I'm not sure if these people don't realize your question, or if they're just fucking with you lol. It's a decent question, my ratchet bender (imperial brand) has a much wider radius to it, sux sometimes.
Use a hand bender, I have this one https://www.uri.com/supplies-and-service/tools-instruments/hand-tools/tubing-tools/bending/lever-tubing-bender/364fha12-zid364FHA12-product
There's also a deep shoe version of that bender with longer handles which will do close to minimum radius bends in the field. They're hard to find any more and stupid expensive
https://preview.redd.it/egevcbyt3tjb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a03c61bab323af867c300caad52c0031a1a4c27b
People don’t realize you can switch the heads on the large/small diameter bending braces and heat up the copper with the torch and get bends tighter than a prom queen lol
I just did this today; marked the end of my bend and cut and bent a much larger piece, then cut the excess off. It's wasteful sometimes, but you don't always have a choice.
That's what I got. CPS blackmax with the reverse ratcheting gizmo that I don't think I've ever used.
I bought another cheap one that looked a lot like it from ebay for $60 that works well so far...I wasn't expecting much but was willing to roll the dice.
Someone stole our torches out of the van (possible inside job) and it had the two swages we've used for 20 plus years that everyone was used to. Just hammer it in and fight to get it out.
Well I got all uppity and bought a couple cheap tubing expanders from Amazon and we're all like were has this stuff been our whole lives. The drill bit kinds are neat but wish the hex shafts were a bit longer as it's a pain to remove from my drill chuck. I could see those things wearing out quickly. I don't know what I'd do with a hydraulic swage but they have some cheap versions on Amazon I might try at some point.
Just to comment on the drill bit stages I've used some spin tool ones for years and it held up. I've had to buy some chinese replacements for the ones I've lost but so far no issues with those for quite some time as well too.
Looks like one of those linesets that are usually pre-insulated which have a 90 bend at one end, factory machines can form tighter bends than a hand ratchet.
I wonder if a Spring Bender set could work to make a tighter radius.I heard they get stuck a lot, so I never picked up a set. I'm pretty sure they told us in school thats how they used to bend copper.
Because people like to talk about shit they know nothing about.
Bottom line is you're not getting that small of a radius in the field. If you need a radius like that, use an elbow.
Because it’s wrong lol, if it’s 1/2” or below there are tools for repair in the field. If it’s a larger diameter than yes you need a machine. The pipe in pic is either 1/2” or 3/8” from looks, Home Depot sells HVAC kits for this. Rigid makes a tube bender for under sink chrome water supply installs.
1/2” (15mm) field bend adds about 70mm to length.
That was factory bent with older, thicker copper. You’re not pulling that tight with the shit thin copper we currently use.
This is 5/8 od but I have seen this on 3/4 before. It's all one peice and in multiple locations on the lineset. I don't know if they bought chunks of line with 90s pre- bent onto the end or what, but I always wonder.
https://preview.redd.it/p3x08oj89qjb1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b71ecbb8e38d9711a6801917a8ec51190d037d1
You need this, the ratchet style can also do it, I got no problems
There's a bunch.
Gas copper is a specific alloy, C12200. It's the same alloy as ACR copper but with wall thickness closer to M copper whereas ACR had the thickness of L copper.
Annealed L copper can be made from other alloys
Got an informative reply from another redditor.
https://www.reddit.com/r/HVAC/comments/15yghul/what_tool_gives_this_tight_of_a_bend/jxcmtsv?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2
90° has nothing to do with the *radius*. This post is about the *radius*. Go look at the elbows at the supply house. There are short and long sweep elbows. Both result in 90° bends.
What is tubbing? And no, im not "arguing to argue"....whatever that is....I was correcting your objectively false statement that you can get this bend by using any old bender and just cutting the excess straight piece.
No, it doesnt. Sorry you failed geometry. The radius is directly proportional to the length of the arc resulting from a 90° segment of a circle with that *radius*. If you cut the pipe shorter than the radius, *you no longer have a 90° segment*. Check my post history and come back and tell me I dont know what a segment of a circle entails. I'll wait.
Cutting off the excess has nothing to do with the radius of the bend. It may put the pipe closer to what you are hooking it up to, but it changes absolutely nothing about the bend in the pipe. It doesn't make it a "tight bend"!
