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rocketmanbkk

Plumbers Arms member
Plumber
Apr 27, 2011
4,106
903
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Langley, Berkshire
Dear Friends

Just thinking about things!

If you have a piece of 15mm copper pipe 500mm long, and you need to bend it at say 300mm to go around a corner (90 for arguments sake), how do you do it?

i.e Do you measure 300mm along pipe, put pipe in bender, 300mm mark aligned with edge of former and bend to required angle or what?

I ask as I have been taught a different way, which, from the last session at college now confuses everyone!!!

Look forward toi hearing your ways.

Best regards

Rocket
 
Out in the real world you take a rough measurement, bend, cut to suit then keep off cut for another part of the pipework (or your next job).
 
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im at college to at the moment and been told that 15 mm expands in length by 20 mm when bending a 90
22 mm expands by 35 mm when bending a 90
and although they want you to be able to bend it and be within 2 mm at college it is still easier to use a bit of extra copper and cut of the access you dont need afterward.
 
if i was bending a 90 degree which i wanted to be accurate, i would take away "15mm" from my measurement, same with 22mm just take away the diameter of the pipe and that gets it accurate enough. I used to do all sorts of bends on commercial as we were encouraged to to save on the price of fittings(labour would have cost more in the long run if you asked me)

If you were pulling a 45 degree bend, I would take away 7.5mm for 15mm and 11mm for 22mm, but now i work in domestic I never really need to do this and everything is done by eye now as it only has to be rough measurements then I cut to suit.
 
im at college to at the moment and been told that 15 mm expands in length by 20 mm when bending a 90
22 mm expands by 35 mm when bending a 90
and although they want you to be able to bend it and be within 2 mm at college it is still easier to use a bit of extra copper and cut of the access you dont need afterward.

Exactly! Only good thing you are learning is that you will know if you lift a cutting of pipe that is very close to size, you will be able to decide if it is going to be big enough when bent. If you get a length of pipe & bend & cut a part of it carefully, to within a few mm, then repeat & repeat till you have bent several more bends that you need accurately, you might end up with a small piece of copper pipe, say, 300mm. Then you throw it in the scrap box! What's the point?
Also hard to cut 2mm off end of pipe with cutters! :grin:
 
We all learn the "College" way and later learn how to do it your own way that you find is the easiest and most efficient. Learning the College way first is a must as it teaches accuracy.
 

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