Using Rigid 608 Tubing bender without kinking tube???

[binabik]

I have a rigid 608 tubing bender for 1/2" tubing. However I cannot make a bend with this without the bend kinking. It appears that the tubing is not locking in place as I placed a mark where it locks the tubing and that mark had moved towards the bend.

I am trying to bend .020" wall thickness Stainless Steel tubing.

Am I doing something wrong? I've wasted about 4 feet tubing trying to get the bend right and not one has come out even close to a good bend.



Anyone have any ideas?

 

[bu_gee]

You could try filling the tube with water and freezing it then try bending. The other thing I've seen done is that they fill the tubing with sand.

 

[bu_gee]

I guess I should have asked if you have the right type of tubing for cold bending? It was my impression that stainless required heating, but I've only really worked with copper so I might have the wrong impression.

 

[The10mmKid]

Quickly & Easily


Their words, not mine.

 

[binabik]

I've seen that. It does not work as advertised.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I've used the Ridgid SS tubing benders a lot when I made vacuum pumps. I don't recall running into kinking with 1/2", but we had one guy try to use the 1/4" for bending 1/2" and ended up with some interesting splits and a pissed off boss.

 

[suprchunk]

I've heard .49 is the lowest you want to go with hand bending. There was an earlier thread on here saying there was no way in hell you would be able to bend .20 by hand unless you wanted tons of kinks and flat spots.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I'm looking for the same thing you are - to bend .20 at home.

 

[suprchunk]

Sorry, meant .049 and .020 respectively.

 

[Bobby_M]

.035 is the thinnest wall on 1/2" tubing that will bend on a hand mandrel bender with no kinks. .028 will bend without major kinks but there will be rippling.

 

[Bilsch]

I always have troubles bending thin stainless with this type of bender unless coated at the bend with a dry powder lubricant. Makes the tool slide smoothly and greatly reduces rippling. This is brand I use, works great.
http://www.sprayon.com/product-cate...dry-zinc-stearate-release-agent-aerosol-mr312

 

[Trillium]

I have the exact same bender. 0.02 is like bending aluminum foil tubing. I use 0.065 but bending the tube is like arm wrestling a polar bear.

 

[Trillium]

Here is a picture of some bends I did today. 0.065 wall tubing. Nice smooth bends.

 

[Trillium]

Another one I'm working on. Couple more bends to do.