31. How can I bend copper tubing
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- Опубликовано: 11 окт 2024
- This is the way I've been bending copper tubing since I've been doing machine repair work, it's a process that I've never seen anyone do before and the few people I've told about it have never heard of it or seen it done. So if you need any help, instructions, or a little confidence send me an email at jimsfixshop@gmail.com or jandrwoodworking2@gmail.com and I'll help you out if I can, and remember as always work safe and have fun Jim
Please ask questions in the comments. I am transitioning away from email. This way, people can get help from others' questions. Thanks!
As soon as you showed the ends were crimped, I knew the secret, in fact I paused to make this comment. It is genius, pure genius. I love it!
Well I’m glad you like it and I can’t take all the credit in the old boy Showed me that over 40 years ago, keep watching and hopefully I can talk you into subscribing. Jim
it is wonderful to see how to manage such challenges without spending a. fortune and wasting our diminishing earth's resources, but also being more self reliant...really simple but so great to learn, inspiring in the sense that if one learns the old ways it is so satisfying...thank you so much for sharing
Very cool, thanks for the info! Those "worthless tools" are still useful for installing a run of refrigeration tubing though. I just put a mini split system with a 25' run of copper refrigeration tubing, had 4 90 degree bends at various locations on its journey between the evaporator coil and condenser coil. I was grateful for my $10 tube bender from Harbor Freight, worth every penny. I would want to put sand in a 25' run of refrigeration tubing, wouldn't really be practical and would be a pain to evacuate when it comes time to pull a vacuum. But for other applications, this is a very nice technique.
I used to do these kind of things. When I served my apprenticeship I worked with some very skillful older guys, and I just wanted to learn and they were happy to teach.
I got asked a question in an interview once, basically how to bend a plastic pipe into an unorthodox 'set'. I wasn't long out of my time and the 2 guys interviewing me gave each other that 'glance' when I answered, I don't think they were expecting me to know. I didn't get the job, but out of 75 people invited in for an initial skills test, I was down to the final 3, the other 2 were contractors already working in the plant and one of those got the job. I realised my value early on, thanks those guys to took an interest in teaching me things the right way as opposed to the fast way.
I'm one of those older guys now, and I love showing/sharing these type of things to anyone who wants to learn.
Every days a school day, and even the 1st year apprentice can teach an old dog something if he's worked on a particular bit of kit you haven't come across yet.
Interesting video 👍
Jim, Neat trick and you had me hanging on the edge of my seat. I need to bend some 5/8” for a new gas furnace and unfortunately it’s 50’ long and overhead but great idea for small projects. Now I know how to make a moonshine still, lol
Just in case no one has informed your wife yet, you ARE the smartest man on the internet for this little gem... There's actually a skill to looking at existing solutions, abstracting out the principles involved, and then realizing there's a simpler, cheaper, and better way to apply them to get the same, or better, result. This is a perfect example of it. Good stuff.
Fantastic! 👌🏼
This is what RUclips is ment to be.
I saw another guy use water 👍 will be trying that this week and will let the group know
Why not pass on your secrets instead of taking them with you when you go??? I don't think I've ever heard anybody say something that made more sense to me than that. Very nicely put sir, if only the world had more people that thought the way you do.....👍👍👍👍👍
rick dalton
Hi Rick, I guess that's exactly why I started this channel to pass things on and help people out. Oh yeah don't forget to subscribe, talk to you soon Jim
Jim Jackson hey I watched your video a couple times and what really caught my attention was you telling the story about the guy that used a lathe to make his coils. I had never heard of that before nor had I heard of the sand technique so what I ended up doing was kind of a mixture of both. I didn't have any scrap Diamond blast so I took some regular play sand from Home Depot and sifted it twice until it was very fine. After that I put it in the oven I have out in the shop for about 3 hours to make sure all the moisture was out of it. I have a granite 3 in 1 so I chucked up a scrap piece of 1 inch steel gas pipe and I coiled a 50 foot box of 3/8 copper tubing into an unbelievably tight Helix style double coil with no crimps anywhere. Your method Works flawlessly. Thanks again for taking the time to make this video and I will definitely be subscribing to your channel
Jim Jackson this is exactly what I was looking for Thanks for sharing your knowledge
Does this method require soft coil tubing? because I need to bend up obsolete 5/8 coolant tubes for old car. thanks
The younger generation hates us. They are going to park us all in old folks homes and a robot is going to periodically roll by and throw slop at us daily and point a fire hose at us weekly until they use us as fertilizer to grow kale. Our generation will have set it all up for them.