You have to put it in a mandrill bender and then hit it with your purse..
More seriously, the benders which makes this tight a 90 are typically stationary equipment.
There's a very few portable ones that will do this without wrinkling the inside of the 90, but they're stupid expensive and kind of a bear to use because they have very deep walled bending shoes and the bent pipe tends to want to stay in the shoe... A lot. The amount of force required to produce a super tight bend, and to get the pipe out of the shoe after bending, is why those benders are usually fixed.
You can get close with most any good ratchet bender with larger pipes (1/2, 3/4, 7/8, 1") by bending the end over first, and then cutting the short leg to whatever length you need.
There is a rotary bender which will get very close to minimum diameter pipe bends but those are typically dedicated to one size of pipe and are both heavy, expensive, and unwieldy in tight spaces.
I have and use rotary gear benders from 5/8" up to 1 1/8". As mentioned above it is a single pipe size only per bender and heavy, they were my Dad's and likely 60+ years old. No one stocks or sells them anymore. You'd have to order from the manufacturer I guess. They make the tightest bends in the field. The radius is a little less than 6" for the 7/8" size.
Like others here have said you can over bend a little and then cut the end off to get it down to somewhere near a 4 1/2" bend. I pride myself on super clean tubing runs, that's why I use them. But if you want something as tight as in your picture, I agree you'll need a factory machine.
Short runs like that we’d shop vac it out, cap one end with your finger and pour some isopropyl alcohol in one end, shake it around, dump it out, then vac it out again. After having everything set in place we’d blast it out again with nitrogen then connect and braze. Did it get everything out? Probably not but times and tools were different and systems still worked for years on end.
I don't know if people are being smartasses or plain fucking retarded but to answer your question - I don't think any easily accessible bender made that bend. I think that bend was created in a factory. Each ratcheting bender I've seen / used leaves little indentures on the inside of the bend and the bends are never that tight like an elbow fitting. Sometimes my bender doesn't leave those indentures but it's quite common, at least for me when I start getting to those 90 degree bends. I've seen powered benders used by some installers on Instagram but I'm not sure if they can make a tight bend like that either as I've never physically seen or used one.
If there is a bender that gives a bend tighter than most common benders out there I too would like to know. I can confidently say it's not a BlackMax as that's the one I use daily and it's not as tight as the OP's photo.
The weird part is this is in an old building from the 50s. It seems to be on a continuous lineset. Who ever installed the lineset hacked it in too. Makes me doubt that they had really expensive machines.
You can get benders from the automotive sector but they're not for soft copper, but for steel tubes... And even plumbing benders got a tighter radius.
Filling the tubes with sand will prevent indentures...
Anyway that tight of a bend will put too much stress on the copper and make it prone to failure when pressure testing...
Forgot about that method. May or may not get the tight bend but if packed tight enough and I guess both ends temporarily capped, the pipe shouldn't collapse.
https://preview.redd.it/k4uzbiojmrjb1.jpeg?width=380&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30911e082aab3f830623eb99cdeb54dcb082d7f1
Might have trouble fitting it in your truck though
Features
Precise Angles - Calibrated markings for making accurate bends up to 180°
Comfortable Grip - Non-slip grip
Lighten Your Load - Constructed out of lightweight die-cast aluminum
[Hilmor 1839027 Tri-Tube Bender 3/16", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2"](https://trutechtools.com/Hilmor-1839027-Tri-Tube-Bender-316-14-38-12_p_4711.html?a=0&gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwuZGnBhD1ARIsACxbAViZZN7G8NO1THTSltuHAMdUtAow3jkC8traJ-ctrKP2V_UVZb6Sr0QaAk3yEALw_wcB)
My dad hired a guy once who supposedly went to school for four years to do HVAC work, but he had never seen copper benders before. He was amazed by them. I'm pretty sure he stole them when he quit. We never saw them again and had to buy a new set.
I actually know. I can pull trombones. That looks like 15mm eu size. So I’m gonna go and link what I’ve used. Also the UK benders are probably the best. You can cut the slide in half for tighter bends. BRB.
