How to bend a pipe at home with and without a pipe bender. How to bend a pipe: best methods How to bend heating pipes 3 4

Pipes bent at an angle have found application in the oil and chemical industries, mechanical and apparatus engineering. Not a single architectural or construction project can do without them.

All kinds of fittings can be used for turns, but then leaks may occur, and sometimes this is simply unacceptable for aesthetic reasons. More attractive appearance and high reliability is ensured by bending pipes - a process that does not violate their integrity.

We'll tell you how best to bend metal pipe both cold and hot technology. The article we presented describes the specifics of bending pipes made of various materials. The features of working with profile and conventional round pipes are given.

Each metal has its own characteristics, without taking them into account it is impossible to give rolled metal complex shape. The bent pipe is subject to radial and tangential forces.

The former deform the section, and the latter contribute to the appearance of folds. The main requirement for the final result is that the cross-section of the pipe should remain unchanged, and there should be no corrugations on the walls. Bending allows you to minimize the number of welds when laying pipelines with all kinds of bends.

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This question interests everyone who, due to the nature of their work or at home, is faced with plumbing work and has used various types of pipes. If you are not a professional in this field, then you do not have special tools and special equipment for these works. Next, we will give you recommendations on how to bend a pipe at home without special tools, such as a pipe bender, without involving outside help.

1. Plastic pipes have good performance qualities And ecological cleanliness, therefore they have great popularity and high purchasing power. But plastic pipes are not the most suitable option for products of this type, especially if there is a need to use them for industrial purposes. The performance of this type of pipe directly depends on the temperature of the liquid located there. Under straight lines sun rays plastic also loses its qualities and becomes short-lived.
2. Metal pipes are more durable. They have a wide range of applications: open wiring, when connecting radiators, water heating devices and much more.
3. Polypropylene pipes are the most common type of plastic pipes. They have high strength and a long service life.
4. Metal pipes are used in the installation of heating, gas, water, and oil pipeline systems. They come in different shapes and are made from different material: cast iron, steel, copper, zinc.

But no matter what work you have done using pipes, there will always be a need for their high-quality and correct bending. As a rule, if this work is to be done at home, this is done using a special hand tool- pipe bender. It is capable of bending pipes made of aluminum, copper, brass, steel (if the walls are not thick and the diameter is small). Following the recommendations of experts, in order to bend water and gas pipes, it is necessary to resort to a hydraulic press brake. Almost all the tools that can be used to bend pipes are not cheap, so if you need to do this work once, then there is no need to purchase them. For this work, you can use classical and less expensive methods. In this article we will tell you about ways to bend pipes without using a pipe bender.

To bend the pipe yourself you will have to use:

• calcined sand;
• wooden plug;
• burner;
• metal frames with the correct inclined angle;
• hammer;
• construction hairdryer.

We independently bend polypropylene pipes

1. We take the pipe, heat it with a hair dryer to a temperature of 150 degrees, but no more. We begin to carefully bend the pipe, and the thick part of the pipe should be located on the outside. After this process, we check the pipe for any defects.
2. The pipe can be bent without the help of a hair dryer and without heating it at all. But it must be remembered that in this way the bend of the pipe should not exceed 8 degrees.

Bend a plastic pipe

To complete this work you need to follow the following steps.

1. We take a fiberboard and make a frame out of it in order to give it the required shape.
2. Let's take it sandpaper and use it to process the frame.
3. We create the necessary shell for the plastic.
4. We firmly fix all the parts.
5. Give the pipe the required shape.
6. Remove it from the frame and cool it.

All this work aimed at bending various types of pipes can be done without the use of additional expensive instruments. But with the purchase of a pipe bender, you will do the same work much faster and with better quality. Pipe benders have various methods bending and types of drives. Let's look at various types of pipe bending methods.