Wow.... this is an amazingly simple and effective technique. I was looking exactly for something like this because rather than use copper tubing for mechanical applications, I am using it for artistic reasons. Artists often do not give up their secrets so nobody that did copper tubing work would share with me how they made such amazingly elaborate designs. Now I know how they did it. So wow, I am extremely thankful that you shared this technique as I thought I would need to get a butane torch or something. This saves HOURS if not Days of work to do what I had in mind. I plan on getting to work right away after I buy some tubing and a bag of sand from the hardware store. :)
I just spend $150 dls on some tool that didn't work, WHY I DIDNT SEE THIS BEFORE ????? THANK YOU FOR PASSING YOUR SECRET FROM THAT OLD MAN....I WILLL DO THE SAME ....THANK YOU SO MUCH SR GOD BLESS YOU!!
avdiablo
Sorry about that I hope my idea works out for you. Jim
You know where I first learned this trick? Watching the Jimmy Stewart movie, Flight of the Phoenix. The designer of the plane they were recreating was making a water distiller for potable water. In order to cool the steam from the distiller, he needed a coil of copper pipe. When someone asked why he was putting desert sand in the copper pipe, he replied it was needed to prevent kinks. I was just a kid, but that little trick stuck with me.
Thanks jim. Now u will help people forever n your old friend too!
Well all my subscribers and viewers are my friends and I always ask them to send me a picture of themselves sitting on their snapper to hang on my wall of friends. Jim
@@jimjackson9381 my sand was regular sand because i didn't have sand blast sand and i failed :( but one of these days i will succeed. Thank you
@@goddessofkratos Regular sand will work fine as long as it’s clean and dry if it’s kinking then you don’t have the sand packed tight enough in the tube. Jim
Good advice, thanks for sharing. My thoughts are that once you get your tubing bent to whatever desired shape that you want, if it’s really tight bends then it may be almost impossible to get all of the sand particles out of the tubing.
That’s why I also like the idea of filling it with water and freezing it and then do your bends. Once you are finished, you simply let the water inside melt and then you just pour it out. Then you just blow it out with air or you can use some alcohol to completely dry it out if your doing brake lines. So with your advice and different ideas from other sources eventually we will really master all these little tricks of doing things
Thank you for sharing this video Jim. I really appreciate craftsman such as yourself who post this type of useful information. I was attempting to bend 1/4" OD copper tubing today using a handheld tubing bender and it kept kinking. I was considering crimping the end, filling it with lead, then bending it but I ran out of time. At work we order stainless tubing lines with compound bends that are 3/8" and 1/2" OD. The company who makes these for us fills the tubing with a fusible alloy before bending the melts out the alloy afterward. Jim, I have a background in tool and die; both as a machinist and the as a tooling designer. I look forward to more of your videos. God bless,
E.PLUMBUS UNUM
Well thank you for watching and I hope your subscriber I could use your help in that department, and if you have any other issues or questions please let me know. Jim
@@jimjackson9381is there a best sand to use for this job?
@@vincegray996 no any clean dry sand will work Beach sand works good. Jim
Thank you kindly. I read about using sand to bend steel about 50 years ago in a Popular Mechanics magazine, but that was with heat. This has solved a problem for me - the secret is in the fine garnet from the sandblaster.
No not really you can use beach sand as long as it’s clean and dry it doesn’t have to be from a sandblaster I use that because it’s available we throw it away every day. Jim
I thought this was going to be a This Old House episode. The thumbnail picture looks just like Norm Abrams. Good video sir. Thanks
I just came across your channel & saw this copper bending trick & I wanted to say thank you!! 😊
I just subscribed & I am looking to see what other words of wisdom you're sharing in your other videos!!
