tube bending tool

[jim gilmore]

I know I saw a tool for bending fuel tubing for plastic fuel tanks but I cannot figure where nI saw it. I do not mean the spring things or the k+s things either it was kind of a block with a pin to hold nthe tubing and you bend/draw  the tubing around it. I though there was also a tutorial online showing it but cannot find where I saw it.

[Zuriel Armstrong]

This is the first site I came to with a Higley Tubing Bender.  I'm sure there are others.

Hope this helps.

www.rjrcooltools.com/harry_higley.cfm

[posthole_digger]

It is also available from Tower.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXL781&P=7

Paul

[dave siegler]

I have several, but the one I like the most is the cheap one from harbor freight.


http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94571

[Randy Powell]

I think he may be referring to one of Derek Moran's numerous gadgets.

[Jim Kraft]

I use 1/8" copper tubing from the auto parts store. Bends easy with about any tool you want to use.

[jim gilmore]

Quote( I use 1/8" copper tubing from the auto parts store. Bends easy with about any tool you want to use.)

Can you say more on that. The tubing seems to usually ben easy enough where I don't want it to and I just want to be able to make it look better.

[Richard Grogan]

You don't really need a bender with soft copper tubing. Just bend it slowly and methodical as to not make a violent kink(fold) in it. Works well and is a dream to work with on soldering metal tanks too.I've been known to use wooden thread spools for making smoother bends.I've also used bass guitar strings inserted in the tubing for bends.All they had when I started was the KS springs, what a PIA! 

[Jim Kraft]

The 1/8" copper is heavier walled, and won't kink very easy. I generally use needle nose pliers to make the bends, and sometimes stick a piece of music wire in the end for a handle. The hole in the tubing is smaller than the brass tubing you are used to, but I have never had a problem with fuel flow on engines up to "65". I buy it 6 or 8' at a time and use it for all of my tanks and fuselage vent tubes. After cutting, I use a drill bit to clean out the ends by hand. Then round the ends a bit with a file. You can also use a piece of brass tubing larger than the copper to slide over the copper for a handle when making bends. It also polishes up real purty. It will not split like brass, and is very easy to solder. 

I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last weekend, but it is starting to wear off.

[david beazley]

Another way to bend 1/8" tubing without a bender and not colapsing the tubing is to stick a piece of weedeater line inside the tubing then make your bend, and pull the line out.  It works for brass, copper and aluminum. 

[Bill Heher]

Yep - the weed eater line trick works good, so does heavy lead-out wire, just don't use line / cable too close to the I.D of the tube, sometimes it will get stuck!

[Robert McHam]

I think our friends at Dubro have the right answer!
I have been looking at the pictures on the web of their tubing benders and was not clear on how well they worked until I ran across the video on how to use them.
http://www.dubro.com/hobby/techtips/video_detail.aspx?video=22

I didn't even know Dubro had videos for their products! Live and learn.

Also the secret behind bending the K&S tubing is revealed! Ya gotta anneal it first as the K&S is hard walled brass when you buy it! The video shows how to do this easily.

Isn't the internet great!?

Robert

[Robert McHam]

I have also heard of filling with water and freezing, then bend. Ice very easy to remove, just let it thaw!

Key point that some may not know is the annealing, others are acutely aware of this. What I didn't know was that the new stuff was hard annealed, off the shelf.

Robert