How to bend hard copper pipe

[Eclectrician]

Hello. Can anyone tell me the best way to bend hard copper pipe? I need to do neat, repeatable bends in 1/2" and 3/4" type L and M pipe (it's for a custom lighting fixture). Thank you.

[plumberscrack]

You will need a torch to get it red hot then it becomes very pliable. You may not like how it looks afterwards. :( Try it out on a scrap piece 1st.

Post up a picture of the fixture when its done.

P.S. Nice wordplay on the name;)

[ToUtahNow]

Hello. Can anyone tell me the best way to bend hard copper pipe? I need to do neat, repeatable bends in 1/2" and 3/4" type L and M pipe (it's for a custom lighting fixture). Thank you.

When I have bent copper tubing it has been with a conduit bender. If you really want to keep your bends true you may want to fill the tubing with fine sand prior to bending it.

Mark

[gear junkie]

Could a custom steel/auto shop help? If they have the jigs to bend steel tubing maybe they'll bend hard copper too.

Scratch the first comment. Look at Black Book of Tools. Here are some benders.
Imperial IMP700-F
Imperial IMP270-F-08 1/2" IMP270-F-12 3/4"

Hope this helps. Ben

[plumbdog10]

Why would you need to bend soft copper as an electrician? Sure you have a good reason----but what is it?

I don't know your application, but have you considered "soft copper"?

[ToUtahNow]

Dog,

He posted he is making a light fixture.

Mark

[plumbdog10]

Dog,

He posted he is making a light fixture.

Mark

I assumed he was connecting a light fixture. But, I'm not sure. That's why I asked.

[Newman]

I tried bending 1/2" type L rigid copper for a guy once. He wanted to make some outdoor sculptures. I tried heating it, filling it with sand and using a conduit bender. It would not bend, but kept splitting. I don't know how you can bend it since it's not malleable.

[gear junkie]

I assumed he was connecting a light fixture. But, I'm not sure. That's why I asked.

We all know what they say about "assume".

[Newman]

Makes an A55 out of U and ME

[Australian Plumber Josh]

Use a lever type bender. No deformation, no softening of pipe. with a little practice you can bend to suit almost anything.

i dont have pictures but im sure what im talking about can be found in the ridgid catalogue.

[Eclectrician]

The hard pipe is for crazy arms on a huge lighting fixture I'm making. Soft copper droops too much.

I tried all the suggestions and I'm going to go buy a ratcheting bender. All the other ways left me with little crimps in the pipe.

Thank you, one and all, for the suggestions! It's like a great plumber's bar, but on-line.

Adam

[HVAC HAWK]

i have a ratcheting bender and i don't think it will work .i can try it tomorrow and let you know .

about 20 yrs ago i thought there was a hard copper pipe that was made to bend ,what was it called and do they still make it ?

[Woussko]

How about steel tubing with copper plating? Maybe anodized aluminum? Just some ideas.

[Bob D.]

Swagelok makes a hydraulic bender for tubing that they probably have a shoe for 7/8 OD tube which would work for your 3/4 L copper. You could probably find a shoe to use on a conduit bender. I didn't see or must have missed if you specified a radius for the bends. If you try to get below 8 or 10 pipe diameters with hard drawn tube you will have kinks I think.

You might try to soften the tube with heat as was suggested. Heat the copper cherry red (but don't let it burn and turn black) and then let it cool slowly (i.e.; don't quench it in water). Then bend to shape and work it as you wish. Now heat it up again and quench it to harden. You'll have to do a bunch of cleaning to get it bright again then hit it with lacquer or whatever finish you plan to put on it. Filling with sand as Mark suggested will help avoid kinks, but you got to get it packed in there 100% or it will not help.

[winslow]

I tried bending 1/2" type L rigid copper for a guy once. He wanted to make some outdoor sculptures. I tried heating it, filling it with sand and using a conduit bender. It would not bend, but kept splitting. I don't know how you can bend it since it's not malleable.

you didn't get it hot enough. Heat it until it comes cherry red then let it cool.

[toolaholic]

Dog He said " HARD COPPER "

[Buckeyetech]

Hard copper WILL bend if you heat it red hot....just did it today.

Go Bucks

[Dr. Plumber]

Heat up your pipe very hot and use a spring tubing bender to bend your pipe. Works every time.

[markts30]

Now heat it up again and quench it to harden.
Actually I think copper is one of the few metals that cannot be hardened in this fashion...
If you anneal it (soften it) the only way to harden it again is to work harder it...
Quenching it will only serve to cool it - it will remain annealed...

From a site talking about annealing copper for art projects...
"The copper will maintain it's soft crystal structure after annealing at any realistic cooling rate (from very slow like letting fire die down to fast like throwing it in a bucket of water). Generally, I would suggest water cooling to prevent excessive oxidation of the surface. Steel (iron + carbon) on the other hand will change it's properties dramatically upon rapid cooling . However, it is possible to cool copper fast enough to make it into a brittle material. This normally involves cooling rates of greater than 10 million degrees C per second which can only be obtained by spraying a very thin film on to a very cold surface (this equipment is very expensive). "

[gear junkie]

I was watching "made in america" the other day and they were making trumpets. The trumpets were held in a cryo vat that froze water in the trumpets. The ice is what kept them from collapsing when they were bent. Very interesting show, highly recommend.