I used a heat gun and sand, with plywood templates to bend gray PVC conduit while wiring my shop. The sand works great to hold the shape but the price of the heat gun is worth the time savings. Thanks for a great idea I just changed up a few thing to save me some time making sweeps to run wire.
This surely tells you where NOT to use regular PVC pipe, one obvious place being not for the hot water side of a plumbing system or high heat areas. Very instructive video. Thanks for uploading.
I just wanted to say thank you for your video. I watched video and chose yours. I bent a piece of 1 1/4 to about a 35 deg angle slipped it over a piece of chain link fence top rail that I had laying around, now it is a hand rail on a set of outside stairs.
They say the best ideas are the ones where you observe them and say to yourself "now why didn't I think of this"? Great presentation many thanks for sharing.
Never thought of using this technique to bend PVC. Have used it to bend metal pipe when a pneumatic jig was not available. A good idea. From an artistic view, a great trick for sculpting. By pushing predetermined lengths of rope into each end that is equal to the inside diameter of the PVC, making a bend in the middle of a 12 foot length of PVC is easy. The rope would hold the sand where it needs to be.Thank you for your effort.
This is a brilliant idea. I would add a little sand to the bottom section that you don't want bent, that way you can apply heat to a lesser amount of sand.
Thumbs up Gentle man. Nice, Easy, Cheap & Very useful. All the resources are within the reach of a common man like me. Thanks a ton for sharing. Keep posting.
We, as electricians have been bending PVC, with heat for some time, been doing it for more than 30 years, he’s just using a different concept, that’s good, doesn’t hurt to try and improve things
Who are the 406 idiots who gave this a thumbs down ? I hold 2 journeyman cards in different commercial & industrial bldg trades as well as a Crane operators license & certified in 2 types of welding , i have nearly 40 years experience in the bldg trades & I just learned something new and extremely usefull . Best tip I've learned in 40 years .
Awesome looking PVC lights. The hot sand will prevent a deformed bend but a heat gun used on the outside will assist in doing this faster. Your pvc insert is a very clever way to attach the led portion and it looks professional, but I rather do it as one piece. Overall, your video is inspirational and I will make some of these this week. Bravo!
Thought provoking video! It gets me thinking about tricks of the trade used by instrument makers when they curve seamless and tapered brass tube for Trumpets and other brass instruments.
I am not a perfectionist so I really liked your video and thought it was a good diy idea. I used to do professional installations and we sometimes didn't have the best tool for the job and had to improvise, so a good idea was worth a lot.
Goldsmiths and jewellers use sand to bend gold and silver tubing as well. Very good method although with a bit of control you could use the torch to heat the sand filled pipe itself followed by a spray bottle to cool it off rapidly. Nice adaptation of an idea!
I just watched a similar video, but the guy was using a heat gun or maybe it was a hair dryer idk. He made a jig with some plywood and nails that was quite impressive. I don't recall if the curves had any severe deformation. It wasn't apparent on the video, but it was incredibly quick and easy. He was building greenhouses and using the pvc as framing. This looks cool, but is probably for those who are really meticulous about how stuff looks. It does look good.
Geez guys lighten up! The guys taking his time to help us out and all I hear is a lot of you Guys Whining like little babies! Thanks for your video... IT Helped Me Out!
Awesome trick. Table salt on the stove should work as well. Just be careful to not over heat the pipe. Salt won't melt until over 1000 degrees F, and I think the pipe should bend around 200-300. It might be a good idea to use a temp gun on it to make sure it isn't way too hot. Salt is a good conductor and should hold heat pretty well.
Keep a hose nearby. Once bent use hose to rapidly cool inside of pipe by flushing with water also gets any remaining sand out. Thanks for video. Cool idea.
I really like your idea of pathway lighting. Have you made a step by step video on how to make them? All I can find is the one where you show how to bend the pipe. If you haven't could you? Please
Hey your the video I've been searching for. I saw your vid once before eons ago and I was impressed on how easy it was to do with superior results. Now I have a project that requires bending pvc and I wanted to see your video before I started. Thanks for putting this up I'll probably be popping on by every once in awhile just for old times sake now.
I was looking at how to bend a larger diameter pipe, say 1 1/4" CPVC. Reading at the comments, I found that "Technicolor Christmas" has done up to 2". To all the people that will suggest using a spring bender: there is no larger than 7/8" bending spring. I'm planning to bend 1 1/4" CPVC pipe at 30 to 45 degrees bends to clear an obstacle in a low pressure pipe used to lift water less than 30 ft.This video shows a nice method, perhaps a little slow, but his results are perfect! Congrats.
I'm currently using a Pipe Viper on 3/4" schedule 40 PVC pipe. DON'T EXPECT more than a 75 degree bend--as the pipe viper gets stuck. Pulling it out distorts the spring, so the spring was useless...
I saw them do this in Brazil to run water pipes.. They use a bed of sand and set a fire under the bed.. the pipe is inserted int the sand for a couple of seconds and it becomes pliable: I do not remember if they put sand inside the tubes though.. It would seem to make sense to though.. They were bending a bunch at a time to run in the building they were plumbing though.. This video made me think of that instance.. Thanks! Stan
Never mind the negative comments James your idea is brilliant even if someone can expand on this technique. I would find getting a spring suitable for bending, difficult. Because suitable springs are not easy to find as sand. If Indians where so good at what they do why do they leave their country for ours. and still have peasants in the fields, with thousand dying in poverty with no comment from their own people it seems. Well anyway your idea is sound practical and with no need for tools as such just a hot sand. Well done and thank you for your time in showing this to us, Respect my freind look forward to seeing more of your inventions.