Thanks again!! ❤
Theresa
I was apprenticed in 1977, was taught how to do this on a foundry with mild steel pipe. You would turn the ends into a screw and cap each end once filled with sand, (the same I think as yours but can't recall exactly). Best days of my life, never finished my apprenticeship the recession ensured that. I never thought to use it for copper, I am doing a stovepipe heat exchanger and this will work very well, thank you. You can also use water as a filler but its fiddly.
Thanks Jim, only needed to bend a piece of 10mm pipe,it was to small for the bending spring that I borrowed,I just robbed some sand from my dogs sandpit and it worked a treat, cheers 👍💯
Good info, wonder if my ancestors used this technique back in the hills when they built their distillery equipment.
I just found your video while looking for some sort of review on what tool to buy to bend copper break pipe into decorative shapes, you just solved all my problems in one, thank you so much for that, but most of all I admire your attitude towards giving people help.
David Pearson
Hi David it's Jim
Glad you like my idea I hope it works out for you I hope your subscriber as I've got a few more tips I'm going to be putting on line soon. Talk to you later Jim
@Jim Jackson
Thank you very much sir
This is what I'm looking for
God bless you!
That is so good to know . I thank you and the "old man" who showed you. God bless.
James P Bergeron
Hi James
Yes it is great that some people enjoy sharing their knowledge with others. Jim
I just told a friend of mine who makes miniature railway and boat steam engines. He was blown away....
This video is appreciated for a younger guy like me.
This is Jim... winner of the "Norm Abram" lookalike contest 30 years in a row.
HeavySetSouthernGentleman
Actually he’s just a distant cousin. Jim
@@jimjackson9381 Awesome! Been watching him since '79 on This Old House. Big fan... take care.
This must have been an eye-opener where you went to work. There are those who know things or figure things out that most of us never think about, and they stand out. The 2% crowd. I think this fits that category. My Dad always impressed me that way. He was born in 1915 and grew up fixing things. He loved model A's and T's. If it was mechanical he could figure out how it worked and fix it. He knew how to build with concrete blocks, pour concrete floors and walks, build houses ( he built the house I grew up in), was a really good auto mechanic. I learned a lot from him even though I wasn't trying to.
Charlie Wilson
My dad was born in 1907 and he has like yours he grew up repairing things went to work for a company and then quit and went on his own and started his own heating and air-conditioning business, he passed away when I was 10 so I couldn’t take the business over like I planned on but I got my work ethics from him, I worked for him for about 4 1/2 years yup I said 4 1/2 years I started when I was 5 1/2 and when I got out of school he would swing around and pick me up I guess I was his gopher he would tell me what he needed in a line of tools and parts and I would run out to the truck and get them I guess that’s why I enjoy fixing things today, looking back on that experience I guess I should’ve paid a little more attention to school and not as much running parts but I think I probably learn more working with him that I missed from school. I guess if I could do it over again I wouldn’t change a thing, the things I have learned from him I try to pass on to others but the kids today don’t seem to want to fix anything they would just rather buy new so I turn to RUclips at least I hope I am helping some and rest well I guess I just hope I’m entertaining them a little bit. Jim
@@jimjackson9381 Sounds like your Dad and mine were in the same category. My only regret is that I wish I would have been more interested in the things he was doing and would have paid more attention to learning what he could teach me.
Pretty cool, just a great thing to know, thanks for that old timer knowledge!
I didn't expect that idea. That is pretty cool way to do it.
at first it was kind of boring bcoz you talk so much but at the end it was awesome. very nice technique. thank you.
Man I miss people like you. So helpful, thanks very much!
Mr.Jim you are the best thanks for you insight
Well you’re welcome if there’s anything else I can help you with just let me know. Jim
Sir, I really enjoyed your video. Wished I seen it sooner because just today I ordered one of those coiling tools with 5 different sized springs to use to coil the common 5 copper tube sizes. I can see that your way is better and I could have saved my money. Would like to learn more, so when you have time, keep the videos coming. Thank you.
