Pipe Bending Tool Question

[Avon]

I have a 155mm/22mm Record Pipe Bending tool which has 3 graduations on the formers. I thought they were marked at say 30, 45 and 90, but on closer inspection the lines don't even align with the bottom of the former channel? In which case, bending the pipe until it aligns with the graduations doesn't seem to prove anything.

Have I misunderstood how these marks should be used and what they tell me?

Any advice (well any on this subject!) would be much appreciated.

Regards

Peter

 

[dontknowitall]

Not sure if I'm understanding your question properly but the marks will be in relation to the pipe ... I think. In the real world they're only a guide and apart from the 90 degree bend (use a felt tip on your benders when you know where the 90 degree bend is) I do most bending by eye.

 

[Avon]

Hi, 'do it by eye' is what I've been told, but as I'm rather in-experienced the eye is less than reliable! so I thought I'd use the marks the manufacturer obviously thinks are useful - but doesnt bother to document (maybe because they're not actually in a useful place!).

 

[dontknowitall]

I was told that most marks are sort of just about accurate and my first lesson was bending a 90 degrees, measuring it, trying another on and when happy make my own mark. If working by eye doesn't work first time, have another go and if that fails you should be accurate on the third attempt!

 

[Avon]

Thanks, I'll do the apprentice practicing bit! If nothing else the fact that I'm paying for the wasted material should inspire accuracy!

 

[dontknowitall]

Exactly!!!

 

[GrahamM]

They act as a rough guide and with practice you can get quite good 90° bends etc using them.

 

[JJayMan]

Yup a quick guide is all they can claim to be.
They should line up tangentially to the root of the bending curve so that your pipe is in paralell with the mark when in the right place.

TIP - aim to slightly over bend your bends, you can alway pull them back a tad by hand afterwards.
Whereas if you underbend then try to bend further by hand you run the risk of kinking the pipe.

 

[stevetheplumber]

practice makes perfect is so true when it comes to bending tube its amazing how much newcomers struggle with holding the three bits at a time and how much damage they can do swinging three quarters of a length around

 

[Bartdude]

Thanks, I'll do the apprentice practicing bit! If nothing else the fact that I'm paying for the wasted material should inspire accuracy!

Can't afford to make too many mistakes with the price of copper these days