How to bend a copper pipe at home. Effective ways to bend copper pipes at home. Mechanical bending device

The average length of copper pipes is 50 meters. Accordingly, their installation is impossible without the need to make bends on the pipeline elements. There are several ways to bend products.

spring method

Provides bending of the product at virtually any angle. It is usually used in confined spaces. Total Data Cost installation work very small. Installation of copper pipes is quick and easy;

Lever method

The price of lever equipment is quite high, but it can always be rented. Used when installing copper pipes with the same diameter. The maximum level of flexion with this method is 180 degrees. Lever tool provides easy installation;

manual method

Most economical option relative to the cost, but at the same time quite effective. Using a manual pipe bender at home eliminates the risk of cracks and deformations on the pipes. With all this, there are also disadvantages: the pipe bender requires the application of certain physical forces, it is not suitable for mounting long products;

hydraulic method

The most expensive of the proposed options. It is very easy to bend a part with it, because the hydraulic mechanism provides maximum ease of operation. It is used for bending products of various diameters due to the presence of a set of segments.

It is easiest to bend parts made of annealed copper due to their ductility. It is even possible to bend the product to a large radius by hand. One bend can be done only once, since in the future the elasticity of the product decreases. The gas heater allows you to return to the previous qualities. It is enough to heat the part a little and quickly bend;

Products made of unannealed copper can be bent in a similar way. The copper piece is heated by gas burner, then bending is performed.

Small Radius Tools

If a small radius bend is required, special tools are used: springs and pipe benders.

pipe bender

When using a pipe bender, you can make the required bend without heating and annealing. The pipe bender should be fixed in the working area, then bend the product under the desired radius. Parts with a diameter of 28 mm allow you to make almost any bend, but you need to save minimum value inner diameter equal to 14 mm. Otherwise, there may be difficulties in transporting liquids.

Spring

When using a special spring at home, it is required to preheat the pipe to 450-550 degrees. Only after the desired bend is made.

Recommendation: Copper with an internal diameter greater than 28 mm must be heated before bending, regardless of how you work. Heating up to 450-550 is required for both fired and unfired parts.

It is also important to remember that copper products with large diameters cannot be bent by hand. Heating, a pipe bender and other tools are required. Otherwise, there is a high probability of deformations, fractures.

Installing copper pipes is easier than steel products. This work is within the power of every person who has the desire to understand all the intricacies of the work.

The popularity of copper pipes in the installation of heating and water supply systems is understandable - they are durable, flexible, and resistant to corrosion. But the layout of apartments often forces you to change the shape of the existing blank. At home, this is not so easy to do, but there are several ways. How to bend copper tube at the right angle? You will learn about this from this material.

Physical properties material is largely determined by the features of working with copper. Due to plasticity, the workpiece at the bend can decrease in diameter or even break. But deform copper pipe can be done manually. Methods for improving bending strength will be described later.

The second feature of copper pipes is the need to heat them for deformation. Of course, thin-walled workpieces are easy to deal with without a soldering iron or gas burner, but it is better to warm up thickened elements (where there will be a bend) to make your work easier.

The third feature of bending copper pipes at home is the mandatory use of compensating elements. This is necessary to minimize the appearance of "corrugation" (waviness) on the inner wall of the tube. Examples would be sand, a steel spring, sometimes ice. Now we will analyze the well-known methods of how to bend a copper tube at home.

Bending methods

Methods for shaping a copper pipe into a curved shape are conventionally divided into two categories:

• industrial;
• household.

Industrial flexible tubing refers to the use of special equipment - pipe benders. The most common are hydraulic and mechanical (manual). The former allow minimizing the physical effort of a person, have interchangeable nozzles for selecting a suitable bend diameter, and are used for overall copper tubes. The latter are compact, work due to the muscular strength of a person, and also have replaceable nozzles in the form of a semicircle.

When repairing or installing copper pipelines, a pipe bender is not always at hand. Therefore, users manage with improvised means.

Household methods for bending copper tubes

These methods are distinguished by applicability in a limited space, that is, ordinary apartment. Overall equipment is not needed, bending the copper billet will turn out not much slower. Among the methods of bending copper tubes are:

1. Spring. Lets bend metal pipe at any angle. A spring is used, the length of which is equal to the length of the pipe. When bending forms large diameter it is placed inside the workpiece so that it rests against the walls; smaller diameter - worn outside. If it is required to deform a small section of the product, the spring is pushed to the place of the intended bend.

How is copper pipe bending done with a spring? The sequence of actions is as follows:

• place the spring outside/inside the tube;
• heat the bend (or the entire pipe) with a blowtorch or gas burner;
• when the surface changes color to a darker one, proceed to bending;
• after deformation, leave the workpiece to cool completely in natural conditions;
• remove the spring.