Thanks Jim. I am reworking an air compressor thats 20+ years old. I was taking the lazy way out and when I price the replacement lines. I was floored how much they expected somebody to pay for new ones. I'll be able to accomplish this now with the information you shared with us. Big thank you man
In a few words, you are great. Thank you
Well thank you and so is all of my viewers. Jim
That's what it's about! Wisdom. Thank you!
You’re welcome, thank for watching. Jim
Makes all the sense in the world, thank you for sharing
This is a great video buddy I need to bend a 3/8 copper tubing thanks
You’re welcome I hope your subscriber I need your help with that and it’s free. Jim
Thank you. Great video. I need to bend some SS tube I hope that trick will work on that tube. I have seen that method used before but had forgotten about it.
Boy I think it will be tough. Jim
Thanks! I have to bend a 10ft half inch copper pipe and I was not sure how but I’m going to try this awesome trick thank you
Well let me know how it works out for you. Jim
It worked very well no kinks! I did have some cracks because of the size pipe so I ended up using a torch to heat it up at the place I was bending it. That worked to fix the cracks. Thanks again.
This is a very cool a trick! Here's another: Anneal the tube first for super easy bending.
I remember using this technique 50 years ago when building model airplanes and bending fuel lines. These days we still use it in the hobby to bend tubing when required. These days there's some vendors selling what appears to be nylon or teflon rod that the dimensioned for the most popular I.D.'s used for tubing and the rod is slid into the tubing and after bending can be pulled out, however, I'm not sure it would work for making a coil.
Thank you Mr. Jackson !!! I am a Union Pipefitter and will use your technique in my future.
Gerald Velasco
Well I’m glad I can help you thanks for watching hope your subscriber talk to you soon Jim
Thank you very much you've answered a lot of questions and your advice helped me.
Well thanks for being a viewer and I hope your subscriber. Jim
That's how I make cooling tubes for rc boat motors, dad and grandfather were plumbers and showed me how 40 years ago
great skill set to pass down, Thank you!
Amazing ! I'll try this out ! I'm building a heater for my pool and I needed to know how to coil copper tubing ! Thankx for th trick dude ! 😀
Thank you. Great tip
I learned this trick from an old Jimmy Stewart movie about an air crash in the desert, it was called "Flight Of The Phoenix". They used this trick to bend up metal hydraulics line into a still coil. I always wondered how well it worked outside of Hollywood, now I know!
PS: don't even think about watching the newer remake of that movie, it was awful.
@@keithklassen5320 Well thanks for the tip on the movie, and it does work. Jim
Wow awesome trick, just subscribed. Love this, thanks for sharing your knowledge
Did it the way you s@id and it worked perfect. I am making a mosquito foggier and it looks great.. Thanks....
I love listening to your old schoolers if I could say it that way awesome can't wait to use it
Been doing it that way for 51 years,works well
GAH LEE He did not have to flex on us that hard!! Absolutely awesome video thanks for sharing will definitely practice
That is freakin' brilliant. Thanks, mate.
Awesome video!!!! Thanks for sharing. Im ready to bend some complex curves now. I love old-timer tricks and the old-timer who taught this to you certainly knew how do to things without all the fancy tools we have at our disposal today.
On a side note, has anyone ever told you that you slightly resemble Norm Abrahm from This Old House (especially with the classic Plaid shirt LOL)? I thought Norm was posting a video and confused that he was doing plumbing work. ha-ha
I think I’ve heard that a timer too especially when I have my flannels on. Jim
Thank you Jim, very helpful.
You look a lot like Norm Abram. Probably just as smart as him too. Thanks for the tip.
Well thanks for watching and glad I can help hope your a subscriber it helps me. Jim
Thank you this helped a bunch!!!
This technique is great. I have to use copper to meet standards for fuel delivery on a boat gas engine.
The HVAC people commenting on retained dust is a concern for me. Can't get junk in my awesome carburetor and regulator.
I am thinking I will run a line of string through my completed tubing with air pressure and pull a section of round brush through my tube with cleaner.
