How to get the tightest bend

[sianhan]

I've fully watercooled my rampage 2 board but have taken my loop apart for cleaning and need som new tubing for my mosfets.

I previously used Viperjohns tygon tight bends but have emailed him and he's stoped making them :(

The mosfets are fairly close together so i need a really tight bend on the tube.

I don't want to use anti kink coils or any metal tubes.

Must be clear tubing.

Any ideas on how to bend the tubing would be great tried hot water doesn't work

Or if anyone knows someone or company that does let me know

[lowfat]

1. Use 3/8ID 5/8OD tubing.
2. Use 45˚ or 90˚ rotary fittings.

Not much else you can do if you don't want to use coils.

[Utnorris]

There was a thread about this some time ago. Some were using springs inserted into the tubing and creating the bend they wanted. They then dropped it into a pan of near boiling water, left it for a few minutes and then pulled it out and put it in a bucket of ice water. This would mold the tubing to the desired shape/bend.

[voigts]

Get a long spring that is as close to the tubing ID as possible (hardware store). Put the tubing with the spring in it into something that will hold the round shape you want like a big mug or small bowl. Submerge it into boiling water for a couple of minutes. Then put into cold water with ice cubes for a couple of minutes. Repeat this a few times, and the tubing will mold to the shape you have it in. Then just take it out of the cup/bowl/whatever, and remove the spring.

[Vinas]

Use soft copper tubing inside the tygon to get the bend. Biold some water and drop it in there. Let it boil for 5 - 10 minutes and remove. Repeat as necessary.

They sell soft copper tubing at any hardware store.

[NaeKuh]

how much of your flow do you want to preserve?

edit: no metal fittings?

Not possible, not going to happen, not without 45's at the very least.

The bend is too much, and over time will collapse the tubing unless u add a spring to compress the tubing.
And even then, if the spring isnt a metal spring, it will crack and your tubing will eventually collapse over time.

[Alexandr0s]

Agreed with NaeKuh. I'm assuming you want to bridge CPU to mosfets with a piece of tubing? That distance is very short, and it's hard to get it right without the tubing collapsing. Consider using 90 degree fittings, or redesign your route.

I'd consider 3-4 inches the shortest distance one can bridge without an extremely large chance of kinking (depends on your tubing, read this (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=157370) thread).

[Martinm210]

Get a long spring that is as close to the tubing ID as possible (hardware store). Put the tubing with the spring in it into something that will hold the round shape you want like a big mug or small bowl. Submerge it into boiling water for a couple of minutes. Then put into cold water with ice cubes for a couple of minutes. Repeat this a few times, and the tubing will mold to the shape you have it in. Then just take it out of the cup/bowl/whatever, and remove the spring.

+1 spring or copper tube >boil/ice/boil/ice/boil/ice:up:

[Church]

Is repetitious heating up/cooling needed, once is not enough?

[Martinm210]

Is repetitious heating up/cooling needed, once is not enough?

From what I have read it takes a few times of boiling>ice to get the very best result. Haven't tried it myself though...just what I gathered. You can make some pretty intense tight bends with this method.

I also heard that the more stiff tubing works better which I guess makes sense..obviously thick walled would be better too for holding shape.

[defect9]

I think I saw someone use large nylon cord (or some kind of rope equivalent) stuck in the tubing so it wouldn't collapse while heating/chilling. pretty much anything that keeps it from deforming improperly.

[Waterlogged]

From what I have read it takes a few times of boiling>ice to get the very best result. Haven't tried it myself though...just what I gathered. You can make some pretty intense tight bends with this method.

I also heard that the more stiff tubing works better which I guess makes sense..obviously thick walled would be better too for holding shape.

^This

I've done this with Primochill LRT and nylon tubing, definitely got better results with the nylon but the LRT was easier to do. Got better results using a spring that matched inside diameter of the tubing than rope. Should work well for anyone using PUR or PE too...hmm, maybe I'll break out my push-in's again and try this out on the PUR I have lying around. :idea:

[sianhan]

Bow down to the legends

Thanks guys for passing on the knowledge thought i was stuffed there for a minute this website is worth its weight in gold

I love my loop the way it is and dont want to change the layout

i've just purchase a 10mm bending spring from amazon should be just right for my hose which is 7/16-5/8

thanks a lot

[K404]

noob question from me....

If springs are used to hold the internal structure of the tubing while it's heated up, does the plastic not melt a little and become.... well..... ribbed? :)

[Gamekiller]

noob question from me....

If springs are used to hold the internal structure of the tubing while it's heated up, does the plastic not melt a little and become.... well..... ribbed? :)

That's the way I was picturing it in my head while reading about it in this thread. I have the same question. :D

[voigts]

That's the way I was picturing it in my head while reading about it in this thread. I have the same question. :D

It does, but only very slightly. Not enough to be noticeable or make a difference.