Manual method

Don’t be upset if, during the process of installing any system in your household, you find yourself in need of curved pipes, and professional tools you do not have, and did not have the opportunity to purchase ready-made curved pipes at the right angle. All this can be done with your own hands and without leaving home, if you have even the most basic tools in your arsenal. Let's begin.

We grab the structure with our hands and gradually bend it, holding it tightly. This must be done with special care so as not to break the part. Carry out this process gradually, slowly moving along the pipe. We repeat these actions in six to seven moves. But not every pipe can be bent by hand. For example, an aluminum pipe bends easily, but a metal pipe, not so much.

Experts advise. Before you start bending the pipe directly when plumbing work, try to do this on some unnecessary segment. Just don't rush, don't make sudden movements. This can lead to pipe deformation or breakage. You can bend pipes with your own hands if their diameter does not exceed twenty millimeters. You can try a slightly larger diameter, but it will take much more effort and care.

Heat treatment method

As for the metal pipe, your assistant should be a gas burner. We act in stages.

1. Using a vice, the metal section of the pipe is fixed.
2. The intended bend area is heated using a gas burner.
3. After the scale appears, we bend it.

It is important to catch the moment the bend begins. If the pipe is aluminum, then you need to bring a sheet of paper to it. If it lights up or starts smoking, then you can start. If the pipe is made of another metal, then the signal will be the area that turns red during the heating process. The heat treatment method cannot be used when bending galvanized pipes. High temperatures will damage the coating and render the coating unusable. You need to know that if we are talking about bending a square pipe, then you cannot do without a powerful blowtorch or torch. And the main thing is that at the very beginning of work such a product warms up from all sides.

Use of sand and water

If you use the above fillers, you can bend both a corrugated pipe and an aluminum piece of solid diameter. Step by step instructions.

1. At the beginning in inner part We fill the structure with sand, fix the plugs at the ends of the pipe, while maintaining tightness.
2. The part is fixed with a vice.
3. We heat the intended bend using a blowtorch or gas burner.
4. After the area has been thoroughly heated, bend the pipe using a rubber mallet or a wooden mallet by gently tapping it on the heated surface.
5. At the last stage, the plug is removed and the sand is poured out. The work is finished.

At this method sand serves as protection to prevent pipe deformation and uneven bending.

It is worth keeping in mind that:

• galvanized pipes can be bent in this way without heat treatment;
• the inside of the pipe must be filled very tightly so that there is no free space;
• pipes with square edges must be machined on each side to minimize the formation of defects.

Working with water occurs in the same way. We pour water inside the pipe and close it with plugs. We cool the water until it freezes (in the cold in winter or in the refrigerator at any time of the year). When the liquid freezes, carefully, without sudden movements, bend the pipe.

Bend pipes using tools

Manually bending pipes can lead to pipe breakage or unnecessary deformation. Therefore, to carry out this type of work, it is recommended to use special equipment or other materials that will speed up and facilitate the bending process.

Pipe bender

It is much easier to bend a metal pipe by using a pipe bender. This specialized equipment comes in several types.

1. Manual pipe benders. They are used to bend pipes without large diameter cross section, made of non-ferrous metals and stainless steel. The process of bending aluminum or steel pipes is as follows: one end of the pipe is inserted into a pipe bender and the product is bent using a lever to the desired angle.
2. Hydraulic pipe benders. Used for large diameter pipes. This device has hydraulic cylinders, due to which the pipe bends. One end of the pipe is inserted into the groove of the pipe bender, and the lever performs translational movements.
3. Electromechanical pipe benders. They are used when bending pipes of different cross-sectional diameters. They have high productivity, bending accuracy, and no need for operator services. They are very expensive and there is no point in purchasing them for one-time use.

Plane-parallel type plate

If you did not buy a pipe bender, but need to bend a pipe, then use a plate that looks like a curved piece with a groove. It can be used if you need to bend a metal-plastic or metal pipe with a diameter of up to 45 mm. The pipe is inserted into a special clamp on the plate, clamped and bent along the plate along the groove. This method falls into the category of primitive, but reliable. It is successful if the pipes are short in length.