I am doing a couple of 1 and 2 foot pieces of 1/2" OD -3/8" ID soft copper that have up to 3 bends. The "worst" one has a 90, a 30 and a 180 degree turn. I may redo that one to 2 90's if the available space allows. Then there's a single 180, and a single 90.
Criticism requested! All suggestions are worthy, including flames!
This is such a great video. 😆
Fantastic sharing! Thank you.
When doing brake line bends and such where complete coils are not required, I just stick a piece of cable thru the tube & pull it out when done.
Also useful for condenser coils in moonshining. My tube was 10 mm outer diameter and was coiled without flattening around a bottle. But my still is not finished (intended for grapes).
Hey when you get it done send me some pictures I’d like to see it my email is Jimsfixitshop@gmail.com
Thanks. Jim
I believe that is what is done to make bugles and other brass instruments...fill with sand...I am installing line sets for mini split and I doubt this method would work for me since I would have to fill the entire 25' 1/4 & 5/8 line set...Nice video! Well done!
Well I have heard some people fill the tubing with water and freeze it when it’s still in a coil and then bend it that way but I’ve never tried it I’m not sure how well it works. Jim
What ever you do, DON'T contaminate any refrigeration line with anything!
Thanks for the video and the technique.
Thought Norm Abrams became a plumber... nice video sir...👍👍👍
Great Video. I tried it and it worked perfect.
thanks so much to your kindness sharing, its very usefull for me
joko wiseso
Well you’re welcome and I’m glad I could help, and speaking of helping I hope you’re a subscriber it’s free and it would really help me keep this channel going. Jim
@@jimjackson9381 subscribe done. thx Jim
Great video...
You can do this with water, sand, salt, etc etc
Michael Morell
Water doesn’t work as well Sand or salt would work. Jim
@@jimjackson9381 This answers my question thank you. I have tons of sugar, I will use that.
shair00 Don’t use sugar it crushes into toffee.
@@TigDegner water is incomprehensible and will definitely work, but it will leak out the pinch unless it's fully sealed.
Good idea. Try rolling a piece of paper into funnel. Might be easier.
I have a small funnel that will fit into quarter inch copper tubing but the hole in the funnel is so small it’s hard to get anything into it it works easier if you had a funnel that would fit on the outside of the tubing to keep the hole as large as possible. Jim
Brilliant! Thanks, Jim!
Great for certain applications but not for other scenario’s
There’s a horse for a course bending machines are the best if your doing installations no kinks and are very accurate with centre to centre bends.The copper he is using is what we call soft copper,he shows external springs but not internal,internal are quite good particularly after first fix where a pipe is coming out of a wall and you can’t crimp the pipe because water will have to flow through it sand is ok for making very tight bend but don’t dismiss the other options.
Great trick...****BUT ONLY FOR LOW PRESSURE NON-CRITICAL APPLICATIONS****. There is a reason that tube bending dies are sized with a specific radius. When you bend tubing too tight, you create too much sheer stress in the tubing along the sides between the inner half of the bend and the outer half of the bend. That's where the tubing goes from being stretched to being compressed. Not to mention, you are work hardening the tubing. The 1' (ish?) diameter coil for the air compressor is fine, same with the induction coils where I assume the coolant running through them is under low pressure. Copper doesn't work harden that quickly and is malleable enough to distribute the stresses as long as its strong enough in its weakened state for the pressure applied. DO NOT USE THIS FOR BRAKE LINES!!! Stainless steel work-hardens very easily and brake lines can see as high as 1500psi of pulsating pressure. If you've work-hardened the tubing along lines where you've already introduced mechanical stress, its only a matter of time before the tubing cracks from fatigue from the expansion/relaxation cycles that your brake lines see every time you apply the breaks. I'm not trolling...like I said...great trick, and I may use this one in the future on some creative home projects. I just wanted to point out that there is an appropriate application.
Excellent, just what I needed. Thanks.
You’re welcome and thanks for watching don’t forget to subscribe. Jim
You are a genius. Thanks.
