Pipe bending

Yes Your right ! I use 4" for marine exhausts ! If I could get a cummins 903 into a B I would need 4".

BUT the OPs question was how to bend thin wall tube himself. Noel.

I have an industrial conduit pipe bender which has formers for 20mm and 25mm conduit. It will just bend 25mm OD thin walled stainless steel tube but I have to extend the lever, which is a 25mm solid bar about 2ft 6 inch long, with a piece of heavy duty tube about 3 feet long, to get enough leverage. I occasionally make stainless hand poles for helping unsteady people on steps and doorways or poles for bird feeders etc. Steel Conduit bends quite easily so steel conduit is quite soft in comparison to stainless tube.

David

Our specification for stainless pipe and tube for bending at work included maximum hardness values. We still had the occasional piece snap rather than stretch on the outside of the bend.

Martin C

A belated thanks for the replies. The answer to my question as to the availability of a "universal " pipe bender was pretty much as expected, unfortunately. I think, for what I need to do, filling the pipe with something and heating is unsatisfactory.

I've asked the question elsewhere and am presently discussing with someone a method of bending that might work. The bends (in stainless steel) are little more than a "tweek" to get good alignment at the moment. At the risk of being accused of churlishness (again) I'll not say anymore just yet until we prove the idea works, or not.

If not, I think I may be buying a cheap bender off the 'bay and modifying the formers to suit.

John