Steel type plate

This “tool” is used if you need to bend a pipe made of non-ferrous metals. They are soft and pliable, which can lead to damage during bending. To avoid a negative result, medium-hard springs are used with a diameter that makes it possible to place this spring inside the pipe. When the spring reaches the intended bend, you can bend the pipe on the elbow, or secure it with a vice. When using such a spring, the pipe walls can be easily bent, avoiding deformation and damage. After the process is completed, the spring is removed from the pipe using a strong cord attached to it.

You don’t often encounter the need to bend profile pipes in everyday life. Owners most often face this challenge. summer cottages or private houses - people accustomed to doing everything with their own hands.

Regardless of the shape of the pipe profile, the essence of the bending process is to give the product a partial or full bend. This can only be achieved by applying a certain external influence– solely pressure or a combination of heat and pressure.

From a physics point of view, during the bending process profile pipe Two oppositely directed forces act simultaneously:

• Tensile force. Appears on the outside of the bend.
• Compression force. Directed towards the inside of the bending area.

The opposite direction of these forces is precisely responsible for some of the difficulties that often arise in the process of bending pipes:

• Different sections of the pipe in the bending zone may change shape differently, which will inevitably lead to a violation of their alignment.
• The pipe wall on the outside of the bend may lose strength or even burst under strong tension.
• On inside bending, on the contrary, folds often form during compression.

To avoid these troubles and not get a crumpled pipe instead of a smoothly curved one metal surface, you should definitely take into account the type of material and numerous geometric parameters of the product: wall thickness, cross-section diameter, bending radius. Knowing these characteristics will allow you to choose the best way fold.

Pay attention! Experts say that it is better not to bend profile pipes with a wall thickness of less than 2 mm. The strength at the bend points will be quite low, even with perfect adherence to the technology. For such pipes it is better to prefer welded joints.

The principle of using a pipe bender

It is not always possible to bend a profile pipe (especially for large-diameter products) with your own hands. For these purposes, there are special devices - pipe benders. A standard pipe bender is equipped with a drive wheel, which, moving along one of the edges, carefully bends the pipe section in the required direction.

Surely you have encountered a situation when, when assembling a pipeline, it becomes necessary to bend the pipe to a certain degree.

For such tasks, a special tool called a pipe bender is used. Pipe benders come in a variety of different types. They are intended for metals, plastics, various alloys, etc.

All this is of course very good, but what to do if you need to bend a pipe without a pipe bender? For example, if you don’t have a pipe bender, but the matter is urgent.

Well, there are ways to perform similar actions with your own hands. We will tell you about them.

Contents of the article

Process Features

Quite easy actually. It only seems that for such actions it is necessary huge amount strength and energy. Of course, when working with metal pipes you still have to work hard, but even in this case the process takes only a few tens of minutes, and this takes into account the preparatory work.

But simply bending the pipe is not enough. You need to do this correctly so that you end up with a working and not a damaged sample. If we bend pipes with our own hands, then the chance of damaging them increases significantly, since at home this can only be done using improvised means.

The thing is that when the pipe is bent, it changes its structure and naturally deforms. And the deformation process is unpredictable.

It just seems that the model made of the same steel bends beautifully and smoothly, as if by magic maintaining its shape.

Actually this is not true. At the moment of bending, especially if you work only with improvised means, the walls of the pipe are deformed unevenly.

The inner wall seems to accumulate at one point more material, becomes thicker, even microscopic folds form. The outer one, on the contrary, stretches, which is fraught with the appearance of microcracks. Bend it too quickly or without preliminary preparation and its damage will be almost inevitable.

How to protect yourself?

However, you can easily protect yourself or at least reduce the chance of pipe damage to a minimum. To do this, several tricks are used.