To get the product of the desired shape, you can use metal round objects as templates (for example, car rims, other pipes, etc.).

1. Sand. Here again we need a heating element and clean, sifted, completely dry sand. The sequence is:

• one of the ends of the copper pipe is clogged with a wooden plug (using a wooden or rubber hammer!);
• the pipe cavity is filled with sand, while the workpiece is periodically tapped with a wooden plug on the surface (table, floor);
• having filled the product completely, put on the same plug from the other end;
• act with a blowtorch or gas burner on the intended place of the pipe bend, rotating the workpiece for uniform heating;
• press one end of the pipe to the support, and gently bend the other in the right direction;
• allow the deformed part to cool (in natural conditions or pour over with water).

The method is good in that if the pipe is unevenly bent, it is permissible to straighten it - tap the place where the deformation went badly with a hammer. After the tube has cooled, the plugs are removed from it, sand is poured out, washed and used for its intended purpose.

If bending is performed in winter, it is allowed to fill the internal cavity with ice. However, this is undesirable - when bent, it can crack, and the fragments will damage inner surface tubes. Although, if there are no special requirements for the latter, it is worth taking the method into service.

Complicated bending of copper pipes

It happens that you need to bend the workpiece of a non-standard profile. For example, not round, but square. The spring method is not applicable here. It remains to use sand, a mallet, plugs and two supports. A pipe is placed on the latter, then it is heated, then the bend is tapped with a hammer until the proper shape is given.

What to do if you need to bend the tube into a spiral? It's simple - you just need to find a template cylindrical shape with the required diameter. The copper billet warms up slightly, then bends. This will create an even spiral.

There are several ways to get bent copper pipe. Each is good in its own way, but there are points that are always important to consider, regardless of the chosen method of deformation.

1. The main requirement for the user when working is accuracy and attentiveness. Sudden movements will lead to excessive deformation of the pipe walls and their complete rupture.
2. Parts made of annealed copper are easiest to bend, so it takes a minimum of time to heat them up.
3. If the bend is not made where necessary, you can reheat the workpiece and bend the product back. However, no one guarantees that the shape of the tube will be the same.
4. When the surface is overheated, the metal may simply begin to melt. It is unacceptable. The user must closely follow the process from start to finish.

Manual bending of large-sized copper pipes is impossible at home - you can't do without industrial pipe benders with a hydraulic drive. Small pieces for mounting heating system or water supply bend easily, and with minimal effort. Even a person with no experience can figure out how to bend a copper tube at home if he is careful. Do you know other ways to work? Share with readers your experience in discussing the material.

How to bend a copper tube at home: tips from a master

Copper is a ductile and easy-to-work metal with excellent heat-conducting properties. Copper pipes are often used to equip the piping system and installation household appliances. In the process of working with this metal, many owners faced the problem that when the copper pipe is heated, the bends are deformed and look messy. Dealing with this task is quite simple. It is enough just to know certain subtleties of how to bend a copper pipe into a spiral.

How to bend a copper pipe - an overview of methods

There are several options for carrying out work, each of which has its own characteristics.

spring

The spring method is most often used when working in confined spaces of a small area. It allows you to bend the copper pipe at almost any angle.

To do this, use a spring, the diameter of which corresponds to the size of the piece of copper pipe. You can buy it at construction stores. To bend pipes of large diameter, the spring is inserted between the inner walls of the workpiece, for thin structures it is put on from above.

If it is necessary to bend a section of the copper billet remote from the end, the spring is advanced towards it.

Tip: to make it easier to pull the spring out of the bent workpiece after completion of work, it is better to attach a piece of steel wire of the required length before immersing its pipe on the edge of the last turn.

The efficiency of a spring is directly related to the thickness of the strands and the frequency of turns.

By placing the spring inside the workpiece, the surface of the copper pipe is heated with blowtorch or gas burner. The degree of heating is determined by the change in the shade of the surface. A well-heated section of the pipe is bent at the required angle and left to cool completely.

To give the workpiece a rounded shape when bending, you can use as a template steel pipes and discs of the appropriate diameter. When the cooled pipe takes its final shape, all that remains is to pull out the spring.

The choice of how to bend a copper pipe depends on the wall thickness and the outer diameter of the product.

Manual

The pipe bender is portable tool, which, by fixing one of the ends and the place of the bend of the hollow pipe, with the subsequent movement of the second end of the workpiece, performs the bend along the specified diameter.

