Aarghh!!! Crinkly pipe bending

[regsmyth]

I'm rerouting some 15mm pipes and can't understand why some bends go well and others go crinkly. I've tried cleaning the pipes, greasing them and the pipe bender, can even get one crinkly and one good on the same offcut (getting quite a lot of those now).
Can someone enlighten me??

 

[gigz]

Pull them in one go (ie get comfy and dont stop till you reach correct angle) some benders are carp as well by the way.

 

[seco services]

is it a well used pipe bender ?

 

[Agile]

Spraying the pipe with WD40 is said to help!

So is pulling very slowly and steadily and all in one pull!

Much of the cheap copper supplied now is very poor at bending! The one called "Black something" is one of the better ones.

Tony

 

[DP]

Check bender guide is secure and not worn. Same goes fop the former. Do not handle the pipe as it is being 'pulled' . If pipe is 'assisted' during bending, ripples are formed.

Try putting a hacksaw blade between the former and roller.

Above is my experience. but then I am no old hand that can pull bends eyes closed. Some old timer will come along and give you the correct answer.

 

[Agile]

Do not handle the pipe as it is being 'pulled' . If pipe is 'assisted' during bending, ripples are formed.

Above is my experience. but then I am no old hand that can pull bends eyes closed. Some old timer will come along and give you the correct answer.

I often find that pulling the pipe a little helps the bend to form without rippling.

You may be getting rather close to the limits on the second paragraph!

Tony

 

[BGEngineer]

Agree with gigz, some pipe benders are just crap, a name to look for is rothenberger, perfect every time

 

[namsag]

Former has to be tight and make sure it does not move as your doing it.Use a smooth action and dont jerk it
My benders are about 25 year old and still no ripples

 

[TicklyT]

Sometimes pipe is just a little bit too work hardened in manufacture, or it has age hardened in storage or previous use to bend nicely, but the next bit you pick up takes a bend no problem.

I could suggest annealing the pipe to soften the copper, but that would take a lot of heating, would leave a scruffy looking bit of pipe afterwards and no guarantee of results.

You would need to heat the entire area of the bend up to something like red heat to anneal it. Quenching it in water would knock most of the scale off, but even if it works it would still be hard work cleaning it up afterwards to solder it.

 

[regsmyth]

Thanks for all the answers chaps!
I was really hoping for some amazing answer that would mean I'll never get a crinkly bend again, but thats just wishful thinking.

It's a Rothenberger too!! Perhaps that doesn't mean much these days - probably owned and made by someone else anyway. Only a couple of years old and hardly used - maybe they get better with use?

I might try a little packer between the former and roller, that sounds like it might help, but you'd have thought they'd make it properly in the first place...

What bugs me is that on the same length of pipe, I can get a good bend on one section, turn it round, bend another bit, and get a crinkly one!! Isses me off.

So which is better at smooth water flow - a crinkly bend or a smooth elbow?

Any other ideas gratefully received. If I work out what I'm doing right/wrong I'll let you know.

 

[waltwales]

Thanks for all the answers chaps!
I was really hoping for some amazing answer that would mean I'll never get a crinkly bend again, but thats just wishful thinking.

It's a Rothenberger too!! Perhaps that doesn't mean much these days - probably owned and made by someone else anyway. Only a couple of years old and hardly used - maybe they get better with use?

I might try a little packer between the former and roller, that sounds like it might help, but you'd have thought they'd make it properly in the first place...

What bugs me is that on the same length of pipe, I can get a good bend on one section, turn it round, bend another bit, and get a crinkly one!! Isses me off.

So which is better at smooth water flow - a crinkly bend or a smooth elbow?

Any other ideas gratefully received. If I work out what I'm doing right/wrong I'll let you know.

Hi,
i have a really cheep 15 + 22mm pipe bender that would sometimes make perfect bends and at other times would make crinkled ones. i tried a steel shim on top of the aluminium former to advance the bend fulcrum with mixed results. Eventually i found what appears to be the answer and that is keeping a constant pressure whiles bending: relax the force [ie stop and start] whilest bending and you end up with crinkles in the copper.
However if you need to stop the bend to check the angle KEEP THE BENDER ARMS UNDER PRESSURE without further actuating the bend. Its not easy at first but eventually you'll get the knack of it and you'll throw even, smooth bends everytime

cheers, waltwales

 

[onlyfitidealboilers]

Sometimes copper is of poor quality too, or pipe benders.