Firstly, when bending with your own hands, the pipe is heated to a certain temperature. This is normal; bending a segment, especially a steel one, without heating is extremely difficult. You will spend a lot of effort and energy, but the result is unlikely to please you.

Whether the surface of the pipe has reached the required temperature is checked using ordinary paper. It is considered that the pipe has warmed up if the piece of paper begins to smolder upon contact with it.

The method, of course, is rather clumsy and gives only relative results, but for homework nothing more is required.

Secondly, a stabilizing material must be added to the pipe cavity. This is done until it warms up.

Used as a stabilizing material different options, from sand to springs. The pipe is plugged on both sides, and then they get to work.

Inside the pipe, sand acts as a plasticizer. It prevents the material from deforming jerkily, while maintaining the original shape of the workpiece, which is also extremely important.

Also, before starting work, it is necessary to create a wooden or steel blank to simplify the deformation process. You don’t have to go through a lot of pain and create something, you just need to choose the right material.

For example, if you have a right angle with your own hands, then having a profile pipe or a table will suffice.

If the bend radius is large enough, then you will have to select a return pipe of the required size or a wooden log.

Differences depending on pipe material

The material of a pipe has a huge impact on how we interact with it.

Pipes are divided into:

• Metal;
• Plastic.

Metal pipes require one approach, plastic pipes require a completely different approach. In addition, specific materials differ in their strength, stability, principle of deformation, etc. All this should be taken into account, especially when we work without a specialized tool, that is, with our own hands.

Interaction with metal samples

Metal pipes are the most difficult to bend at home. Yes, by the way, you understand this yourself.

The metal, although ductile, is very durable. You simply cannot cope with it manually, without prior preparation.

But if you think through everything in advance, then the result will probably please you. Also, let's not forget that there are soft metals and hard ones. Non-ferrous metals are mostly soft. It's easier to work with them.

The same copper, if desired, in general. You can actually bend the thin one with your hands, which is what plumbers often use.

Reinforced copper is already stronger, but still cannot be compared in strength to steel or good aluminum.

Workflow

Let's consider an algorithm that allows us to bend metal sections of pipes with our own hands.

Stages of work:

1. We prepare the tool, find the burner, collect sand, plugs, etc.
2. We pour sand inside the pipe.
3. We seal it.
4. We heat it up gas burner.
5. Checking the heating temperature. If the paper sheet catches fire or begins to smolder upon contact with metal, then everything is fine and you can start.
6. We mount the pipe into working position.
7. We bend the segment using physical force. It is advisable to do this with gloves, as metals are excellent conductors of heat.
8. When the desired angle is reached, leave the pipe for a day.

That's all. After completing the work, all that remains is to check the quality of the bend. Unfortunately, this cannot be done in a heated state.

Sand should be poured until the pipe is completely filled. It is advisable to take steel plugs rather than plastic ones. The plastic may melt and bond to the steel. Nothing terrible will happen, of course, but we don’t need any unnecessary problems either.

The pipe is heated evenly, that is, from all sides, focusing on the outside. This is where the most serious deformations will take place.

A heated pipe may only be bent while wearing heat-resistant gloves. Otherwise you might get burned. And in general, if you are going to act according to the instructions given, then it is advisable to take care of your personal safety, put on equipment, etc.

Working with plastic pipes

It is easier to bend plastic, this is quite obvious. It is much softer, in many cases more flexible, and weighs lighter. However, plastic has one unpleasant characteristic: it has a tensile strength. That is, it can crack if the application of force is excessive. This must be taken into account.

Remember that a crack in a pipe is not necessarily a huge hole you can stick your finger into. The formation of such a crack in a pipe is a great blessing, because it is easy to notice.

Problems appear when microcracks or even the beginnings of cracks form in the plastic. They are invisible and will wait in the wings, then at the most inopportune moment to declare themselves.

Bending a pipe without a pipe bender (video)

Differences between pipes made from different types of plastic

The easiest way to work is with metal-plastic. This material is a combination of aluminum rod and plastic alloy, it is very strong yet flexible at the same time.

