Stuffing tube

[MG1234]

I kinked my tube trying to get it to bend a little more ,now I need to remove and replace ,I'll twist the old one till it pops loose and remove ,how do I bend the new tube without kinking it? Then re seal with epoxy?

[fweasel]

Anneal the new stuffing tube by heating the areas you plan on bending with a torch until they glow red. Let it cool, and it will be much easier to bend. You can also put something in the tube to help prevent kinking, like a liner and flex cable. I haven't needed to for the few I've done myself. Also, heating up the old tube with a soldering iron stuck in the end will help it pop free a little quicker.

[Fluid]

It is completely unnecessary to anneal K&S brass tubing prior to bending. This is an old wives' tale which adds a step and weakens the tubing. For example, I can bend 1/4" tubing to a 3" radius half-circle without kinking. Using your thumbs slowly bend the tubing a bit at a time to the correct shape, it does not take excessive force. The real secret is to cut the tubing 3" long on the end/s near where you intend to bend, this gives enough leverage to bend easily. If you can't afford to sacrifice 6" of tubing, perhaps you are in the wrong hobby.

OTOH you can just anneal the tubing and bend it.


.

[longballlumber]

Another trick is cut to length as Jay describes above, crip one end, fill with fine sand or table salt, crimp off the open end, then bend to shape. However, I agree with Jay, K&S tubing can be bent without a secondary step. Just takes a little practice.

[MG1234]

Thanks guys ,I needed to just bend the existing tube up a little to align with the strut buy kinked it ,I'll try your way ,

[fweasel]

It is completely unnecessary to anneal K&S brass tubing prior to bending. This is an old wives' tale which adds a step and weakens the tubing. For example, I can bend 1/4" tubing to a 3" radius half-circle without kinking. Using your thumbs slowly bend the tubing a bit at a time to the correct shape, it does not take excessive force. The real secret is to cut the tubing 3" long on the end/s near where you intend to bend, this gives enough leverage to bend easily.
OTOH you can just anneal the tubing and bend it.
.

Fluid, while you've likely forgotten more about this hobby than I may ever know, I disagree with you on this. Annealing is a helpful, chemistry and crystalline structures aside. I've always done it that way (granted, 3 or 4 times tops) so I tried it your way. My conclusion, you have stronger thumbs than I. I needed to make two quick bends in a new 9/32 brass tube this morning and couldn't muster much progress with a fair amount of force. Hit the tube with heat, quenched in water, back to the shop, bent both bends with very little effort. You have your method, I have mine, which is great, but I certainly would not qualify it as completely unnecessary or a wives tale.

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[TRUCKPULL]

Ryan

Now heat it again, and let it air cool, to make it hard again.

Larry

[fweasel]

Ryan

Now heat it again, and let it air cool, to make it hard again.

Larry

I'll give that a try, thanks. Everything has been installed back in the hull, but nothing glued down yet so I'll pull it all apart one last time.

[Newboater]

You can buy a tubing bender off eBay for 11 bucks shipped

[TheShaddix]

Honestly, i would avoid any kind of tubing bender as they create small indents in the pipe. i have tried many and all are prone to applying too much pressure in small spots. The best method, as mentioned above, is using your thumbs. Also, you can use soft foam. The idea is to disperse the pressure along the tube, that's how you avoid kinks. I also mark the pipe with a marker so I don't rotate it as I bend it. I anneal the tube but not till it's red. I watched some video showing that it's best to anneal it to the point when it's blue, not red. This way it is more pliable but not as soft as when it's red.

[T.S.Davis]

I anneal. Just do it on the stove. You don't need to go out and buy a torch. Cut close to the right length. Put tape over the end. Fill it with sugar or salt. Tape the other end. Bend away. You can't screw it up at this point.

Then pull the tape off. Empty. Rinse it out. Now heat it up again and quench it in water.

Jay's probably right in that you don't have to anneal but sure is easier. Takes me less than a minute of two.

[785boats]

I kinked my tube trying to get it to bend a little more ,now I need to remove and replace ,I'll twist the old one till it pops loose and remove ,how do I bend the new tube without kinking it? Then re seal with epoxy?

If you are using good quality K&S tubing it is as Fluid said. No need for heat or salt. Just finger & thumb pressure. The bright shiny thin walled tubing from China will kink every time though.
You could try what professional refrigeration mechanics use. External bending springs. They come in a number of sizes from a large number of places. They can create complex works of art with the tubing. We are only putting a slight arc of a few degrees in it.
Here's an example.

http://www.sears.com/search=bending%20springs

[Shooter]

I also mark the pipe with a marker so I don't rotate it as I bend it.

I do the same. I draw a straight line down the pipe to ensure I'm bending in the same plane.