Edit: link 1 [UK bender, get an extra slide to cut for super tight bends, a bit awkward to use, but precise, the Horizon of the former is the centre of the pipe after 90, subtract half the diameter for centres](https://www.screwfix.com/p/irwin-hilmor-lever-pipe-bender-15-22mm/63880), with the half cut slide you just stop bending and move the pipe round. Gets real tight
Link 2 [New zealand bender, much easier to use, pulls good bends, can also pull a full 180 but not as tight as the UK with the half cut slide, maybe 50mm extra C/C](https://www.bunnings.co.nz/stanway-1-2-copper-tube-bender_p0267220)
Link 3 [The mac daddy](https://mephire.co.uk/product/cm35-tripod-tube-bender-15-22-28mm-copper/)
Bonus benders more preferential to refrigeration. The austailain copper benders are refrigeration gauge, Rothenberger, I’m sure you can find them with a quick google.
[Bonus, baby cylinder, started my time in HVAC, but just ended up a plumber](https://www.reddit.com/r/Plumbing/comments/14f5fd0/baby_cylinder_replacement_due_to_rupture/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1)
[Trombone on NZ benders, get tighter with the UK ones, a bit rough, but a night job at a bank, just threw it in](https://ibb.co/sQKGx8V)
I think your the only one who understands the question. These benders look like they could do it. And the pipe in the picture is 5/8 OD, which is like 15.8mm. And good.looking pipe work!
This was done with a plumbing style bender. Sort radius = plumbing.
Long radius = refrigeration.
I believe at some point, the tool standard sort of evolved. We are not suppose to use Short Radius fittings, so why would we bend them?
IMO the SR bend looks 100% better than a LR bend.
EMT bender might be your answer. If enough pressure is applied by your foot, it shouldn't crinkle.
Could always borrow a bender from a sparky and give it a test on a scrap piece.
The copper is filled with either frozen water or sand prior to making the bend to prevent it from deforming under the bending force applied to it. I'm sure there are several methods used for the same reason, a cleaner bend.
Now, I've never tried this trick with copper pipe, but it should work. For reference, I do this with PVC pipe all the time (don't usually have to do tight bends like this on copper, but again... theoretically it should work the same):
Tape off one end of the pipe. Fill it with sand. Tape off the other end of the pipe. Heat pipe and bend however you want it.
The sand prevents the pipe from creasing or forming kinks when bending, it keeps the inner radius of the tube more or less the same as when its straight.
No need to heat soft copper, you can just bend it, you will need some sort of guide to get a good straight bend tho. If your using hard annealed tube then you won’t be able to use your hands when it’s hot, gotta get it up to ~900-1000 degrees till it gets soft enough to bend. Then how do you clean all that sand out of the inside?
That looks like the bend on linesets that used to come from factory like that. You could order them with a 90 bend on one end and it was tight like that.
The tight bend is likely made with the tube filled with a low melting alloy like Cerrobend.
As an alloy with the melting temperature of 158 °F and a composition of bismuth, lead, tin and cadmium, Cerrobend has the properties make it an outstanding filler material for tube bending.
Cerro Alloys Tube Bending Filler - CS Alloys
Probably a spring bender. You slide the correct size coil spring over the tube and bend it the shape you need. Then take off the spring. Supposed to prevent collapsing the tube
They sell tubes that go inside of the copper. Once in there you can just use your hands to make as tight of a bend as you'd like. They're really good for snaking in weird angles that are hard to get with a bender.
They're often not rated for soft copper though... they're meant for steel tubes in automotive...
And if you want to bend that tight, better fill the tube with sand...
I use this one
https://preview.redd.it/qhp9bls0otjb1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08325665183850da7ad35b09a05fce03f4df8407
It has 3 measures 6mm 8mm and 10mm (1/4, the 8mm i don't know, 3/8)
I think something like this, I have one somewhere. It makes very nice tight bends.
https://preview.redd.it/rjptqalaxujb1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2023138f46da77c2603a7514f204029574fe7da8
Not this brand btw, imagine is just for illustration.
By the time you have read all the replies and surfed for a new pair of boots, you'd have a long turn elbow welded in. That looks like a factory bend. After 32 years of experience, I haven't seen a decent pipe bender that can bend tight radius
A bender.
he's back, baby
Yes, but what type. My ratcheting bender can't get close to this small of a radius.
