How did you bent your aluminium tube (craddle)

[blackz34]

There's no place around here that will bend my tube. A place I tried was saying they would need to put a chrome insert in the tube to prevent deformation that would cost over 1000$ to do because they didn't have it.

So those who have done the full craddle replacement, how did you bent your tube?

Thank you!

[cmotodad]

I just bent my cradles. Sand, wood plugs and a piece of 2in. sq. steel tube with a 90 in it, vice and a propane torch. Not sure of the daimeter of the 90 bend. It was laying around my garage. Took my son and I @ 20.min to do 2.

[nmdesertrider]

Check out this gorilla
Lots of other vids on youtube

[AlisoBob]

I just bent my cradles. Sand, wood plugs and a piece of 2in. sq. steel tube with a 90 in it, vice and a propane torch. Not sure of the daimeter of the 90 bend. It was laying around my garage. Took my son and I @ 20.min to do 2.

Thats a Hoon talking, right there.....

[cmotodad]

Are you making Fun? I do work for a forging-heat treat facility. The project managers gave me some info on 6061. They said " That is soft material, you can bend it this way no problem. They even said you could put it in the bathtub with hot water only. Make your bends. Maybe your wife would say no. I did not tell mine on a trial run. Instead, I just brushed it a propane torch. I could still touch it with bare hands.

[seanmx57]

I just bent my cradles. Sand, wood plugs and a piece of 2in. sq. steel tube with a 90 in it, vice and a propane torch. Not sure of the daimeter of the 90 bend. It was laying around my garage. Took my son and I @ 20.min to do 2.

Thats a Hoon talking, right there.....

Compliment.........

[blackz34]

I just bent my cradles. Sand, wood plugs and a piece of 2in. sq. steel tube with a 90 in it, vice and a propane torch. Not sure of the daimeter of the 90 bend. It was laying around my garage. Took my son and I @ 20.min to do 2.

Do you have some pics ? I might try something myself this week...

[asteroid500]

sand has been used i pipe bending for over a 100 years...i do it

[mxdogger]

my tubing was bent using a 4 1/2" sq. die in what i think is a rototary bender, was bent about 70* degrees.

material used was 6061 t6 1" x 1" x .125" sq. round corner id/od tubing.

no heat, annealing was applied. bends are flat and smooth, no collapsing of the radius and no cracking or sign of metal fatigue.

[cmotodad]

That looks to be the 100% right way to do it. I do not have access to a bender and very little patience to find one in my area. The bends on my tube look no different than yours. As long as the strength is there, how it is bent, makes no difference in the project.

[gregrobo]

sand has been used i pipe bending for over a 100 years...i do it

thats the simple explination of mandrel bending

[blackz34]

I just bent mine myself today! Turns out great I will post some pics soon of how I did it.