Anyone bent a frame out of one inch stainless tubing sucessfully? Haven't tried yet but I hear it may be prone to cracking. Anybody done it, before I blow some dough to try it? Thanks a bunch for the input.
bending stainless 1" bimini or dodger tubing?
- Thread starter Mike8245
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Have it done professionally.
Mike: I check on this and found that the only way to do it was with the proper equipment. If you really want to try it yourself, go to a shop that does marine canvas and ask them for some of their old stainless for you to mess with. Stainless steel is very expensive now so you really don't want to mess the stuff up.
Mike: I check on this and found that the only way to do it was with the proper equipment. If you really want to try it yourself, go to a shop that does marine canvas and ask them for some of their old stainless for you to mess with. Stainless steel is very expensive now so you really don't want to mess the stuff up.
not sure on this one
What is expensive? Is $12 for a 6 pack of beer expensive? I found, that if you call around to suppliers, you can buy stainless at reasonable rates, in all kinds of shapes. What the catalogs of retail companies like Sailrite and such sell this stuff for, you should be able to get localy for 1/5 off or better. I know I have. That said about cost, you can try a muffler shop for bending the stuff. I use to manage a store and had a dope smoker as my worker that was the best in the business. We once had a 50's something car come in where the exhaust pipes went through the frame, on both sides, a dually. This kid looked at it, smoked a joint, and 45 minutes later created and installed this system that was perfect. Even the owner couldn't believe it. He gave the kid a $200 tip. Since then we both moved on, but my point is, there are probably some good benders out there that will tackle the job and get it right. They have hydraulic pipe benders that can go as low as 1/2 inch with the inserts.
What is expensive? Is $12 for a 6 pack of beer expensive? I found, that if you call around to suppliers, you can buy stainless at reasonable rates, in all kinds of shapes. What the catalogs of retail companies like Sailrite and such sell this stuff for, you should be able to get localy for 1/5 off or better. I know I have. That said about cost, you can try a muffler shop for bending the stuff. I use to manage a store and had a dope smoker as my worker that was the best in the business. We once had a 50's something car come in where the exhaust pipes went through the frame, on both sides, a dually. This kid looked at it, smoked a joint, and 45 minutes later created and installed this system that was perfect. Even the owner couldn't believe it. He gave the kid a $200 tip. Since then we both moved on, but my point is, there are probably some good benders out there that will tackle the job and get it right. They have hydraulic pipe benders that can go as low as 1/2 inch with the inserts.
Conduit Bender
Go rent a conduit bender from Lowes, Home Depot etc. You can bend it fairly easy but there is a trick to getting it to bend where you want/need it to. Once you bend it if you screw it up you cannot bend it straight again. I would look at having a professional do it.
Go rent a conduit bender from Lowes, Home Depot etc. You can bend it fairly easy but there is a trick to getting it to bend where you want/need it to. Once you bend it if you screw it up you cannot bend it straight again. I would look at having a professional do it.
I've done it
with a 3/4 electrician's pipe bender but you need to tape the pipe with duct tape so you don't scatch the finish and as someone pointed out the pipe is not that exspensive so be pepaired to make a mistake and start over. I made a grab rail for a friend's dodger and did on the first try but thats with 35 years as an electrician.
with a 3/4 electrician's pipe bender but you need to tape the pipe with duct tape so you don't scatch the finish and as someone pointed out the pipe is not that exspensive so be pepaired to make a mistake and start over. I made a grab rail for a friend's dodger and did on the first try but thats with 35 years as an electrician.
About bending stainless tubing
After a twenty-four year sales/management career with a worldwide distributor of commercial and aircraft quality stainless steel tubing, I feel qualified to share thoughts on this subject. Like many other tubular products, stainless steel tubing is made either using a seamless or a welded method. Since welded is the cheaper of the two methods and more than sufficient for boating needs, tubing for structural applications where appearance is important is mechanically polished to the mirrow finish so desired. As most boaters know, anything with "marine" attached justifies the seller to higher profit margins....right? While hydraulic tube benders would be ideal, availability or costs may prohibit boaters like us to find alternate ways to bend desired radii, etc. One way is to use hand tools as already mentioned; another is to use plywood forms pre-cut to the desired radius (with spring back allowed). Either way it is suggested to pack the tube with sand, capping both ends to contain the sand as the bend is made. Unfortunately, stainless steel work hardens as force is applied, making it very important to follow through with the bend once you start. Starting and stopping causes work hardening, ultimately causing the stainless steel to crack. In lieu of purchasing higher priced (plus freight) polished tubing from traditional marine sources, you might check with your local industrial supply house, asking them for ASTM A269 Commercial Quality Grade 316/316L "Bright Annealed" tubing. Although not as consistantly shiny as polished tubing, bright annealing, done in a controlled atmosphere furnace following the manufacturing operation, provides a nice acceptable alternate. Tubing that has been bright annealed is extremely shiny, especially after minimal rubbing with polishing compond. Popular sizes are 3/4" x .065 and 1" x .065, usually in 20 foot lengths. Look for supply houses that sell tube fittings...they will most likely have a good supply of tubing. Oh yea, for those of you using the word "pipe", there is a big difference between tube and pipe...tubing is the product used for binimis and such...tube sizes are dimensionally true; pipe sizes are IPS...for example 3/4" IPS is actually 1.050"; 1" IPS is 1.315".....hope this helps. s/v CD EXPRESS
After a twenty-four year sales/management career with a worldwide distributor of commercial and aircraft quality stainless steel tubing, I feel qualified to share thoughts on this subject. Like many other tubular products, stainless steel tubing is made either using a seamless or a welded method. Since welded is the cheaper of the two methods and more than sufficient for boating needs, tubing for structural applications where appearance is important is mechanically polished to the mirrow finish so desired. As most boaters know, anything with "marine" attached justifies the seller to higher profit margins....right? While hydraulic tube benders would be ideal, availability or costs may prohibit boaters like us to find alternate ways to bend desired radii, etc. One way is to use hand tools as already mentioned; another is to use plywood forms pre-cut to the desired radius (with spring back allowed). Either way it is suggested to pack the tube with sand, capping both ends to contain the sand as the bend is made. Unfortunately, stainless steel work hardens as force is applied, making it very important to follow through with the bend once you start. Starting and stopping causes work hardening, ultimately causing the stainless steel to crack. In lieu of purchasing higher priced (plus freight) polished tubing from traditional marine sources, you might check with your local industrial supply house, asking them for ASTM A269 Commercial Quality Grade 316/316L "Bright Annealed" tubing. Although not as consistantly shiny as polished tubing, bright annealing, done in a controlled atmosphere furnace following the manufacturing operation, provides a nice acceptable alternate. Tubing that has been bright annealed is extremely shiny, especially after minimal rubbing with polishing compond. Popular sizes are 3/4" x .065 and 1" x .065, usually in 20 foot lengths. Look for supply houses that sell tube fittings...they will most likely have a good supply of tubing. Oh yea, for those of you using the word "pipe", there is a big difference between tube and pipe...tubing is the product used for binimis and such...tube sizes are dimensionally true; pipe sizes are IPS...for example 3/4" IPS is actually 1.050"; 1" IPS is 1.315".....hope this helps. s/v CD EXPRESS
Thanks Dick .... very good response.
What do you think about heating such tubing (already sand packed) as an aid to bending .... then repolishing, etc. to remove the heat scar, etc?
What do you think about heating such tubing (already sand packed) as an aid to bending .... then repolishing, etc. to remove the heat scar, etc?
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