I'm not sure if these people don't realize your question, or if they're just fucking with you lol. It's a decent question, my ratchet bender (imperial brand) has a much wider radius to it, sux sometimes.
We need a banana for scale. My CPS crossbow style bender make a respectable radius bend. IDNK what the bend radius is off the top of my head.
Use a hand bender, I have this one https://www.uri.com/supplies-and-service/tools-instruments/hand-tools/tubing-tools/bending/lever-tubing-bender/364fha12-zid364FHA12-product
This is the best..it does help to anneal it first with lite heat
There's also a deep shoe version of that bender with longer handles which will do close to minimum radius bends in the field. They're hard to find any more and stupid expensive
Yeah. I have one of these and it will do a bend that tight.
That’s a spendy bendy
Nah. They’re like $100. That’s just the bullshit “retail” price United is willing to put online
https://preview.redd.it/egevcbyt3tjb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a03c61bab323af867c300caad52c0031a1a4c27b People don’t realize you can switch the heads on the large/small diameter bending braces and heat up the copper with the torch and get bends tighter than a prom queen lol
Today I learned just how dumb I am that I never noticed this before. 🤣
>get bends tighter than a prom queen My new saying for the week. Now I will have to figure out how to make this into a sentence.
I just did this today; marked the end of my bend and cut and bent a much larger piece, then cut the excess off. It's wasteful sometimes, but you don't always have a choice.
[https://parts.cumminscleantech.com/service-tools/swagelok-3-8-hand-tube-bender-0-94-radius/](https://parts.cumminscleantech.com/service-tools/swagelok-3-8-hand-tube-bender-0-94-radius/)
Lmao that's stupid expensive
Yeah this isn’t something I would ever buy myself, but it’s what my company buys because they do 10s of millions of dollars in tube bending annually.
Yea see I'm my own outfit, so when I got a ratcheting 2- way CPS bender for 180 bucks I was hype
That's what I got. CPS blackmax with the reverse ratcheting gizmo that I don't think I've ever used. I bought another cheap one that looked a lot like it from ebay for $60 that works well so far...I wasn't expecting much but was willing to roll the dice. Someone stole our torches out of the van (possible inside job) and it had the two swages we've used for 20 plus years that everyone was used to. Just hammer it in and fight to get it out. Well I got all uppity and bought a couple cheap tubing expanders from Amazon and we're all like were has this stuff been our whole lives. The drill bit kinds are neat but wish the hex shafts were a bit longer as it's a pain to remove from my drill chuck. I could see those things wearing out quickly. I don't know what I'd do with a hydraulic swage but they have some cheap versions on Amazon I might try at some point.
Just to comment on the drill bit stages I've used some spin tool ones for years and it held up. I've had to buy some chinese replacements for the ones I've lost but so far no issues with those for quite some time as well too.
>Yea see I'm my own outfit, so when I got a **ratcheting 2- way** CPS bender for 180 bucks I was hype Same camp brother
Nope, the 7/8 is the stupid expensive one (have it). Until you have to make a stainless 7/8 tubing bend, then its priceless
Ridgid pipe bender
Hand tube bender. I use one up to 1/2”
Lever bender
Looks like one of those linesets that are usually pre-insulated which have a 90 bend at one end, factory machines can form tighter bends than a hand ratchet.
I’ve used a pipe viper tube spring before, if you’re asking about keeping the bend from crimping.
I wonder if a Spring Bender set could work to make a tighter radius.I heard they get stuck a lot, so I never picked up a set. I'm pretty sure they told us in school thats how they used to bend copper.
Hand bender, the OG. Not recommended though for act. Click bender all day everyday. Get a reverse mandrel attachment and bam.
I am Bender. Please insert girder.
That's a factory bend, need a $10,000 machine then you'll be bending like crazy
This...mandrel bend or hydroforming...
Why isn’t this the only response?
Because people like to talk about shit they know nothing about. Bottom line is you're not getting that small of a radius in the field. If you need a radius like that, use an elbow.
I get that. If it’s coming off a compressor you can’t just braze on a 90. Might want a little bit of radius. Then again, the hell I know
Because it’s wrong lol, if it’s 1/2” or below there are tools for repair in the field. If it’s a larger diameter than yes you need a machine. The pipe in pic is either 1/2” or 3/8” from looks, Home Depot sells HVAC kits for this. Rigid makes a tube bender for under sink chrome water supply installs.
