Official Luthiers Forum!

This question is for those who still use hot pipes to do their side bending-

Is 2" OD pipe made of 1/8" aluminum going to be sufficient for a bending iron? Or should it be a bigger OD? I could get some 2.5" or 3" also for free, but it is only 1/16" aluminum.

Thanks!

  

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Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

Having a pipe for hand bending as always handy to have around. In general a bigger diameter will be easier to bend on as it gives more contact area when bending compared to a 2 inch pipe. 3 inch would be preferable even at 1/16 thickness but understand that it will dissipate heat faster so you have to watch your temperature as it will get hot faster and also cool faster.

I have made pipe benders that are upright simialr to the electric Ibex benders and I have made pipe benders that use a propane torch or heating element that are horizontal...each work fine and it is just a matter of which orientation works best for you.

Even if you are using a fox or other style bender with light bulbs, heat blankets or whatever, a pipe is still useful for touching up a bend, for bending cutaways and for bending wood that may be difficult in a bending form.

If I have a really difficult wood to bend, I will always bend it by hand as I have a more direct sense as to how and whether the wood is relaxing. I understand that the consistency will always be better when bending on a form bender but I also dont break any sides on a pipe so it is a tradeoff.

Thanks Shawn,
I think I'll grab a bit of that 3" pipe as well and have two setups. That thinwall aluminum makes me nervous but I guess if I'm careful it should be alright.

_________________
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

You could probably grab a couple or three pieces of pipe- slit a couple with a saw and squeeze/slide them inside the other to increase the mass.
I agree with Shawn that a bending iron is a handy thing to have around the shop, and also that the 3" is probably the best bet for guitars. If you are going to bend cutaways or smaller instrument sides, a smaller iron would be convenient.

If you have a good vise you could always squeeze a 3/4 inch pipe into an oval shape like the commercial irons use.

Cheers

John

I used a chrome tailpipe tip for years to do venetian cutaways before i went over to a fox style bender. The tailpipe tip come with the screws to attach it to something. I attached it to a base I found in the electrical dept at the local home depot.

Thanks John and Ed,
I'll see what I can come up with from scraps at the office. I'm pretty lucky to work for a company who uses lots of aluminum piping and regular stock. After three years of working there I now see all kinds of potential for making jigs and benders and all kinds of things.

_________________
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

Ed-
Neat improvisation- I like it!

I put a metal baffle in the end of my horizontal propane bender- it saved a bit of damage to the belly button, but I still kept fairly clear of it.

Cheers
John

John,

I made that same modification later on just for that very same reason!

Here are some pictures of my pipes. I use 3 different sizes, all heated by propane torch (because I had one and it works!). They are all steel of varying diameters and thicknesses, mounted on some scrap wood bases.

The one on the left gets used for things like mandolin ribs, but it has thin walls so it does not retain heat so well and it can also scorch the wood if I am not careful. The middle one is the one I use for guitar sides, it is 4" pipe that is somewhat flattened into an oval shape and welded to a flange. The one on the right is just really thick walled 2" steel pipe, but it is hard to get it hot enough so I don't use it much. I now mostly use these for touch ups as I have a Fox style bender.







Here is another shot of the one I use for guitars. To check the heat I spray water on it and see how it dances. I folded some tin to cover the end a bit, it seems to help retain some of the heat.




Here is the back, you see how the propane torch blows its flame into the a hole in the flange.






No beauty prices for these, but they are easy to make, reliable, versatile and best of all, cheap; just like me!

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin