Topic: Pipe bending question

[yota-tota]

Ok i'm using one of those 12 TON pipe benders to make up a front stinger and some fender hoops. Not sure how to start as i've never used one before.

For the stinger i started with a piece of 1 1/4 sch 40 pipe bending in the middle with the outside rollers at the second last location...got about 20-30* bent but looks like it's going to fold on me, so i'm not sure if i have to move the rollers in or out or if i have to make more then one bend to get it work for me. 
I know i can get the fender hoops done but not sure about that stinger bend.

[MR_DIY]

put the rollers as far apart as you can.
you can only bend it as far as the die. for a stinger it is going to flatten the pipe out a lot. 

you can't bend any further than the die w/o something giving.

[Willy Mammoth]

Look at page 48 of the build up thread. I did the exact thing you are trying to do.

You will have to bend two pipes and cut them and weld them together to get the angle you want.

[Shamb]

fill the pipe w/ sand and lube it like crazy. slllllllllow bends will help as well w/ the tube kinker

[Willy Mammoth]

fill the pipe w/ sand and lube it like crazy. slllllllllow bends will help as well w/ the tube kinker

Still won't bend more than 90* and yes it is a kinker.

Also depends on the quality of the pipe being bent.

The last few bends on my exo are folded not bent. Wish I had bought a die for the other bender.

[bluetoy84]

Mr.Willy is absolutley correct. There are different grades of pipe and they bend differently. When people hear the word "pipe" they think of the old crusty "black pipe" , this stuff is foriegn made and is not very good quality. You can get "pipe" that is exactly like HREW just in pipe dimensions. A buddy of mine has a connection at a tubing manufacturing plant ( Bullmoose Tubing , in Trenton GA.) and he bought us a whole friggin' truck load of 1-1/4" sch 40 for dirt cheap. And for all you pipe haters out there it is made in the same plant using the same process as HREW just ran through different size dies. Plus it is .140" wall instead of .120" wall. I know its not DOM chromemoly, but I just don't see how it could be inferior to HREW tubing and I just don't see the need for DOM for every application.

I have built a lot of stuff with a harbor freight bender and for a $70 bender it does great. Not everyone can afford to drop $1000 on a bender just to use a few times.