I did this with Primochill LRT on my Zenith build, and it works great. I am using it to join the top and bottom barbs on side my side stacked 320 rads, so the barbs are maybe 2 1/4" apart or so.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCaseIV/18Nov09/tubeBending1.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCaseIV/18Nov09/tubeBending2.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCaseIV/18Nov09/tubeBending3.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCaseIV/18Nov09/tubeBending4.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCaseIV/18Nov09/tubeBending7.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCaseIV/18Nov09/tubeBending8.jpg

Without the heating/cooling ritual, there is no way the tubing would make this bend without kinking. I have been running it this way now for over a year with no collapsing or kinking at all. And yes, you do need to do the heating/cooling several times for the best results.

[Church]

Voigts: nice pics, illustrating the process well. :up:

[NaeKuh]

OMG i became da movieman? :O

[Church]

Lol, nice one, Naekuh :D :rofl:

Oh, and Martin now became FUGGER, i wonder who else got their account names switched today :)

[Waterlogged]

OMG i became da movieman? :O

Your not the only one, check out WCG. Anyone in maroon is MM and XIP's are Fugger's. :p:

[Gamb311]

I'm trying to boil up some tight bends but I'm running into a problem with my process. I'm using the coil + clear primochill tubing. The coil leaves behind its little ribbed marks on the clear tubing :( Not good with copper tube, I can't bend it exactly how I want it. Coil would be good if I could avoid the marks its leaving behind.

*edit- Also leaving a foggyness to the clear tubing. I tried scrubbing off but was a no go.

*edit- Does Viper John still sell tight bends?

[Kenjiwing]

voigts.. thanks a lot for the guide with pics!

[D749]

It does, but only very slightly. Not enough to be noticeable or make a difference.

I did this with Primochill LRT on my Zenith build, and it works great. I am using it to join the top and bottom barbs on side my side stacked 320 rads, so the barbs are maybe 2 1/4" apart or so.

Without the heating/cooling ritual, there is no way the tubing would make this bend without kinking. I have been running it this way now for over a year with no collapsing or kinking at all. And yes, you do need to do the heating/cooling several times for the best results.

If I'm using 1/2" ID 3/4" OD Norprene tubing what would you recommend for the OD of a spring? 1/2" OD spring would match the ID of the tubing but it would probably be too tight? I was looking here: http://www.mcmaster.com/#springs/=cg5x9h

Thanks.

[Gamb311]

7/16 is what I'm using

[crazy1323]

This should do the trick for you.


http://www.mcmaster.com/#extension-springs/=cg6ysi

[Vinas]

Soft copper tubing is a lot easier to get very specific bends. I can do hair tight S curves using the copper inside of the tubing. :up:

If you use clear tubing only boil it for a few seconds, then ice bath to avoid cloudyness. :D

[Gamb311]

I'll be retrying the copper tube technique. Here is what happens for me when I use coil+clear tubing.

[Vinas]

I'll be retrying the copper tube technique. Here is what happens for me when I use coil+clear tubing.I found the same. Although to be fair, the bumps from the spring are usually underneath the bend so they aren't very visible (usually the smooth side is facing up).

[Church]

Has someone tried using sand as antikink measure while softening tubing in hot water?

[D749]

This should do the trick for you.


http://www.mcmaster.com/#extension-springs/=cg6ysi

Thanks. Guess I'll find one just below 1/2" OD and give it a shot.

[Manicdan]

Has someone tried using sand as antikink measure while softening tubing in hot water?

i used foil, just rolled it up nice and thick and worked pretty well. except that i needed a 90 degree bend on the end of 2 tubes, when i should have made a 180 degree bend and chop it in half. the end result wasnt too bad

[Gamb311]

Has someone tried using sand as antikink measure while softening tubing in hot water?

Fill tube with sand and boil? Hmm never crossed my mind. With my luck sand would get molded into the tubing.

[coolhandluke41]

Fill tube with sand and boil? Hmm never crossed my mind. With my luck sand would get molded into the tubing.

this;
http://www.amazon.com/Crawford-Lehigh-N14100-16-Inch-100-Foot-Solid/dp/B0009WG66G

[Gamb311]

Nice thx for link. Think I'll buy some!

[coolhandluke41]

Nice thx for link. Think I'll buy some!

you can buy 25' in your local store:up:

[voigts]

I don't use clear tubing so a little bit of spring marks on the inside of the tubing makes no difference to me. The cord or copper tubing would both work work as well. You just need something to keep the tubing from collapsing. Sand isn't the best idea as I wouldn't want to risk getting any embedded into the side of the tubing and then later having it come out and wreak havoc on my pump.