Bending Stainless Steel Tubing By Hand

For example 1 x 1 18 gauge steel tubing can be bent to a minimum diameter of about 30 before it starts to kink.

Bending stainless steel tubing by hand.

Rigid metal pipe and tubing tend to be made of copper steel stainless steel or aluminum but are not the same thing. The stainless tubing can be bent using a ram bender by securing it in place on both ends and ramming the tubing in the center. For show cars and street rods the polished look of stainless steel is. Another method of bending stainless steel tubing is to use a mandrel bending machine which is a flexible insert that fits into your tubing bending it without allowing it to collapse internally.

This method tends to damage the tubing however. Available in 1 8 1 4 5 16 3 8 and 1 2 in as well as 3 6 8 10 and 12 mm tubing sizes. Stainless steel hard lines are not too difficult to bend but flaring them is. 1 to 180 bending range.

And there are a couple of ways to cheat that number even lower. This added hardness increases the amount of force needed to place a bend on a stainless steel sheet. Swagelok hand tube benders feature roll dies reduce bending force and tube ovality compared to conventional slide block design. They help to prevent damage from bending such as crimping scoring and flattening.

As you bend a stainless steel sheet the bend area cold hardens increasing the amount of pressure required to finish the bend. Tubing benders can help create smooth tight radius bends in tubing such as soft copper aluminum and light wall hydraulic tubing. Tubing benders can help to bend aluminum tubing for oil and hydraulic fluid. Scoring stainless steel sheets with a grinder eases the hand bending process.

This isn t an exact number because of the differences in temper and metal quality. For example piece of one inch pipe will seem to have a greater diameter than a piece of one itch tubing. Stainless steel lines are expensive three to four times more than regular steel lines.