What has being indian got anything to do with this video hero? And whose country are you referring too pal? As far as I'm concerned people can move around the globe any place they like. Nothing belongs to you sweets....remember that
Good idea. But as a retired electrician, we would use the propane torch to heat the pvc and do what ever bend we needed. Being out in the field w/o electricity or a generator required the propane torch. If the bend, 90 or 45 or whatever, was buried, we didn't worry about the scorch marks left on the pvc. Out in the open, we used due care and made it look good.
Thanks for posting this video. I don't know if you invented this approach or not, but it's really very creative. I'm looking to bend some thin-wall Lexan polycarbonate tubing, and this should enable me to adjust the temperature pretty precisely relative to the glass transition temperature for this material. It's also great that the sand helps to prevent kinking. Great concept, well explained. Thanks so much!
very cool...pvc pipe should never be used in water over 90 degrees(they say 70) because of its low melting point. but ive seen dummies plumb their house with it because its so cheap, not knowing any better, and the pipe blowing up the size of lemons, but didnt burst. it just had these huge lemon size lumps every where, anyway that tells you that it can be deformed with very moderate temps, water heaters are generally set at 120-125 degrees. this is cool, i used to bend them with a pvc heating blanket, also they make bending springs, you can put inside the tubing, then heat the pipe with a torch, the spring keeps the tubing perfectly round cuz heating and bending pvc causes the sides to collapse and the pipe goes flat.... but this is a great method. ive never seen it, the pipe stays round and its very flexible, great going finding this out
Nice Job! Just heating the PVC and bending, as some have mentioned, would wrinkle and kink at the points of bending it. The sand serves 2 functions, to heat the plastic to make it pliable, and to keep the form of the tubing in tact.
one of the professional tools I've used is a 'glycol bender' Glycol is undiluted antifreeze. A metal tube is partially filled with glycol and heated. The PVC is inserted into the heated glycol for a few moments and when removed is very limp. Using a pair of well insulated rubber gloves you form the PVC into the desired shape and 'massage' it till it is cool enough to hold it's shape.. This process can be messy, but when you need to make a lot of bends, it is one of the fastest . . . .
I would really, really love to see your completed project of your landscaping lights!! Please please please?? Could you make a little video tutorial for it? Your idea is brilliant and I want to see!
Ever try a plastic pipe oven? It's about three feet long and comes in different sizes for pipe size. Opens up like a door hinge and you put the pipe in slowly roll it till it gets flexible then you lay on a flat surface and make your bends. No kinks or pinch. Professionals use them for all types of plastic pipe in single lines or double containment. Works perfect.
If you drag the tip of the torch backwards through the sand so that it doesn't scoop up the sand but it is riding through it backwards, you will be able to heat the sand more thoroughly heating the entire pile and help it retain the heat rather than just heating it from one side.
you can also use a metal spring inside for short bends, heated by various methods. doesnt have all the same benefits of sand, but in some cases its even easier and less messy than sand.
Thank you!! I was looking for a way to bend clear PVC without kinking it. I am wanting to make a water bridge for small fish to travel through to different tanks, and PVC was the easiest product to use. Knew it would kink if I bent it with a heat gun and I didn't want ugly PVC elbows.
you are so smart...i love your video... thanks for spending your time to share your knowledge. You are smarted than 90% of contractors I have met and they work for me everyday....yikes.
Another real good and quick method of bending 1" PVC or less, is to mark it off, where the actual bend is to be and stick it up your exhaust pipe. Play with the timing, to get it just the softness you want.
I've never seen it done this way before. I used to use sand inside to keep it from collapsing and heat with a heat gun to heat the pipe full of sand. A wet rag will make it cool once it's shaped. A heat gun may burn the pipe if not careful, but a hair dryer will not overheat the pipe as easily.
+Tim Chartrand True, but heating the outside of the pipe takes a while and is less efficient. If the heat is on the inside of the pipe, the pipe warms faster and less heat is wasted since the air is trying to take the heat away.
Plug both ends with corks & tape to make airtight. Air inside pipe will keep it from kinks use torch to heat pipe keeping flame far enough away to keep from burning pipe. When pipe gets limber set pipe by jig use wet cloth to cool pipe. It will be a lot quicker I am an Electrical contractor I have bent 1/2" to 6" PVC Conduit this way for more than 28 years.
Great presentation and technique! Thanks v much for sharing with all and taking the time to create a solid informative video. I also agree that the DIY project approach with the K.I.S.S. Method is the best approach. Solid stuff.
u cam use hot air blower gun too. Fill sand in side and close both side.Blow hot air on the spot where u want to bend and bend it.in side prevent it from shrinking .
Ever hear the phrase "go pound sand"? Now you know where it came from. All conduit was bent by packing the conduit with sand back when conduit first came to be. It still works on metal as well as plastics but there are better ways that don't require sand such as air pressure or good bending tools.
Have a bucket of water on hand to quench it -would cool it really fast! I wish I had seen this video a while ago - - I used a metal toilet fill pipe and a heat gun but it crimped a bit. Thanks! - great idea!
Nice person, very polite. I bent my first PVC in 1970 . I had 4 ,4'' conduits that ran exposed for about 200' if I recall. A couple of offsets and a 90* bend. Would this method work ? You tell me . I very likely would still be there. Also there are times when schedule 80 is necessary. Again this is a very nice guy . Schedule 80 by the way is much thicker.
