Thanks Mate, Not

[Guest The Modfather]

I just popped to my local metal fabrication unit on a nearby industrial estate, to ask if they would make me two new hoops to hold up the wet weather hood, and to powder coat them as well, as they do this on site, as mine are scratched and dented.

"Nah mate, wouldn't be in our interest, and it would cost you more than what it's worth"

 

Well buddy, it is in my interest thats why I'm here, and it's really simple, just two hoops of scrap tubing, and a splash of coating the next time your having a baking session, simples!

 

I'll pop to another one and hold out a £20 note, see if that helps

[Guest woolly]

you shouldn't go shopping in the firms car

[Al Milton]

Daz, don't suppose you turned up in the 'company' car, did you?

 

That may have influenced their attitude, although it shouldn't have in this current economic climate - more work may have been forthcoming, but they'll never know.

 

Al

[Guest The Modfather]

No not on the Queens time, but in the hood just to show how easy a job it would be. It only requires a couple of bends and to stick it in with some other bits when they're powder coating something else.

Perhaps I should have used the job car and then spent some time looking over their cars in the car park

I found another place a few miles out and they build chassis for car manufacturers amongst other things, so hopefully they'll be more accommodating.

[Jamiep]

Don't forget, not everywhere has the time/ equipment to do as a guvy. Where I used to work if it was a small job like that the boss would ask one of the guys if they wanted to deal with it in their time and then they could have the cash because to put it through the company meant a minimum of £40 to £50 an hour to cover overheads extra.

We certainly never had the gear to bend small bore light gauge tubing but a couple of the guys would have probably had their own gear at home.

You've just got to ask around.

like you say though every bit of work helps and many jobs can start as a guvy then next time they come it may be for major work!

[Guest chris brown]

Daz if you don’t have any luck how about making your own? I used stainless 15mm water pipe from B&Q and bought a pipe bending spring. Just attach a length of nylon cord to the spring and drop it down the pipe to where you want the bend then just bend it round your knee. It does take a good pull to get the spring back out as you are supposed to twist them out but it works fine.

[fry61]

If that's the way you go I have a proper 15/22mm pipe bender, as said before I'm a good few miles south of you but could be you're over this way sometime.

[Guest The Modfather]

Cheers guys. I've contacted the other company as they state they do work on chassis manufacture, so they are car oriented on top of their main line. I'll see what they say and may have to take you up on the offer of your pipe bender

[Jamiep]

wow, never actualy looked to see how much pipebenders are. The springs are a couple of pounds or you can get these screwfix link

[Guest peter2b2002]

i used 1/2" m/s pipe from B&Q bent by hand then used spray paint , been in use for 3 years now

peter2b

[ibrooks]

Slightly better than a spring but a bit more fiddly for keeping the the shape of pipe when bending it....

 

Seal one end of the pipe (duct tape will do) stand it up and pour water in the open end until it's full. Drop sand in until it's displaced all the water. Now seal the other end with more tape. Bend away with minimal distortion.

 

I've got a cheapo hydraulic bender that's basically a bottle jack in a frame with some dies to fit various diameters of pipe but it'll bend fairly hefty stuff in comparison to the hood frame you want but the sand trick will work with pretty much any bending method.

 

Iain

[Guest Tweedy]

If you use a bending spring go slightly beyond where you want to finish and then pull it back to the correct position.This makes it easier to remove the spring.

Cheers Mike

[speedtripledan]

Slightly better than a spring but a bit more fiddly for keeping the the shape of pipe when bending it....

 

Seal one end of the pipe (duct tape will do) stand it up and pour water in the open end until it's full. Drop sand in until it's displaced all the water. Now seal the other end with more tape. Bend away with minimal distortion.

 

I've got a cheapo hydraulic bender that's basically a bottle jack in a frame with some dies to fit various diameters of pipe but it'll bend fairly hefty stuff in comparison to the hood frame you want but the sand trick will work with pretty much any bending method.

 

Iain

Is the pipe bender you mentioned any good i was thinking of buying one to make a roll cage with

[Guest The Modfather]

Thanks guys. I'll see what the other local company says first. One of the TVH club have one so I will ask to use that if need be.

 

A hand operated bender will never bend a tube for a roll cage, not sure if a hand operated hydraulic bender might do it for you?

[ibrooks]

Is the pipe bender you mentioned any good i was thinking of buying one to make a roll cage with

 

We've used it for CDS tube for a roll cage. The dies are a bit rough and ready so we spent some time "fettling" them to be a proper fit on the pipe. It would also be much better if the rollers either side were a good fit on the pipe rather than just a large "one size fits all" things as they can leave indentations since their contact area is quite small.

 

Iain