Bending copper pipes the old fashioned way

[WelshPaul]

Hi folks,
I need to put a slight bend in a 15mm pipe (around 10-15°) and was wondering if I could fill the pipe with water, cap it, freeze it and then bend it without kinking it too badly. Has anyone tried this?

 

[TonySan]

You could try using compacted sand, you won't run the risk of splitting the pipe when the water freezes, but I haven't tried either method as I have internal pipe bending springs.

Not much help really :whistle:

 

[Runwell-Steve]

How tight do you need the bend. If you can have a big radius on the bend you would probably get away with bending it around a gas cylinder or corny keg.

 

[WelshPaul]

It doesn't need to be too acute so I'll give that a try, thanks.

 

[shocker]

Sand is how we used to do it , and not too compacted . Used a former ,ie, anything with the radius we wanted to acheive .

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

You can buy a spring for a couple of pounds, or try asking on Freecycle.

BB

 

[shocker]

Because of your avatar , BB , every post of yours I read I hear in my head as Sid James speaking it ....very disconcerting . Hilarious , yes . But disconcerting . The word "spring" has never had smutty connotations .....until now , for me at least . :clap: :grin:

Good work that man ! And good advice about the spring , saw one under a fiver in a hardware shop , other day . :thumb:

 

[snail59]

How soon do you need it done. SCREW FIX

 

[shocker]

IIRC , the spring is better than a mandel/lever pipebender on thin wall copper tube in that there is less obvious stretching and shoulders left at the ends of the bends....as it were .

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

IIRC , the spring is better than a mandel/lever pipebender on thin wall copper tube in that there is less obvious stretching and shoulders left at the ends of the bends....as it were .

I agree, the good old fashioned spring is far superior.... :thumb:

BB

 

[shocker]

Sorry , still Sid James ...."Phwah ha ha haarr !"

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Sorry , still Sid James ...."Phwah ha ha haarr !"

LoL :thumb: :lol: