is $100 I will tell you who to contact for $75, But if you think the job is only worth $25 because its only a tube, then I am going to tell my guy that you are going a different direction. Ive spent enough FREE time on this trying to help you out and I am not going to play PM tag dickering price between the 2 of you.

 

Nobody's asked you to be a go-between. If you have a lead for me, please share. If you don't, then you don't. I haven't sent you any PMs, nor you me. If you want to share your contact privately, please send me a PM. I can talk to the contact directly, and then you won't have to feel like you're carrying the burden of being a go-between for the two of us... again, something that's only been suggested by you.

Thanks very much for all the FREE time you've spent on this thread. It was worth every penny.

 

Zirabin is the stuff that melts in boiling water used in pipe bending, ect...Aircraftspruce.com used to have the bends...

 

Thanks. I checked them a while back... smallest they list is 1.5" OD.

 

XXL
There is another way to get that two inch offset, a loop.
Don't know if that's aceptable, or you have room, to place it horizontal or verticle.
Any place that does truck brake lines should be able to do it.
tap