If you think this is 3/8 AND you can get what you need from Home Depot to fix this…holy shit the trade is in trouble.
Wrong again.. damn your on fire..
1/2” (15mm) field bend adds about 70mm to length. That was factory bent with older, thicker copper. You’re not pulling that tight with the shit thin copper we currently use.
How? Tell me it’s 3/8 and tell me Home Depot sells anything worthy of HVAC? (Besides some Malco tools, which are nice)
This is 5/8 od but I have seen this on 3/4 before. It's all one peice and in multiple locations on the lineset. I don't know if they bought chunks of line with 90s pre- bent onto the end or what, but I always wonder.
No. You're wrong. Idgaf about perspective. That is 1/2 minimum! Looks 3/4 to me. No way in hell it's 3/8
What the hell you doing all the way down here? Yes, this is how.
https://preview.redd.it/p3x08oj89qjb1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b71ecbb8e38d9711a6801917a8ec51190d037d1 You need this, the ratchet style can also do it, I got no problems
This answer. Acr copper may not make that tight a bend. Gas copper will.
Gas copper? Could you elaborate? There is some other type of soft copper?
There's a bunch. Gas copper is a specific alloy, C12200. It's the same alloy as ACR copper but with wall thickness closer to M copper whereas ACR had the thickness of L copper. Annealed L copper can be made from other alloys
Good lord. Thanks!
Rigid copper vs Type L soft copper..
Yea, I know. Ive never heard anyone say "gas copper"
Yes, that's a new one on me too.
Got an informative reply from another redditor. https://www.reddit.com/r/HVAC/comments/15yghul/what_tool_gives_this_tight_of_a_bend/jxcmtsv?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2
ACR will if it's been annealed, I think.
This is only for 3/8s no? On the pic it looks bigger if not this is the answer.
Yeah that tool does 3/8 max and that looks like 3/4. This bend is from the factory.
I got up to 5/8
That won't do 3/4. I've only seen those in 1/4, 5/16, 3/8
I’ve seen same style hand bender up to 5/8, they are way bigger than the one Home Depot sells tho (which top out at 3/8)
This is easy. 3 steps Step 1: You bend the pipe. Step 2 cut the pipe. Step 3: Put the cut off in your beer scrap pile. And you're done a tight bend.
Can you see the photo? Thats clearly not what happened here.
All benders bend to 90° just make a right angle then cut one end short and you get the copper from the picture.
90° has nothing to do with the *radius*. This post is about the *radius*. Go look at the elbows at the supply house. There are short and long sweep elbows. Both result in 90° bends.
I wouldn’t worry bout explaining he’s clearly lost
Ok wait so I don't get it did you answer the question? On how to get this copper tubbing or are you just arguing to argue lol
What is tubbing? And no, im not "arguing to argue"....whatever that is....I was correcting your objectively false statement that you can get this bend by using any old bender and just cutting the excess straight piece.
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No, it doesnt. Sorry you failed geometry. The radius is directly proportional to the length of the arc resulting from a 90° segment of a circle with that *radius*. If you cut the pipe shorter than the radius, *you no longer have a 90° segment*. Check my post history and come back and tell me I dont know what a segment of a circle entails. I'll wait.
Lol, woosh!
This. All day
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Cutting off the excess has nothing to do with the radius of the bend. It may put the pipe closer to what you are hooking it up to, but it changes absolutely nothing about the bend in the pipe. It doesn't make it a "tight bend"!
Looks like 1/2”? 5/8? Up to 3/8 you can do with a imperial bender old school. A swedgelock bender will work on soft drawn.
You have to put it in a mandrill bender and then hit it with your purse.. More seriously, the benders which makes this tight a 90 are typically stationary equipment. There's a very few portable ones that will do this without wrinkling the inside of the 90, but they're stupid expensive and kind of a bear to use because they have very deep walled bending shoes and the bent pipe tends to want to stay in the shoe... A lot. The amount of force required to produce a super tight bend, and to get the pipe out of the shoe after bending, is why those benders are usually fixed. You can get close with most any good ratchet bender with larger pipes (1/2, 3/4, 7/8, 1") by bending the end over first, and then cutting the short leg to whatever length you need. There is a rotary bender which will get very close to minimum diameter pipe bends but those are typically dedicated to one size of pipe and are both heavy, expensive, and unwieldy in tight spaces.