The process of bending it is practically no different from that when interacting with steel samples. Moreover, if the pipe is small in diameter, there is no need to even warm it up. You can simply bend it with your hands. But again, you need to make sure there is a stabilizer in its cavity so that the deformation is successful.

Not only sand can be used as a stabilizer. Wire or even a high-strength steel spring works well.

You can also bend polypropylene, but you have to be very careful. Manufacturers do not recommend bending them yourself. If this is still necessary, then make sure you have a hair dryer.

They can warm up the walls of the pipe, and then bend it on a pre-prepared workpiece. Place the pipe so that the thick wall is on the outside of the bend. Then the chance of damage to the segment will be significantly reduced.

Thin plastic pipes seem to be the easiest to bend. But they break under physical impact. Here you need to use cunning and the same heat treatment.

Using a construction hairdryer, we heat the pipe to a temperature of 200 degrees, and then easily and smoothly begin to bend it. In some cases, the plastic will become so soft that it will begin to bend. Then just arrange it the way you need it, and then try to fix it.

When renovating a private home or other home, curved pipes may be required. In this regard, it becomes topical issue How to bend a pipe at home without a pipe bender. Once you learn the intricacies of this process, it can be done very simply.

Methods for bending pipes at right angles

Metal products are particularly durable, but a special impact on this material allows it to be given the required shape.

You can bend a metal pipe yourself in several ways:

• Using pegs. With this bending method, the risk of pipe defects or pipe breakage increases. Filling the internal cavity with dry fine sand helps solve the problem. You can prevent it from spilling out by using plugs at both ends of the pipe. After this, you can begin to directly bend the tubular product. The workpiece is dug into the ground and using the lever method they try to bend it. To test your strength, you can practice on unsuitable building materials of a similar composition. This method becomes a solution to the problem of how to bend a thin pipe, for example, with a diameter of 16-20 mm. It is possible to use this technique for thicker structures, but it is worth remembering that it will be more difficult. It is especially important to remember that not all materials can be bent using this method. Galvanized products require the use of other methods.
• Heating method. You can change the shape of aluminum or steel pipelines by heating. The structure is filled with sand and secured in a vice. Using a gas burner, the section of pipe where it is planned to bend is heated. Determine heating temperature limit aluminum pipes can be done as follows: a piece of paper brought to the heated area should begin to smoke (read also: " "). When the steel product is heated sufficiently, a pronounced redness appears. For safe work You must have gloves.
• Using a plane-parallel plate. To perform the technology, the pipe is fixed in a clamp, then it is bent along the plate. This method is simple and economical, but the unchanged shape of the plate does not make it popular. High-quality results can be obtained by using large quantity plates having different curvatures. In this case, the pipe should only be steel and of a sufficiently large size.
• Using a metal spring. Using this method helps in deciding how to bend copper pipe without a pipe bender (more details: " "). The spring prevents possible deformation of the pipe during bending. Good result can only be achieved by taking into account the spring size. Since it is inserted directly into the cavity of the pipe, it must have a size corresponding to the internal diameter of the product being bent. The pipe with the spring inside is carefully bent. To avoid problems with removing the spring, a wire is tied to one end.
• Using water as a filler. The cavity of the pipe can be filled with ordinary water instead of sand, the main thing is that it does not contain impurities. Water is poured into the pipe, plugs are inserted at both ends and frozen. After this, the pipe must be heated. This method is not recommended for galvanized products.

How to bend a profile pipe

Greenhouses different sizes and purpose, gazebos and other structures on the site are built using profile pipes. Such metal structures have one distinctive feature: bending a pipe with or without a pipe bender leads to deformation of the workpiece (flattening or cracks may occur). It doesn’t hurt to know how to bend a profile pipe at home correctly so as not to damage the material.