All is good except when you use the first one as a template to bend the second one, you're using the outside radius of the curve to set the inside radius of the new piece! The new one won't be as sharp a curve.
Terry Wysocki Not a problem if one uses the first one for all of the remaining parts. When you change templates and use the latest part as the template, the slightest deviation is past to the next part. By the time you finish the run, part #1 looks nothing like the nth one.
For all the haters ,every plumber on earth should have a smelting pot & stand along with attached propane burner ,now instead of only using their smelting gear for cast iron work they can full their pot with sand that stays hot & build a simple adjustable jig for any angle with 100% accuracy, the smelting pot would hold enough sand to do 6 or 8 bends continuously .
Hot sand is a real easy, basic way to warm PVC pipe, and there are other options that do the same thing, some of which are flexible metal tubing devices with electrical wire inside that provides the heat like Nichrome wire common to bread toasters and toaster ovens. The key is managing the heat to a temperature that won't over-heat the PVC plastic and not getting into a rush. As to keeping the heating of the same materials as cheap as possible, lots of folks use a common, small barbeque grill, get charcoal going like they were going to cook some meat and place a thicker than standard metal bowl with sand in the center after the coals get hot. Of course there is a lot of heat produced and things soon get too hot to touch without burning flesh. Again, the issue is still not getting the sand too hot, so some sort of temperature monitoring device becomes necessary. If you want to do larger diameter PVC pipe, you will likely want to make a hot-box to put pipe pieces in. A hot-box is a simple way to hold the heat in to give the PVC pipe time to soften enough to accept the desired bend, or shape. If you pre cut the pipe that will become the bent joints of a greenhouse and use plugs of wood, cork, or another substance that doesn't heat up easily, the ends of the joint pipe can be preserved in the diameter the pipe comes with from the store. What I did was install 2x4 wood pieces in the box so I could cause the pipe pieces to bend a little, heat them, let them cool, adjust the 2x4 for a bit more bend, heat the pipe, let it cool, and adjust the 2x4 again. I repeated the process until the PVC pipe pieces were bent to the desired shape. I used a small, personal barbeque grill in the bottom center of the box since I only needed the center of the pipe pieces to bend. If you don't shape the 2x4 to the diameter of the pipe, the pipe will start to show a slightly flattened section where it touched the wood formers as it relaxes, or softens while heated. An easy way to get around the problem is to shape thicker wood, as in 2x6 that has a curve matching the desired final shape of the bent pipe that also has a channel in the 2x6 that the pipe can settle into. The 2x6 will have a rounded top, sort of a shallow arc and the top of the arc does all the shaping work. The channel in the top of the arc is where the PVC pipe will settle into as it warms and softens. If you have seen mechanical metal pipe bending devices that use a simple bottle jack in a steel frame at Harbor Freight, or another store, you have seen curved pipe bending parts that push against the bottom of the metal pipe to cause a bend without flattening the pipe. Metal conduit bending devices use the same concept to bend thin wall metal pipe without causing the bend to flatten. The secret is the curved channel the round metal pipe settles into as force is applied to cause it to bend into a gentle curve. Not much to the process and the only difference is the plastic pipe rather than metal and heat to cause the plastic to remember the bend after it cools.
First off, Thank You! You made my head explode. DIY PVC projects are taking over my life. I have just one quick question. Since I have never done this before, would a hair dryer or a Heat gun work while using the heated sand at the same time? I'm going to try both. Have you any suggestions or recommendations? I'm all ears!
I have never gotten a Hair dryer to get hot enough, a heat gun will work but it is harder to get the pipe to heat evenly along the entire length and evenly all the way around.
I WANNA MAKE THOSE LIGHTS I tuned in to watch the PVC bending technique which was cool but then saw those outstanding lights that you made. Can you provide a video about making those LED garden lights? I need to know everything since electrical, even though I can do basic house wiring, I'm a novice about what you quickly showed and need to know what to buy and where. I already have a couple different transformers that came with those crappy made in China lights that either lose connection easily (pressure prongs with a cam that supposedly retains force against prongs and wire) or they get knocked over by the hose or dogs... So maybe I can use them as a power source? Thanks for your time!
I found this informative. Especially the part about the PEX fitting working as an inside connector for PVC pipe. Or, was this all PEX tubing? Also. I too immediately thought of cats when you said "sandbox" (funny how we remember things for so long), and I thought of posting ; "no cats that let you see them", but, the sandbox is proof: No cats. I will keep an eye out for more of your videos.
What not use a heating element that is flexible and can the temperature range just shy of the melt point of pvc? Seems like this take a long time to do something that should take just a few minutes. But it does show some creativity to solve a problem.
+Ronald McIntire The point of the video is to show a method that doesn't require a specialized tool. Yes, I know there are bending springs, and heat guns, and pressure benders and heating elements, and no average Jo or layman has one. This takes a bit more time, sure, but anyone can do it with rudimentary tools. It also scales up, I've done a 2" diameter pipe 10' long. No possible way to do that with any of those tools.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE INFO ON LARGER DIAMETER PIPES! Precisely what I was searching for!!!You are right, there is none larger than 7/8" bending spring. I'm planning to bend 1 1/4" CPVC pipe at 30 to 45 degrees bends to clear an obstacle in a low pressure pipe used to lift water less than 30 ft.
totally fill the pvc pipe with sand then cover both ends, heat the portion you are going to bend, works well in all sizes. that’s how we bend pvc pipe in the site.