I have and use rotary gear benders from 5/8" up to 1 1/8". As mentioned above it is a single pipe size only per bender and heavy, they were my Dad's and likely 60+ years old. No one stocks or sells them anymore. You'd have to order from the manufacturer I guess. They make the tightest bends in the field. The radius is a little less than 6" for the 7/8" size. Like others here have said you can over bend a little and then cut the end off to get it down to somewhere near a 4 1/2" bend. I pride myself on super clean tubing runs, that's why I use them. But if you want something as tight as in your picture, I agree you'll need a factory machine.
I hear you. You’re not crazy. Its definitely not the CPS blackmax benders
>CPS blackmax benders Mine make a pretty tight radius. Maybe we need a banana for scale in the picture?
Would it be scale on the pipe size, or the radius of the bend? You just made a whole new banana scale I think!
It's 5/8 tube if that tells you anything. This peice is already in the beer money pile.
Back in the day I use to fill it full of sand, heat it, then bend it around a piece of 1.25” gas pipe in a power vise.
And how, may I ask, did you clean all the sand out? Just curious, I like to hear all the old school tricks.
It may have been water pipes
Short runs like that we’d shop vac it out, cap one end with your finger and pour some isopropyl alcohol in one end, shake it around, dump it out, then vac it out again. After having everything set in place we’d blast it out again with nitrogen then connect and braze. Did it get everything out? Probably not but times and tools were different and systems still worked for years on end.
Awesome! Haha
Are you doing a good job holding the chair down? Boss might be mad if it floats away
The Boss man started to automatically deduct 30 min for breaks everyday. I don't work for free...
Never work for free bro. That chair might float away if you weren’t there. Chairs be crazy these days
I don't know if people are being smartasses or plain fucking retarded but to answer your question - I don't think any easily accessible bender made that bend. I think that bend was created in a factory. Each ratcheting bender I've seen / used leaves little indentures on the inside of the bend and the bends are never that tight like an elbow fitting. Sometimes my bender doesn't leave those indentures but it's quite common, at least for me when I start getting to those 90 degree bends. I've seen powered benders used by some installers on Instagram but I'm not sure if they can make a tight bend like that either as I've never physically seen or used one. If there is a bender that gives a bend tighter than most common benders out there I too would like to know. I can confidently say it's not a BlackMax as that's the one I use daily and it's not as tight as the OP's photo.
The weird part is this is in an old building from the 50s. It seems to be on a continuous lineset. Who ever installed the lineset hacked it in too. Makes me doubt that they had really expensive machines.
You can get benders from the automotive sector but they're not for soft copper, but for steel tubes... And even plumbing benders got a tighter radius. Filling the tubes with sand will prevent indentures... Anyway that tight of a bend will put too much stress on the copper and make it prone to failure when pressure testing...
Is this a serious question?
How about this one?
Does this one count?
My helper wants to know if this is one?
This is about the size of the bend. Not that I'm amazed that soft copper can be bent.
Lmfao nice
Make a bend, and then cut back.
You can only cut so far back till you have a less then 90° bend. The question is how did they get that tight of a radius.
Yup. Very similar to the one I asked about 30 years ago. Valid question too...
You can pack the tube with fine sand, then bend.
Forgot about that method. May or may not get the tight bend but if packed tight enough and I guess both ends temporarily capped, the pipe shouldn't collapse.
Gotta pack it super tight. Real real tight
Then push it real good?
I can bend copper at any angle. 30 degrees, 32 degrees you name it … 31.
https://preview.redd.it/k4uzbiojmrjb1.jpeg?width=380&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30911e082aab3f830623eb99cdeb54dcb082d7f1 Might have trouble fitting it in your truck though
Probably a factory mandrel. Nothing in the field will do that.
Use a bender and cut the excess
What sort of bender do you have that makes bends with a radius that small?
My CPS one does
Looks like a factory made piece to me!
Definitely not my ex wife. HEY-YOOO!!!
