Tips for bending 1/2" copper pipe?

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fusa

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Just tried bending 18" of 1/2" OD copper pipe into a semi circle and quickly found how easily it will crimp. I bought a tube bending spring set to help prevent crimping next time. Does anyone have any tips on bending copper without it crimping? I tried looking for other tools, but none worked with 1/2" OD pipe. Also I need to drill some holes into the pipe, are there any precautions or steps I should be aware of? I'm building a sparge arm, and expected the soldering to be the hardest part, but turns out the bending is (definitely being the most expensive).
 
I don't think you can bend thick-walled copper pipe. You need copper tubing for bending.
 
It is soft copper, and was in a coil before I purchased it. They straightened it out easily to measure so seems to bend ok, just getting it to bend into a 12" diameter semi circle is difficult.
 
Oh, I see, you have tubing and not pipe. I bent mine around a corny keg, nice and slow. The bending springs work too, again nice and slow. I've even heard of filling the tubing with sand to prevent kinking. 12 inches might be the diameter of a 5 gallon bucket. Check out www.mrmalty.com, there is an article on a homemade IC that the guy bent freehand.
 
Thanks for you reply, especially about reminding me that I have some 5 gallon buckets in my closet someplace. I had been looking around trying to find something to bend it around, but no luck, and using my knee was a bad idea. I thought I had gotten lucky finding someplace that sells tubing by the foot, but so far it has cost more than the 10' boxes at Lowe's or Home Depot.

Do any problems arise when drilling 1/8" or smaller holes into copper tubing? Or is it pretty straight forward?
 
I've never drilled the tubing, just the pipe. I think the operative term here, as in the bending, is go slow and take your time. Shouldn't be too difficult.
Good luck.
 
a propane torch makes copper real soft. you just need a good pair of thick leather gloves and something to bend against.

as for the holes, you'll want to use something to strike against the tubing first. a nail/ball point hammer, just something to create a dent so your drill doesn't flop around.
 
i assume you are making a manifold? in that case, i would rather saw a few slots in the tube rather than drill them. The slots allow more liquid through, while limiting the diameter of the hole, which would block more solids from passing through.
 
I do constant recirculation, no-sparge brewing. I just direct a silicone hose into a corner of my mash tun on top of the grain bed. Works just fine. I really don't see the need for a sparge arm for recirculating wort. But then again, I'm not against anything that works for anyone else. Brew on!
 
one thing I may add, if you are filling with sand - you might want to try salt instead. why you bend the tube and compress the sand it can stick. at least with the salt hot water dissolves it.

for the copper tubing, though, I just looped the whole coil over my keg, and started bending with no probs.
 
A 12" diameter bend should be very easy with soft tubing. I have bent the 1/2" around 4" PVC pipe several times and no kinking. It does flatten out to the tight bend, but no kinking. I don't fill it either. I think the trick is too put more pulling power outward as to keep tension on the tubing.

You might not be doing it now but, once you get the first complete wrap on whatever your using as a guide, it gets much more easy. Its that first time around that requires the most attention.
 
Thanks for the tips, sounds like I just expected it to be easier than I had planned, and tried to do it by hand to quickly. Next time I will use my 5 gallon buckets (haven't had a use for those for over 15 years) and the spring tubing bender.
 
nothing is as easy as you plan. after some bending, you will lose some of the pliability of the metal. this is easily returned by heating it with propane/mapp gas to nearly red hot and cooling by plunging into some water. that should make it pretty ugly, but much easier to continue bending. I have found that my hands are the easiest bending tool, but also the crudest.
 
So how do you deal with the scale that forms on the copper after such a heating regimen?

That ugliness is the same on the inside unless you purged it.
 
If it's in a coil, you really don't want to straighten it out and then bend it. I've used the sand in the tube trick on SS tubing and it worked well, also some "pro's" told me to freeze water in the tube before bending instead of sand. Never tried that.
 
One thing you want to watch out for is that if you bend the copper back and forth too much it will work harden, and it will be almost impossible to get a smooth curve out of it. The only way out of that situation is to anneal it.
 
You can bend the copper tubing by heating it using a propane torch. Heat it until the copper turn to a red-hot color because that is only the time wherein it soften and be able to bend.
 
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