To make consistent copies, perhaps you could mix cement with some of your excess sand, dig a shallow hole in the ground (as a support), pour in the sand/cement mixture, press in your master tube (less than halfway covered!! :-), and let the cement harden. Then, you have a form for making perfect copies, with the bonus that the form will help cool the tubes more quickly. Probably a good idea to wiggle the master tube very slightly as the cement is setting up so that the fit isn't TOO tight, and you might also want to coat that tube with a little oil or somesuch to keep the wet cement from sticking to it. The copy tubes wouldn't need any of that.
Thanks, Some sort of airflow would help to cool faster. Maybe a compressor or hair dryer on cool and so on. Blowing through the pipe is best bot outside will help. Where did you find the lights?
If you wanted to make multiple identicle pieces you could put some finish nails partly into a piece of wood that outlines the pattern, and then put the softened pieces in the pattern to cool and harden to shape.
+awackocrank I have used jigs in the past for different projects. A half round router bit into a 3/4" piece of plywood is great because you can make it almost any shape in it preserves the diameter of the pipe.
Good idea that works well! By the way, using coarser sand that is slightly moistened will work even better! Have you tried using super hot oil, either dipping it in or filling it?
Good video. Congratulation. Thanks for the idea. I'd only recommend you to edit video before uploading it. It was unnecessarily larger than it could have been.
I can see how the pipe stretch a little bit when you take out the sand and put over the inside radios of the other pipe when is still warm.Only reason it dont kink is because is just a few degrees of curve
To me, the hardest part seems to be that aluminum pan. I was thinking about making a bottle out of a piece of iron pipe and some fittings. Maybe a 1-1/2 inch nipple with a cap on one end for filling with sand and a reducer on the other end with a 1/4 inch nipple to dispense the sand into the PVC pipe. Just heat it in the oven and pour. Dig around in those junk boxes in your shed...you might have a zero-dollar design.
You can also do it by putting duct tape on the ends to seal the air inside. Your way is probably better for tight bends.I heat with torch on heat gun, holding it back and always moving to keep from discoloring from to much heat
+ww321 unfortunately, the sealed air method will not prevent "kinks" and the torch method often results in a scorched and discolored exterior. Even if it doesn't actually burn and bubble the surface, it often "yellows" the outside. This method, while it takes a bit more time, does neither, and that's why it's useful for some applications.
Great idea. Although how's this: fill the pipe with sand first, then heat the external surface of pipe with a heat gun. The sand will help the pipe hold its shape while u bend it and overcomes heating sand (poor thermal conductor) to high temp. Cheers.
***** heatgun give so uneven temperature.. especially if you are trying thick pipes. I will try this method tomorrow on bigger pipes and see how it goes.. :-)
Fair call. I went out and bought a Makita heat gun - seemed like the best bang for my buck and at $100 it has digital temp control which overcomes 99% of the problems of heat guns. I can set it to a temp like say 340 degC which works nice for working with PVC.
Nice vid. The sand prevents the pipe from kinking and the heat relaxes the plastic. Genius.
I used a heat gun and sand, with plywood templates to bend gray PVC conduit while wiring my shop. The sand works great to hold the shape but the price of the heat gun is worth the time savings. Thanks for a great idea I just changed up a few thing to save me some time making sweeps to run wire.
This surely tells you where NOT to use regular PVC pipe, one obvious place being not for the hot water side of a plumbing system or high heat areas. Very instructive video. Thanks for uploading.
I just wanted to say thank you for your video. I watched video and chose yours. I bent a piece of 1 1/4 to about a 35 deg angle slipped it over a piece of chain link fence top rail that I had laying around, now it is a hand rail on a set of outside stairs.
They say the best ideas are the ones where you observe them and say to yourself "now why didn't I think of this"? Great presentation many thanks for sharing.
Don B V
Never thought of using this technique to bend PVC. Have used it to bend metal pipe when a pneumatic jig was not available. A good idea. From an artistic view, a great trick for sculpting. By pushing predetermined lengths of rope into each end that is equal to the inside diameter of the PVC, making a bend in the middle of a 12 foot length of PVC is easy. The rope would hold the sand where it needs to be.Thank you for your effort.
Great idea. Don't know why someone would dislike your video. Will keep this in mind for my next diy project that requires bent pcv.
This is a brilliant idea. I would add a little sand to the bottom section that you don't want bent, that way you can apply heat to a lesser amount of sand.
Thumbs up Gentle man. Nice, Easy, Cheap & Very useful. All the resources are within the reach of a common man like me. Thanks a ton for sharing. Keep posting.
i've used the sand in pipe for bending brass and steel tubing for years and never thought to use it for pvc with heat... great info, Thanks!!!
Very creative with the lights. Makes for a modern look.
We, as electricians have been bending PVC, with heat for some time, been doing it for more than 30 years, he’s just using a different concept, that’s good, doesn’t hurt to try and improve things
Who are the 406 idiots who gave this a thumbs down ?
I hold 2 journeyman cards in different commercial & industrial bldg trades as well as a Crane operators license & certified in 2 types of welding , i have nearly 40 years experience in the bldg trades & I just learned something new and extremely usefull .
Best tip I've learned in 40 years .
Well said sir, I find it helpful too.
Awesome looking PVC lights. The hot sand will prevent a deformed bend but a heat gun used on the outside will assist in doing this faster.
Your pvc insert is a very clever way to attach the led portion and it looks professional, but I rather do it as one piece. Overall, your video is inspirational and I will make some of these this week. Bravo!
Thought provoking video! It gets me thinking about tricks of the trade used by instrument makers when they curve seamless and tapered brass tube for Trumpets and other brass instruments.