Depending on the type of device, pipe benders are divided into three types:

• Lever - the structure is formed by two levers, on the first of which there is a shoe, and on the other a bending template is installed. Marks are applied on each side of the levers, focusing on which it is convenient to give the workpiece an accurate angle of inclination. By aligning the zero marks and fixing the tube in the bracket, bending is performed with the help of levers. With this tool, copper blanks can be bent even at an angle of 180°.
• Spring - are steel springs, one of the ends of which resembles a funnel. A pipe segment is inserted into the spring and bending is performed, giving the desired angle of inclination.
• Hydraulic - belong to the category of professional. famous high speed and the ability of hydraulics to take over all the loads of the operator.
• Electric - the principle of operation of the tool is similar to the manual lever counterpart. The bend radius is set using removable segments. Putting the workpiece on the pipe bender, bending is performed by means of an electric drive. This type of pipe bender is advisable to use when large volumes works.

You can qualitatively bend a copper tube into a spiral using special tools

Spring and lever action tools are effective for bending short lengths of copper tubes with a small diameter. Only hydraulics can handle large diameter structures.

Sand

To give the pipe the desired angle of inclination, the work is performed in several stages:

1. One of the ends of the workpiece is clogged with a wooden plug. Then, with clean, sifted and well-dried sand, fill the cavity of the pipe, while tapping its end against wooden base. Having filled the cavity almost to the top, the same plug is put on the open end of the workpiece.
2. The area to be bent is heated with the same blowtorch or burner until the bark surface becomes more dark shade. The easiest way to check the sufficiency of heating is by holding a sheet of paper to the surface. If it catches fire from contact with metal, it is no longer necessary to heat it. When heating the workpiece, it is necessary to rotate it around its axis so that the flame covers all sides of the pipe.

Since copper is a soft enough metal, craftsmen recommend using sand to prevent deformation of the product when it is bent.

-instruction: pipe bending at home

The easiest way to bend blanks made of annealed copper. When heated, they become more lamellar and pliable.

If a bent pipe has not acquired the desired shape, the situation can be corrected by reheating the metal. But it should be borne in mind that it will take much less time to warm up the sand that has not yet had time to cool down. Therefore, when the surface is overheated, instead of acquiring plasticity, the metal will simply begin to melt.

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Copper is a ductile and easy-to-work metal with excellent heat-conducting properties. Copper pipes are often used for arranging piping systems and installing household appliances. In the process of working with this metal, many owners faced the problem that when the copper pipe is heated, the bends are deformed and look messy. Dealing with this task is quite simple. It is enough just to know certain subtleties of how to bend a copper pipe into a spiral.

How to bend a copper pipe - an overview of methods

There are several options for carrying out work, each of which has its own characteristics.

spring

The spring method is most often used when working in confined spaces of a small area. It allows you to bend the copper pipe at almost any angle.

To do this, use a spring, the diameter of which corresponds to the size of the piece of copper pipe. You can buy it at hardware stores. To bend pipes of large diameter, the spring is inserted between the inner walls of the workpiece, for thin structures it is put on from above.

If it is necessary to bend a section of the copper billet remote from the end, the spring is advanced towards it.

Tip: to make it easier to pull the spring out of the bent workpiece after completion of work, it is better to attach a piece of steel wire of the required length before immersing its pipe on the edge of the last turn.

The efficiency of a spring is directly related to the thickness of the strands and the frequency of turns.

By placing the spring inside the workpiece, the surface of the copper pipe is heated with a blowtorch or gas burner. The degree of heating is determined by the change in the shade of the surface. A well-heated section of the pipe is bent at the required angle and left to cool completely.

To give the workpiece a rounded shape when bending, steel pipes and disks of the appropriate diameter can be used as a template. When the cooled pipe takes its final shape, all that remains is to pull out the spring.

The choice of how to bend a copper pipe depends on the wall thickness and the outer diameter of the product.

Manual

The pipe bender is a portable tool that, by fixing one of the ends and the place of the bend of the hollow pipe, followed by moving the second end of the workpiece, bends to a given diameter.

Depending on the type of device, pipe benders are divided into three types:

• Lever - the structure is formed by two levers, on the first of which there is a shoe, and on the other a bending template is installed. Marks are applied on each side of the levers, focusing on which it is convenient to give the workpiece an accurate angle of inclination. By aligning the zero marks and fixing the tube in the bracket, bending is performed with the help of levers. With this tool, copper blanks can be bent even at an angle of 180°.
• Spring - are steel springs, one of the ends of which resembles a funnel. A pipe segment is inserted into the spring and bending is performed, giving the desired angle of inclination.
• Hydraulic - belong to the category of professional. They are famous for their high speed and the ability of hydraulics to take over all the loads of the operator.
• Electric - the principle of operation of the tool is similar to the manual lever counterpart. The bend radius is set using removable segments. Putting the workpiece on the pipe bender, bending is performed by means of an electric drive. This type of pipe bender is advisable to use for large volumes of work.

