Pipe Bender

[keith.s.]

Hi gang
I'm in the process of repairing one of my aeroplane seats and I've got a bit of pipe bending to do. Has anybody got a pipe bender I can borrow suitable for bending 7/8 od (22mm) aluminium tube?

Cheers Keith S.

[Mike]

There is an alternative, Keith.

Cut the pipe longer than required - hammer one end flat - then fill it up with fine sand - and flatten that end too.

If you make sure the sand can't escape, you can bend it round your knee without it kinking. Bear in mind that ali work harders over time - so annealing it is always a good idea before working with it. 

See - I'm not ALWAYS daft!! 

Mike

[keith.s.]

Mike
Your depth of knowledge never ceases to amaze me! You are truly a fountain of knowledge. Many thanks for the suggestion but I did find a good samaritan who had a bender. The job was done and is now resident in my Rans, works and looks a treat. Age hardening wasn't a problem as the tube was very new.
Many thanks for showing interest.
Cheers Keith