I am not a perfectionist so I really liked your video and thought it was a good diy idea. I used to do professional installations and we sometimes didn't have the best tool for the job and had to improvise, so a good idea was worth a lot.
Goldsmiths and jewellers use sand to bend gold and silver tubing as well. Very good method although with a bit of control you could use the torch to heat the sand filled pipe itself followed by a spray bottle to cool it off rapidly. Nice adaptation of an idea!
I just watched a similar video, but the guy was using a heat gun or maybe it was a hair dryer idk. He made a jig with some plywood and nails that was quite impressive. I don't recall if the curves had any severe deformation. It wasn't apparent on the video, but it was incredibly quick and easy. He was building greenhouses and using the pvc as framing. This looks cool, but is probably for those who are really meticulous about how stuff looks. It does look good.
Geez guys lighten up! The guys taking his time to help us out and all I hear is a lot of you Guys Whining like little babies! Thanks for your video... IT Helped Me Out!
Naudi
Awesome trick.
Table salt on the stove should work as well. Just be careful to not over heat the pipe. Salt won't melt until over 1000 degrees F, and I think the pipe should bend around 200-300. It might be a good idea to use a temp gun on it to make sure it isn't way too hot. Salt is a good conductor and should hold heat pretty well.
Keep a hose nearby. Once bent use hose to rapidly cool inside of pipe by flushing with water also gets any remaining sand out. Thanks for video. Cool idea.
I really like your idea of pathway lighting. Have you made a step by step video on how to make them? All I can find is the one where you show how to bend the pipe. If you haven't could you? Please
Hey your the video I've been searching for. I saw your vid once before eons ago and I was impressed on how easy it was to do with superior results. Now I have a project that requires bending pvc and I wanted to see your video before I started. Thanks for putting this up I'll probably be popping on by every once in awhile just for old times sake now.
I was looking at how to bend a larger diameter pipe, say 1 1/4" CPVC. Reading at the comments, I found that "Technicolor Christmas" has done up to 2". To all the people that will suggest using a spring bender: there is no larger than 7/8" bending spring. I'm planning to bend 1 1/4" CPVC pipe at 30 to 45 degrees bends to clear an obstacle in a low pressure pipe used to lift water less than 30 ft.This video shows a nice method, perhaps a little slow, but his results are perfect! Congrats.
I'm currently using a Pipe Viper on 3/4" schedule 40 PVC pipe.
DON'T EXPECT more than a 75 degree bend--as the pipe viper gets stuck.
Pulling it out distorts the spring, so the spring was useless...
I saw them do this in Brazil to run water pipes.. They use a bed of sand and set a fire under the bed.. the pipe is inserted int the sand for a couple of seconds and it becomes pliable: I do not remember if they put sand inside the tubes though.. It would seem to make sense to though.. They were bending a bunch at a time to run in the building they were plumbing though.. This video made me think of that instance..
Thanks!
Stan
Optometrists use a small box of heated sand to warm and adjust plastic eye glass frames for their patients.
Never mind the negative comments James your idea is brilliant even if someone can expand on this technique. I would find getting a spring suitable for bending, difficult. Because suitable springs are not easy to find as sand. If Indians where so good at what they do why do they leave their country for ours. and still have peasants in the fields, with thousand dying in poverty with no comment from their own people it seems. Well anyway your idea is sound practical and with no need for tools as such just a hot sand. Well done and thank you for your time in showing this to us, Respect my freind look forward to seeing more of your inventions.
What has being indian got anything to do with this video hero? And whose country are you referring too pal? As far as I'm concerned people can move around the globe any place they like. Nothing belongs to you sweets....remember that
AMAR SINGH So you're complaining because someone painted you with a broad brush and don't see the hypocrisy?
Good idea. But as a retired electrician, we would use the propane torch to heat the pvc and do what ever bend we needed. Being out in the field w/o electricity or a generator required the propane torch. If the bend, 90 or 45 or whatever, was buried, we didn't worry about the scorch marks left on the pvc. Out in the open, we used due care and made it look good.
Thanks for posting this video. I don't know if you invented this approach or not, but it's really very creative. I'm looking to bend some thin-wall Lexan polycarbonate tubing, and this should enable me to adjust the temperature pretty precisely relative to the glass transition temperature for this material. It's also great that the sand helps to prevent kinking. Great concept, well explained. Thanks so much!
very cool...pvc pipe should never be used in water over 90 degrees(they say 70) because of its low melting point. but ive seen dummies plumb their house with it because its so cheap, not knowing any better, and the pipe blowing up the size of lemons, but didnt burst. it just had these huge lemon size lumps every where, anyway that tells you that it can be deformed with very moderate temps, water heaters are generally set at 120-125 degrees. this is cool, i used to bend them with a pvc heating blanket, also they make bending springs, you can put inside the tubing, then heat the pipe with a torch, the spring keeps the tubing perfectly round cuz heating and bending pvc causes the sides to collapse and the pipe goes flat.... but this is a great method. ive never seen it, the pipe stays round and its very flexible, great going finding this out
Nice Job! Just heating the PVC and bending, as some have mentioned, would wrinkle and kink at the points of bending it. The sand serves 2 functions, to heat the plastic to make it pliable, and to keep the form of the tubing in tact.
Great video. Thanks. I too would love to see the finished product. Please let me know.
one of the professional tools I've used is a 'glycol bender' Glycol is undiluted antifreeze. A metal tube is partially filled with glycol and heated. The PVC is inserted into the heated glycol for a few moments and when removed is very limp. Using a pair of well insulated rubber gloves you form the PVC into the desired shape and 'massage' it till it is cool enough to hold it's shape.. This process can be messy, but when you need to make a lot of bends, it is one of the fastest . . . .