You can qualitatively bend a copper tube into a spiral using special tools

Spring and lever action tools are effective for bending short lengths of copper tubes with a small diameter. Only hydraulics can handle large diameter structures.

Sand

To give the pipe the desired angle of inclination, the work is performed in several stages:

Video instruction: pipe bending at home

The easiest way to bend blanks made of annealed copper. When heated, they become more lamellar and pliable.

If the bent pipe has not acquired the desired shape, the situation can be corrected by reheating the metal. But it should be borne in mind that it will take much less time to warm up the sand that has not yet had time to cool down. Therefore, when the surface is overheated, instead of acquiring plasticity, the metal will simply begin to melt.

To facilitate the process of laying a pipeline from copper pipes, various devices are used, including a pipe bender. It can be a handheld device for home use or industrial equipment shown for the arrangement of public use systems. The main thing you need to know is how to bend a copper tube without damaging the shape, so it is important to choose a pipe bender of the appropriate type and design features.

Fairly soft and flexible material has its own strength and stiffness indicators, depending on the cross section, wall thickness, as well as on the alloy grade and processing method. The pliability of the material to bend determines the required force that is applied to bend the rolled product, according to this indicator, you need to choose a pipe bender, especially if it is a manual device.

The equipment must meet:

1. Ease of use;
2. Facilitate work with pipe rolling;
3. Compliance with the dimensions of the pipe section;
4. Ease of transport and installation on site.

When choosing a pipe bender for bending at home, it is worth determining the size of the dimensions, the ergonomics of the equipment and the operating conditions of the device, and they may vary. For example, some models are suitable for use in limited spaces (at the corner of the house, in the sewer system), and some need a lot of space.

To ensure all indicators, two types of equipment are produced:

1. Stationary and portable machines;
2. Manual pipe bender.

The latter type has a wider scope, therefore it is considered universal and is suitable for bending section elements up to 50 mm. Manual pipe bender has its own varieties:

• spring;
• mechanical;
• hydraulic;
• electric.

It is worth analyzing each type in more detail.

Spring bender for copper pipe

This equipment, which is an elongated steel spring with coils that fit snugly against each other and have an extension at one end. With all its strength, the manual pipe bender has a high degree flexibility, allowing work to be done at home.

The application is simple: put the element with the wide end on the pipe, stretch it to the place where you want to bend and perform the action. It is not difficult to pull off the spring at the end of the work. Model advantage:

• small dimensions, which ensures the convenience of work in the most limited conditions;
• low weight, and this is ease of transportation;
• strength and simplicity of design - there is absolutely nothing to break;
• can be applied immediately at the installation site or on already laid pipeline elements, and can be done without setting up the device.

Disadvantages:

1. the complete absence of mechanization to increase pressure. Therefore, you have to rely only on your own muscles. However, not every pipe can be bent in this way;
2. the threat of underbending / inflection;
3. the need to move the spring device to the place of bending, which is not always possible due to the length of the system;
4. calculation only for pipes of a certain section, so you will have to buy a new spring device for each new element.

Mechanical bending device

Equipment of this type greatly facilitates the process of bending thin-walled, thick-walled copper pipes produced at home. Manual mechanical pipe bender allows you to increase the pressure, which guarantees the efficiency of the process. There are lever, segment devices, as well as the "crossbow" type.

• The lever bending device is popular because of its ease of use. 90 degree bending angle, range from 6 to 22 mm, models are usually designed for use with both hands.
• Segment pipe bender This is a compact piece of equipment. Processing of elements up to 42 mm in cross section is allowed, maximum angle 180 degree bend. Equipped with interchangeable pads. The principle of operation is based on turning the handle of the machine, which drives the bending mechanism.
• The crossbow exactly repeats the principle of operation of hand weapons and allows you to bend pipes up to 90 degrees with a cross section of 10 to 22 mm. The principle of operation is provided by a lever ratchet mechanism.

Hydraulic and electrical appliances

A manual pipe bender of any of these types makes it as easy as possible to work at home. Main differences:

1. Hydraulic manual type is a mechanical equipment "crossbow". The maximum angle is 90 degrees, pipes with a section of 10 -50 mm, there are replaceable segments for working with pipes different diameter.
2. Electromechanical manual type repeats the mechanical segment pipe bender, but has differences in the drive and is powered by an electric motor. Allows you to bend pipes of different diameters, the maximum bending angle is 180 degrees and is equipped with interchangeable stops.

Important! Electromechanical pipe benders are often equipped with digital displays that notify the user of the allowable bending angle, which is especially important when working with thin-walled copper pipe.