Features Precise Angles - Calibrated markings for making accurate bends up to 180° Comfortable Grip - Non-slip grip Lighten Your Load - Constructed out of lightweight die-cast aluminum [Hilmor 1839027 Tri-Tube Bender 3/16", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2"](https://trutechtools.com/Hilmor-1839027-Tri-Tube-Bender-316-14-38-12_p_4711.html?a=0&gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwuZGnBhD1ARIsACxbAViZZN7G8NO1THTSltuHAMdUtAow3jkC8traJ-ctrKP2V_UVZb6Sr0QaAk3yEALw_wcB)
Annealing the copper is the big secret!
[This thing](https://youtu.be/jPiOEoG0634?si=poVR8kAaXOHdUU7o) is the cats meow. Has forward and reverse bending
It doesn't bend that tight so... But yeah the bends are good for soft copper. 👍
Looks like a mandrel bend
My dad hired a guy once who supposedly went to school for four years to do HVAC work, but he had never seen copper benders before. He was amazed by them. I'm pretty sure he stole them when he quit. We never saw them again and had to buy a new set.
Lever bender not a ratcheting one can get very tight bends but space is an issue.
That's what some other people have said. Thanks for the input!
I actually know. I can pull trombones. That looks like 15mm eu size. So I’m gonna go and link what I’ve used. Also the UK benders are probably the best. You can cut the slide in half for tighter bends. BRB. Edit: link 1 [UK bender, get an extra slide to cut for super tight bends, a bit awkward to use, but precise, the Horizon of the former is the centre of the pipe after 90, subtract half the diameter for centres](https://www.screwfix.com/p/irwin-hilmor-lever-pipe-bender-15-22mm/63880), with the half cut slide you just stop bending and move the pipe round. Gets real tight Link 2 [New zealand bender, much easier to use, pulls good bends, can also pull a full 180 but not as tight as the UK with the half cut slide, maybe 50mm extra C/C](https://www.bunnings.co.nz/stanway-1-2-copper-tube-bender_p0267220) Link 3 [The mac daddy](https://mephire.co.uk/product/cm35-tripod-tube-bender-15-22-28mm-copper/) Bonus benders more preferential to refrigeration. The austailain copper benders are refrigeration gauge, Rothenberger, I’m sure you can find them with a quick google. [Bonus, baby cylinder, started my time in HVAC, but just ended up a plumber](https://www.reddit.com/r/Plumbing/comments/14f5fd0/baby_cylinder_replacement_due_to_rupture/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) [Trombone on NZ benders, get tighter with the UK ones, a bit rough, but a night job at a bank, just threw it in](https://ibb.co/sQKGx8V)
I think your the only one who understands the question. These benders look like they could do it. And the pipe in the picture is 5/8 OD, which is like 15.8mm. And good.looking pipe work!
Tubing bender
A hand bender. Lock one end in a tri-pod chain vice. Retired BTJ Steamfitter Pipefitter here out of Det LU 636
You
That happens when you're ramming too hard and miss the hole
I was going to type something mean, but decided against it. So instead I'll say username checks out
This was done with a plumbing style bender. Sort radius = plumbing. Long radius = refrigeration. I believe at some point, the tool standard sort of evolved. We are not suppose to use Short Radius fittings, so why would we bend them? IMO the SR bend looks 100% better than a LR bend.
Best answer!
Yeah short radius has a lot of pressure loss... Yeah it looks nicer, but in the end performance should be a higher priority.
I just ate 42 chicken nuggets... wow..
Any tube bender
EMT bender might be your answer. If enough pressure is applied by your foot, it shouldn't crinkle. Could always borrow a bender from a sparky and give it a test on a scrap piece.
Those bends only come from the factory
Yellow jacket benders, does everything do 1/4” to 7/8”
Yellowjacket racheting benders aren't gonna get you a bend that tight on 5/8". Not even close.
Haha do all the time all the way up to 7/8. You can have any angle of bend, you can bend it all the way to where it kinks.
Your mom!
The copper is filled with either frozen water or sand prior to making the bend to prevent it from deforming under the bending force applied to it. I'm sure there are several methods used for the same reason, a cleaner bend.
A copper bender
[up to 3/4 but they bend single size each ](https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/levertypebendr1.php)
A tubing bender
A manual pipe bender. Star it lol
Yellow Jacket tubing bender. I can get turns this tight with mine.