+pleidius I can see how this would work, as along as heating the glycol wasn't expensive to do and not over-heated. I do wonder about the fumes.
Gardens and More They were both electric and propane with a thermostatic controls. They were always used outdoors because it was messy . . .
I would really, really love to see your completed project of your landscaping lights!! Please please please?? Could you make a little video tutorial for it? Your idea is brilliant and I want to see!
we only uses old newspaper to bend a pvc... very easy.. nice presentation...
"Charles Shaw's finest".
I was just wondering today, on a random thought, if Two Buck Chuck used corks or a screw top.
Thanks for the anecdote.
Ever try a plastic pipe oven? It's about three feet long and comes in different sizes for pipe size. Opens up like a door hinge and you put the pipe in slowly roll it till it gets flexible then you lay on a flat surface and make your bends. No kinks or pinch. Professionals use them for all types of plastic pipe in single lines or double containment. Works perfect.
Fantastic!! This will work awesome for aquarium setups to reduce head pressure by reducing the use of 90s
If you drag the tip of the torch backwards through the sand so that it doesn't scoop up the sand but it is riding through it backwards, you will be able to heat the sand more thoroughly heating the entire pile and help it retain the heat rather than just heating it from one side.
you can also use a metal spring inside for short bends, heated by various methods. doesnt have all the same benefits of sand, but in some cases its even easier and less messy than sand.
Thank you!! I was looking for a way to bend clear PVC without kinking it. I am wanting to make a water bridge for small fish to travel through to different tanks, and PVC was the easiest product to use. Knew it would kink if I bent it with a heat gun and I didn't want ugly PVC elbows.
you are so smart...i love your video... thanks for spending your time to share your knowledge. You are smarted than 90% of contractors I have met and they work for me everyday....yikes.
Thanks for tacking your time to make this and post very well done simple and to the point
please keep up the good work
Another real good and quick method of bending 1" PVC or less, is to mark it off, where the actual bend is to be and stick it up your exhaust pipe. Play with the timing, to get it just the softness you want.
I'd love to see the finished product of your pathway lights
Put sand inside the PVC pipe and close the ends, not to knead and soak in hot water or warm up with hair dryer.
Congratulations from Brazil!!
I've never seen it done this way before. I used to use sand inside to keep it from collapsing and heat with a heat gun to heat the pipe full of sand. A wet rag will make it cool once it's shaped. A heat gun may burn the pipe if not careful, but a hair dryer will not overheat the pipe as easily.
+Tim Chartrand True, but heating the outside of the pipe takes a while and is less efficient. If the heat is on the inside of the pipe, the pipe warms faster and less heat is wasted since the air is trying to take the heat away.
Plug both ends with corks & tape to make airtight. Air inside pipe will keep it from kinks use torch to heat pipe keeping flame far enough away to keep from burning pipe. When pipe gets limber set pipe by jig use wet cloth to cool pipe. It will be a lot quicker I am an Electrical contractor I have bent 1/2" to 6" PVC Conduit this way for more than 28 years.
Air inside doesn't prevent kinks, unfortunately.
Great presentation and technique! Thanks v much for sharing with all and taking the time to create a solid informative video. I also agree that the DIY project approach with the K.I.S.S. Method is the best approach. Solid stuff.
Hi, great idea a real to the point video how can I get the 3-inch RGB modules?
great video. can you do the video on the RGB shown in this video? i wonder how u manage to make such a small kit for this..
I want to learn how to build those little lights and what the other end of the pigtail is connected to.
Nice video on how to bend PVC!!!
Do you have a video on how to make walkway or Driveway Lights? Thanks!
Bob
u cam use hot air blower gun too. Fill sand in side and close both side.Blow hot air on the spot where u want to bend and bend it.in side prevent it from shrinking .
Interesting info. Beneficial for a one off in a pinch, but takes to much time. Hope you don't have a bunch of lights to wire. Thanks.
Great idea making your own landscape lighting! Do you have a video explaining how to build and where to get the RGB Modules?
Nice job- is there an instructable on how to build and power the landscape light system? I have a bunch of pvc lengths I was going to toss out....
It would probably work well with gravel and fine sand. Thanks for the video
Great idea - do you have a parts list & video to build the path lights? They're exactly what I'm looking for.
Thanks very much for the tutorial! I liked garden light video too.
Ever hear the phrase "go pound sand"? Now you know where it came from. All conduit was bent by packing the conduit with sand back when conduit first came to be. It still works on metal as well as plastics but there are better ways that don't require sand such as air pressure or good bending tools.
Awesome! Really like this simple and effective approach. Thank you!
Could you do a video of the RGB light fixture you made?
Have a bucket of water on hand to quench it -would cool it really fast!
I wish I had seen this video a while ago - - I used a metal toilet fill pipe and a heat gun but it crimped a bit.
Thanks! - great idea!
That would be the "Kid Sand Box" where the cat does his business?? hope not, great demo, thanks
+Billy Proctor We live on a farm. Cat's don't last long around here. No cats.
+technicolor christmas i work on a farm there's lots a cats here.
Nice person, very polite. I bent my first PVC in 1970 . I had 4 ,4'' conduits that ran exposed for about 200' if I recall. A couple of offsets and a 90* bend. Would this method work ? You tell me . I very likely would still be there. Also there are times when schedule 80 is necessary. Again this is a very nice guy . Schedule 80 by the way is much thicker.
