Bending

[ScotiaFE]

I'm pretty stoked!
I have finally got my tube bender working.
It's a little crude, but it is a shed built piece of junk. It's kinda copy of a Pro Tools HMP200. Only made from what ever
was in the metal rack.
The tube is standard roll bar stuff 1 3/4" DOM.
Nice smooth bend with just a smidge of compression and NO wrinkles.

[jayb]

I have a friend who has the Pro-Tools version; I borrow it from time to time and it works great.  Did you buy the dies, Howie, or did you make them too?

[ScotiaFE]

I made my own die and follower.
I made a radius tool to cut the die. Then drilled and bored a big stick of
aluminum for the follower.
It was a good project to get me thinking about machining again.
Still not going to go back to work at it though. You must be starting to realize
watching paint dry is more fun.

[NewFalconOwner]

Howie, heres the one I made I told you about.. I bought my die and follower off ebay though

[Qikbbstang]

10,000 psi 20 Ton Enerpac air over Hyd pump/bender. I loaded up what I'd "mistakenly" tossed out, tested it/replaced tiny air switch (they sell a switch repair kit) and sold it on ebay. All the dies sad to say were left scattered all over the ground and no doubt went to China.
     

[ScotiaFE]

Hey Rick, as an exercise in cost/time effectiveness your bender is miles a head of mine.
But I just wanted to make the die. 

BB they must have a very liberal metal recycling yard in your hood. There is no picking through at the one
in Dartmouth. LOL 

[Qikbbstang]

 Liberal scrap metal yard no way!  ...Lucky for me it was near closing, the crew was not on the ball and as mentioned "I loaded up what I'd "mistakenly" tossed out,". If I could have paid them exponentially the scrap value I would have. Instead it was simply a swap for weight in / weight out. rummaging around and picking up the loose dies which were clearly in sight was not in the program.
     

[Heo]

 A Little tip for you all.You can use a bender like that to bend thinwall tubing if you
fill it with lead. I use one to bend exhaustpipes in stainles
for motorcycles.
Just melt lead, pour it in the pipe let it cool down bend it
and melt the lead out and polish.
No kinks even on 1mm

[cammerfe]

I've seen sand used for support to assist tube bending.

KS

[Heo]

I have tried many metods including sand but no luck. The tube
get kind of a triangular shape like the "piston" in a rotary engine
So one night i lay in bed thinking how to make the exhaust pipe
on my AJS
It hit me a trumpet is made by thin brass tube, How
do they bend that ? And with a sharp radius.
I remembered i had looked inside a trumpet and there was
some traces of lead inside so i put two and two together
And tried it the next day and voila kink free bend thats 100% round
I told my sister who is a jeweler about my Discovery
She said why dont you asked me? I do it all the time when i bend silver and gold
tubes
I have also used the "trick" when i have bent stainles side trim to fit other cars than they
was designed for.
Just fill the trim with molten lead and you can bend it with quite a Sharp radius with out
any deformation
Sorry for the hijack of the tread but thought i would share

[machoneman]

Great, never heard of the lead trick before. Have paid some big bucks for mandrel bent tubing in the past. Thanks for sharing.

[ScotiaFE]

Well I'm Hooped. 
My first try at a scratch built roll bar.
I'm really far behind schedule. When I started this upgrade I figured I would be testing the car by now.
Ya Right. lol
Pushing a head at slug speed though.

 

[jayb]

Looks good, Howie.  Are you going to install it with bolt in plates, or weld it in?  And are you going to make rear support bars for it?

[ScotiaFE]

Thanks Jay.
I'm doing a full IHRA spec weld in six point with all the other SFI stuff also to run into the tens. I hope. lol
Doing the swing out door bar thing also.
You literally have to weld and bolt a couple of hundred pounds of junk in.
To go faster. Go figure.

[ScotiaFE]

Well I finally got back on the car. Winter was a hard one.
The contraption that started all this.


The old drop through the floor trick.



Doing some grape work.





A dab of paint.



And presto change O. A welded in hoop.



Still have the door bars to fit and on the fence as to whether I should do the swing out or more ridged full
weld in.
What say the brain trust?
Overall I'm happy with the project.