Bending 1-1/8" Copper Tubing - Any suggestions

How do you all make professional bends in large tubing like 1-1/8" OD.

Virtually all tubing benders (spring and lever type) seem to top out around 3/4",

Would something like a Greenlee EMT conduit bender work.

There are some specialty benders with custom dies but prices are sky high.

Any suggestions on best known methods.

P.S. I realize tight bends will require fittings. I'm talking about wider bends.

Reply to
pv=nrt
Loading thread data ...

You can heat it and bend it although it will cause flaking inside, You can use one of the expensive benders You can cut it and use fittings You can bend it by hand but stop just before it kinks :-) Bubba

Reply to
Bubba

An old trick I heard about is to fill the tube tightly with sand before bending. Pain to clean out though.

Reply to
James

I let my customers pay for the tools I need to do their work.

Reply to
gofish

Even so Buba is my AH file he did gave you right answer. There is other ways of bending copper pipe including perhaps up to 2,1/2" however it is not to be used on refrigeration system after bending procedure the way it is done unless lot of careful cleaning is done. Anyway procedure it is as fallow you cut piece of pipe/tubing that is some what longer then you need in a bend you plug one end best way that would not open under some pressure now you take refined sand and you purr into it pipe/tubing while you are filling it do continues shake and packet harder as you can make sure there is no air packets left inside of pipe/tubing, harder or solid it is packed less chance of getting it kinked, when you have done it close that end tight as you can perhaps brazed small piece of copper. Now you heat the area that bend is going to be until you see start change of color to cherry reddish you continue the whole length that is going to be bend, let it cool down so you can work with put around something round that you would prefer length of bend and go head and bend it when you are done cut tube ends and whala you got the bend. This procedures are done on shipyards which most of green horns in here never hear of. Dido say that

formatting link

Reply to
AKS

I'M NOT SURE WHAT LANGUAGE DILDO TALKS, BUT READING HIS REPLY ABOVE GAVE ME A WOODY...

Reply to
Oscar_Lives

Can someone tell me?..............Did AKS just call me a name or something? "Themz fightiin werds" AKS Bubba

Reply to
Bubba

What do you think about this?

formatting link

-zero

Reply to
-zero

Oscar_Lives posted for all of us...

It gave me the bends - I must re pressurize.

Reply to
Tekkie®

Yeah, thats great for refrig lines...

Reply to
Justin

I was actually considering one of these. I also thought about getting some poly pipe and either inserting it into the copper or inserting the copper into the poly and doing hand bending. I thought the poly might prevent kinking by providing a form/support.

There's no way I'm filling a 50' linset with sand! I've heard of this method for small sections of small diameter tubing. Sand in a suction tube sounds like a recipe for compressor damage unless you get it 100% clean. I also don't know how you could dam up about 6' at each end where most of the bending needs to be made.

Reply to
pv=nrt

Unless I'm missing something here a 50' lineset is already coiled and if you only need a wide bend just utilize the natural bend of the lineset as your rolling it out- you have to be smarter than the pipe for this to work though :-)

Reply to
geojr

Oh, that one left a mark....

Reply to
Oscar_Lives

You just have to blow it out with high pressure R12? Tip the white jug up, and honk it out with a bunch of liquid.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Reply to
pv=nrt

you can purge it with nitrogen to prevent the carbon build up inside, you can also use a spring bender that helps prevent kinking

Reply to
brian

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.