Excellent video! Good information and well-presented! Thanks for sharing... much appreciated.
yes heated sand is used to bend /shape eye-glass frames and install lens also. I imagine there are other uses where heated sand is necessary.
All is good except when you use the first one as a template to bend the second one, you're using the outside radius of the curve to set the inside radius of the new piece! The new one won't be as sharp a curve.
Thank you for your CIVIL reply to the issue of achieving the original radius on successive parts. Civility is often lost in some viewer's comments.
Terry Wysocki Not a problem if one uses the first one for all of the remaining parts. When you change templates and use the latest part as the template, the slightest deviation is past to the next part. By the time you finish the run, part #1 looks nothing like the nth one.
Fantastic! New trick for quick fix.
He ain't building a watch for cryin out loud.
Terry Wysocki .
For all the haters ,every plumber on earth should have a smelting pot & stand along with attached propane burner ,now instead of only using their smelting gear for cast iron work they can full their pot with sand that stays hot & build a simple adjustable jig for any angle with 100% accuracy, the smelting pot would hold enough sand to do 6 or 8 bends continuously .
Hot sand is a real easy, basic way to warm PVC pipe, and there are other options that do the same thing, some of which are flexible metal tubing devices with electrical wire inside that provides the heat like Nichrome wire common to bread toasters and toaster ovens. The key is managing the heat to a temperature that won't over-heat the PVC plastic and not getting into a rush. As to keeping the heating of the same materials as cheap as possible, lots of folks use a common, small barbeque grill, get charcoal going like they were going to cook some meat and place a thicker than standard metal bowl with sand in the center after the coals get hot. Of course there is a lot of heat produced and things soon get too hot to touch without burning flesh. Again, the issue is still not getting the sand too hot, so some sort of temperature monitoring device becomes necessary. If you want to do larger diameter PVC pipe, you will likely want to make a hot-box to put pipe pieces in. A hot-box is a simple way to hold the heat in to give the PVC pipe time to soften enough to accept the desired bend, or shape. If you pre cut the pipe that will become the bent joints of a greenhouse and use plugs of wood, cork, or another substance that doesn't heat up easily, the ends of the joint pipe can be preserved in the diameter the pipe comes with from the store. What I did was install 2x4 wood pieces in the box so I could cause the pipe pieces to bend a little, heat them, let them cool, adjust the 2x4 for a bit more bend, heat the pipe, let it cool, and adjust the 2x4 again. I repeated the process until the PVC pipe pieces were bent to the desired shape. I used a small, personal barbeque grill in the bottom center of the box since I only needed the center of the pipe pieces to bend. If you don't shape the 2x4 to the diameter of the pipe, the pipe will start to show a slightly flattened section where it touched the wood formers as it relaxes, or softens while heated. An easy way to get around the problem is to shape thicker wood, as in 2x6 that has a curve matching the desired final shape of the bent pipe that also has a channel in the 2x6 that the pipe can settle into. The 2x6 will have a rounded top, sort of a shallow arc and the top of the arc does all the shaping work. The channel in the top of the arc is where the PVC pipe will settle into as it warms and softens. If you have seen mechanical metal pipe bending devices that use a simple bottle jack in a steel frame at Harbor Freight, or another store, you have seen curved pipe bending parts that push against the bottom of the metal pipe to cause a bend without flattening the pipe. Metal conduit bending devices use the same concept to bend thin wall metal pipe without causing the bend to flatten. The secret is the curved channel the round metal pipe settles into as force is applied to cause it to bend into a gentle curve. Not much to the process and the only difference is the plastic pipe rather than metal and heat to cause the plastic to remember the bend after it cools.
Great vid. Those landscape lights look awesome! I wanna try those. I don't suppose you have a plan or video on those? :)
First off, Thank You! You made my head explode. DIY PVC projects are taking over my life. I have just one quick question. Since I have never done this before, would a hair dryer or a Heat gun work while using the heated sand at the same time? I'm going to try both. Have you any suggestions or recommendations? I'm all ears!
I have never gotten a Hair dryer to get hot enough, a heat gun will work but it is harder to get the pipe to heat evenly along the entire length and evenly all the way around.
Good video presentation, very practical.
I WANNA MAKE THOSE LIGHTS
I tuned in to watch the PVC bending technique which was cool but then saw those outstanding lights that you made. Can you provide a video about making those LED garden lights? I need to know everything since electrical, even though I can do basic house wiring, I'm a novice about what you quickly showed and need to know what to buy and where. I already have a couple different transformers that came with those crappy made in China lights that either lose connection easily (pressure prongs with a cam that supposedly retains force against prongs and wire) or they get knocked over by the hose or dogs... So maybe I can use them as a power source?
Thanks for your time!
Cool with water. Also, can replace hot sand with cool sand to keep shape and cool with water or wet rag.
I found this informative. Especially the part about the PEX fitting working as an inside connector for PVC pipe. Or, was this all PEX tubing?
Also. I too immediately thought of cats when you said "sandbox" (funny how we remember things for so long), and I thought of posting ; "no cats that let you see them", but, the sandbox is proof: No cats.
I will keep an eye out for more of your videos.
You can do similar with 110mm (4 1/2 ich ) soil pipe saves a fortune on fittings if you make sockets or slow bends out of it .
What not use a heating element that is flexible and can the temperature range just shy of the melt point of pvc? Seems like this take a long time to do something that should take just a few minutes. But it does show some creativity to solve a problem.