That is a good technique that has been around for many many years however I wouldn't quite throw my benders away just yet. There are a myriad of uses refrigeration for one where you can't contaminate the inside and others where the bend needs to be made in place. Others are fed through a hole or such and bent on the other side. In it's place a good trick although it's place isn't every situation. Thanks for the video. Also we used that technique and added heat in some circumstances to facilitate the bend. Take care. Doug
We did this with all our steel pipes back 60 years. Now we have " soft" copper.
I really like your ideas. Thanks for the video 👍🏻
wilibaldo sierra
Well you’re welcome I hope you Get some good use from it. I hope your subscriber I need your help. Jim
Well tauught an thanks again
your welcome and thanks for watching. Jim
I didn’t know Norm Abrams’ brother was on RUclips. Cool.
I really appreciate what your doing.
Hello Jim, super thanks from Singapore!
Danny Tan
Hi Danny
Well I’ve certainly never reached anybody that far away before are you actually in Singapore and how did I help you In what you were doing. I would like to know thanks Jim
Thanks Jim, you just saved me a pile of $ and time.
God bless you! Many blessings to you!
Thank You, I tried sand the other day but didn't seal the ends. I can't wait to redo it now. Thanks again.
Andrew Hilts
Hi Andrew it’s Jim
Let me know how it works out for you and maybe send me a picture of what you’re making I’d like to see it, talk to you soon. Jim
@@jimjackson9381 I'd love to show you what I'm doing but I don't see where I can add a picture here. I'm getting parts today to try it again. It's a 1957 Quincy 325 compressor I rebuilt. I am a manual machinist by trade, and trying to set up a backyard shop for personal projects. Thanks
Andrew Hilts
Send it to my email which is
jimsfixitshop@gmail.com
I’m also trying to set up my shop the way I want it before I retire I bought my welder my next big purchase will be a plasma cutter. Thanks Jim
Nice. Who bends more copper tubes than anyone else? HVACr technician. Too bad this will not work in job sites. Sand is the enemy of TXV & compressor. I was taught to never use sandpaper to clean tubes, use scotch-brite pads instead.
Yes, unfortunately that is about the only job that this won’t work for. Jim
You are the Norm Abram of metal working...you even look like him.
Mra1507 Mra1507
Well I haven’t done much metalworking yet but it will be coming I bought a new welder and I’m going to pick up a new plasma cutter and we’re going to start making some yard ornaments and maybe some tables and benches we’ll see what kind of time I have to get some things done this summer lotta work to be done in the yard so if you need anything just let me know. Jim
Wow very nice thank 🙏
You’re welcome thanks for watching and hopefully thanks for subscribing. Jim
Thank you for this tip!
You’re welcome let me know how it works out for you. Jim
Very honest straight to point thank you sir
Thanks for sharing this great technique to bend copper tubing without kinking. Would an ordinary sand from a local landscaping store work?
Any clean, dry sand will work even from the beach. Jim
@@jimjackson9381 Thanks; time to hit the beach!😎
Sounds like a good idea. Jim
Thanks for tip
You’re welcome if you have any questions just let me know. Jim
And I hope you are a subscriber I need your help with that issue
Great video. Worked great for a few bends I needed in 1/4 copper.
Hi it’s Jim
What size of copper tubing are you or were you trying to bend when you only got a few coils. Thanks Jim
@@jimjackson9381 1/4 copper for an RV propane furnace. Thanks again for the tips.
mark babcock
Hi Mark
So you’re all set and got it bent or do you need help. Jim
@@jimjackson9381 Got it taken care of. Thanks Jim.
I spent the first 5 min of this video convinced his secret tool was gonna be that claw hammer lol
Thank you - so easy and effective - great
Crimp one end tight.
Fill with old blasting sand or similar.
Crimp other end tight.
Bend to desired shape.
Start distilling moonshine
Saved you 11 minutes.
Tooshaaa.... Fantastic...
That was a pretty neat trick. Please bottle and sell the magic sand. 😁
Well actually beach sand works just as good as long as it’s clean and dry so it will pack in properly. Jim