Options for bending a pipe with a square profile

Quite often the problem arises of how to bend a metal pipe with a square profile. Square pipe, having a small cross-section, can be bent without heating, but after filling the cavity with sand or water. The only difference from a round workpiece is the required presence of a rubber mallet.

The pipe is installed on two strong supports and the part is bent using a mallet. To prevent possible damage, actions must be smooth and careful. A sufficiently large bending angle can be obtained by additionally heating the profile pipe in the bending area.

Bending metal-plastic

Quite often, metal-plastic pipes are used when installing a heated floor system. The efficiency of this system is ensured by the parallel operation of the pipeline and heating system.

The heated floor system allows for an unlimited number of bends metal plastic pipe. Unfortunately, such designs cannot be purchased in retail chains. Therefore, it is important to know how to bend a metal-plastic pipe at home (more details: ""). For a high-quality result, it is necessary to study all the features of the material and immediate process flexion.

Similar to metal blanks, the required turning of metal-plastic elements can be obtained in several ways:

• The simplest and least expensive way is to bend the pipe yourself. Without using improvised means. To perform this action, the workpiece is clamped in the hands and smoothly begins to bend, while it is important to avoid strong bending. A normal bend allows 15 0 for every two centimeters of pipe.
• Another method involves using additional pieces of wire to fill the pipe cavity. Using this method, you can quickly and evenly bend a metal-plastic workpiece.
• You can bend a metal-plastic pipe using sand, performing actions similar to those carried out with a metal pipe. One end of the prepared product is firmly fixed and smoothly bent, heating the bend area with a gas burner or blowtorch. You can check the readiness of the metal structure for the bending process using a paper sheet.

Features of bending polypropylene blanks without a pipe bender

The need to bend a polypropylene pipe arises very rarely, since it is not recommended to perform such actions with the material.

However, if you cannot do without this process, you can use the following methods:

• Heating the bend area. To achieve the desired result it is best to use construction hair dryer, heating should be brought to a temperature of 150 0 C. Then you can bend the product, giving it the desired shape. All actions must be performed with gloves that are resistant to high temperatures. It is important to remember one rule: the bend is made towards a less thick wall, that is, the thickened wall of the polypropylene blank should be placed on the outside of the bend. After the product has completely cooled, you should carefully inspect it. There should be no dents or cracks on the surface.
• The second method is cold bending. Polypropylene pipe can be bent by hand, but the bend must have a radius not exceeding 8 workpiece diameters. Otherwise, the material will simply break.

Efficient bending of plastic elements

PVC pipes are easy to bend using specific instructions. By following its steps, you can easily and simply give the plastic pipeline the desired shape at home, without resorting to outside help.

To bend a plastic pipe, perform the following steps:

• In any hardware store you need to buy fibreboard, which is necessary for the construction of a special frame. Using this frame, a plastic blank is bent until the product takes the desired shape.
• Having bent the slab to the desired radius, you should sand its surface. In this case, you can use fine sandpaper.
• At the next stage, a shell for the bendable element is formed from silicone. It must match the shape and size of the pipe. Using a shell, the PVC blank is fixed to a fiberboard frame. In addition, the shell serves as a kind of protection for the surface of the plastic pipe, preventing the formation of various defects, including scratches, chips and other mechanical damage.
• Next, the metal-plastic blank is placed directly into the shell.
• Now you can start heating the pipe element. Under the influence high temperature the material becomes softer and begins to take the shape of the frame. The result of the process is a product of the desired shape.
• The formed product must be cooled for 10-15 minutes. After this time, the modified polyvinyl chloride pipe can be removed from the frame. After that ready structural element It is recommended to leave it for a while longer so that it cools completely.

Despite the many ways to bend a metal pipe or a product made of another material, get the perfect result in living conditions almost impossible. However, studying theoretical materials and repeated experimentation on unsuitable pieces of pipe made of similar materials will help you understand how to bend a pipe without having a pipe bender.

The main thing is that after this you can engage in the process of bending pipe elements at any free time.