+Ronald McIntire The point of the video is to show a method that doesn't require a specialized tool. Yes, I know there are bending springs, and heat guns, and pressure benders and heating elements, and no average Jo or layman has one. This takes a bit more time, sure, but anyone can do it with rudimentary tools. It also scales up, I've done a 2" diameter pipe 10' long. No possible way to do that with any of those tools.
O it is a great idea. Such an ingenious method.
+technicolor christmas Also, perhaps something other your aluminum (heat-sink) pan would work better to heat the sand.
+wb5rue A small ceramic crucible would be ideal.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE INFO ON LARGER DIAMETER PIPES! Precisely what I was searching for!!!You are right, there is none larger than 7/8" bending spring. I'm planning to bend 1 1/4" CPVC pipe at 30 to 45 degrees bends to clear an obstacle in a low pressure pipe used to lift water less than 30 ft.
Awesome video. I didn't want to strangle you by the end. Some guys voice drive you to drink after 11:46. Thank You!!
Where did you get the lights?
Maybe put a link in the description...
I like the sand technique!
+BlueFlameCNC the RGB Modules were ordered on Ali-express. There are multiple vendors and links depending on what voltage you want.
Nice video! Thank you. It gives me some other ideas to try.
totally fill the pvc pipe with sand then cover both ends, heat the portion you are going to bend, works well in all sizes. that’s how we bend pvc pipe in the site.
You can make a jig to hold it in place and put the pipe in boiling water until it is soft enough to form to the jig.
To make consistent copies, perhaps you could mix cement with some of your excess sand, dig a shallow hole in the ground (as a support), pour in the sand/cement mixture, press in your master tube (less than halfway covered!! :-), and let the cement harden. Then, you have a form for making perfect copies, with the bonus that the form will help cool the tubes more quickly. Probably a good idea to wiggle the master tube very slightly as the cement is setting up so that the fit isn't TOO tight, and you might also want to coat that tube with a little oil or somesuch to keep the wet cement from sticking to it. The copy tubes wouldn't need any of that.
So you put the master tube in concrete and let it harden. How do you then remove the 'master' bent tube? FAIL.
+Gord Baker "Less than halfway covered," you are basically making a bent trough in the shape you need. FAIL to you sir.
Thanks, Some sort of airflow would help to cool faster. Maybe a compressor or hair dryer on cool and so on. Blowing through the pipe is best bot outside will help. Where did you find the lights?
If you wanted to make multiple identicle pieces you could put some finish nails partly into a piece of wood that outlines the pattern, and then put the softened pieces in the pattern to cool and harden to shape.
+awackocrank I have used jigs in the past for different projects. A half round router bit into a 3/4" piece of plywood is great because you can make it almost any shape in it preserves the diameter of the pipe.
Good idea that works well! By the way, using coarser sand that is slightly moistened will work even better! Have you tried using super hot oil, either dipping it in or filling it?
have you done that? I would think IIT would catch fire?
Good video. Congratulation. Thanks for the idea.
I'd only recommend you to edit video before uploading it. It was unnecessarily larger than it could have been.
Francisco M. Del Castillo S. i was thinking the same... i think he is v weak at editing...
I'm curious to see if this works well with bending hoses. Special bent hoses under the hood of your vehicle can get costly.
Cool idea. I guess leaving the sand in and using a couple of clamps would be best.
+Gadget Addict 3 ty-wraps would be perfect
I can see how the pipe stretch a little bit when you take out the sand and put over the inside radios of the other pipe when is still warm.Only reason it dont kink is because is just a few degrees of curve
To me, the hardest part seems to be that aluminum pan. I was thinking about making a bottle out of a piece of iron pipe and some fittings. Maybe a 1-1/2 inch nipple with a cap on one end for filling with sand and a reducer on the other end with a 1/4 inch nipple to dispense the sand into the PVC pipe. Just heat it in the oven and pour. Dig around in those junk boxes in your shed...you might have a zero-dollar design.
You can also do it by putting duct tape on the ends to seal the air inside. Your way is probably better for tight bends.I heat with torch on heat gun, holding it back and always moving to keep from discoloring from to much heat
+ww321 unfortunately, the sealed air method will not prevent "kinks" and the torch method often results in a scorched and discolored exterior. Even if it doesn't actually burn and bubble the surface, it often "yellows" the outside. This method, while it takes a bit more time, does neither, and that's why it's useful for some applications.
Do you have a video of the lights finished?
I used to make p trap... interesting method.... once you have it bent though you can dip the bend in water for faster cooling :)
Nice work friend. I'm interested in the LED lights. Can you provide a vendor? I'll go and search for RGB LEDs now. Peace
Great job thanks I'm going to try that on 1 1/2 and 2" because that's what I use mostly
I've found that if you have a wet rag ready after you have it heated and bent you can cool it quickly into place by wiping it with a wet rag
I was bending irregular shaped steel pipes, filled with pitch (Tar) in the 1950's, it works
Great idea. Although how's this: fill the pipe with sand first, then heat the external surface of pipe with a heat gun. The sand will help the pipe hold its shape while u bend it and overcomes heating sand (poor thermal conductor) to high temp. Cheers.
***** heatgun give so uneven temperature.. especially if you are trying thick pipes. I will try this method tomorrow on bigger pipes and see how it goes.. :-)
Fair call. I went out and bought a Makita heat gun - seemed like the best bang for my buck and at $100 it has digital temp control which overcomes 99% of the problems of heat guns. I can set it to a temp like say 340 degC which works nice for working with PVC.