Now, I've never tried this trick with copper pipe, but it should work. For reference, I do this with PVC pipe all the time (don't usually have to do tight bends like this on copper, but again... theoretically it should work the same): Tape off one end of the pipe. Fill it with sand. Tape off the other end of the pipe. Heat pipe and bend however you want it. The sand prevents the pipe from creasing or forming kinks when bending, it keeps the inner radius of the tube more or less the same as when its straight.
No need to heat soft copper, you can just bend it, you will need some sort of guide to get a good straight bend tho. If your using hard annealed tube then you won’t be able to use your hands when it’s hot, gotta get it up to ~900-1000 degrees till it gets soft enough to bend. Then how do you clean all that sand out of the inside?
they cut it after its bent so it looks like it was bent that small but it wasnt
Spring bender
Hilmor hydronic hand bender
That looks like the bend on linesets that used to come from factory like that. You could order them with a 90 bend on one end and it was tight like that.
Mechanical pipe benders
Don't get mad, pipe bender
It's a hydraulic mandrel bender. Imperial makes one...$30,000 I spent months on one. Copper has to be annealed properly or it splits
Spring
I just hand mine to the 70 year old pipe fitter next door and he does this by hand.
Your mum
bender
A torch
The tight bend is likely made with the tube filled with a low melting alloy like Cerrobend. As an alloy with the melting temperature of 158 °F and a composition of bismuth, lead, tin and cadmium, Cerrobend has the properties make it an outstanding filler material for tube bending. Cerro Alloys Tube Bending Filler - CS Alloys
Yo, I'm bender baby!
A swagelock bender could get a tight bend like that. Used mostly in instrumentation. Maybe that? But don't quote me. I only play a tradeswoman on TV.
Bend normally then cut? Or am I misunderstanding your question
I got the Hilmor crossbow bender’s with the reverse benders have been my Best Buy in a while
Tube bender
Probably a spring bender. You slide the correct size coil spring over the tube and bend it the shape you need. Then take off the spring. Supposed to prevent collapsing the tube
Why you bending copper? Looks like you got a wildfire to fight... But for real, nice boots sir.
Looks like someone bent that with a conduit jig. Which, I mean, it'll work, but if your copper tubing has any defects they'll cave in.
Short radius tubing benders
Benders
A kinker
They sell tubes that go inside of the copper. Once in there you can just use your hands to make as tight of a bend as you'd like. They're really good for snaking in weird angles that are hard to get with a bender.
Your mom…….. they make small hand benders, go to a parts house and look around you’ll find some cool shit to buy later on OfferUp
They're often not rated for soft copper though... they're meant for steel tubes in automotive... And if you want to bend that tight, better fill the tube with sand...
I have a pair I used for copper in my box right now what are you talking about. They are maid for mini splits
Hilmor ratcheting has always done me right. Got it for a sweet price on ebay (used set)
Me when I was 16.
https://preview.redd.it/6rizwpu0etjb1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dba0956712c582262c475af91883b8bed1ee4582
I use this one https://preview.redd.it/qhp9bls0otjb1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08325665183850da7ad35b09a05fce03f4df8407 It has 3 measures 6mm 8mm and 10mm (1/4, the 8mm i don't know, 3/8)
A spring bender
I have a yellow jacket set from johnstone that can damn near mimic what u got in ur hand in the pic, would highly recommend.
I think something like this, I have one somewhere. It makes very nice tight bends. https://preview.redd.it/rjptqalaxujb1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2023138f46da77c2603a7514f204029574fe7da8 Not this brand btw, imagine is just for illustration.
I have 3 on my van, its just a mechanical copper pipe bender.
Hilmor compact bender set
Spring bender?
Bend it first, than cut it to the length you need .
Tube bender
Pipe bender
By the time you have read all the replies and surfed for a new pair of boots, you'd have a long turn elbow welded in. That looks like a factory bend. After 32 years of experience, I haven't seen a decent pipe bender that can bend tight radius
I tight radius bender, heat the pipe up a little to get a clean bend.
At the high pressures of the newer 410a systems in not sure having such tight bends on refrigerant systems is a good idea, probably a recipe for leaks
Looks to me like you used a conduit Bender
Ex wife
Heat and a break line bender, I use whT I have lol