Pipe bending

[Kayos]

I've had a hell of a time with 22mm copper kinking recently while doing the new central heating work at home. I've tried everything from annealing it to bending as slowly as I can, I've polished the former and guides, oiled them everything! Still links like a ****** though.
It's just **** poor quality pipe and I've tried all the different makes I can find round here.
Makes a simple job a real PITA!

It will either be Wendsbury or Yorkshire

I never anneal and I bend pipe most days

 

[dobbslc]

What bender do you have @Kayos ?

 

[Kayos]

What bender do you have @Kayos ?

I think its Hilmore, it was yellow but it's about 15 years old

 

[Robotstar5]

Use plastic pipes.

John guest speedfit pipe. It's alot easier than messing around with 15 mm copper pipe. I usually use it under the floor boards or in loft areas and places that you can't see as it's quicker into install as you can get it in coils of 25m or length of 3 m.

It's not as neat as copper pipe so make sure use plenty brackets if it's on show.

I don't think plastic would give the same effect as this? not mine, but it gives an idea of what I want to do.

 

[Kayos]

They look soldered

 

[Robotstar5]

They look soldered

They are, it was just to show plastic wouldn't really work as a showpiece.

 

[Kayos]

They are, it was just to show plastic wouldn't really work as a showpiece.

Threaded stainless steel?

 

[brightspark]

I plumbed an old terrace house years ago, no pipework in the building at all. Customer said he would supply the copper pipe, Anyway it turned out to be schedule one grade, the walls were like tissue paper, couldn't bend at all, had to use fittings for everything, usual schedule three bends with no trouble, Do they still make the thin wall stuff?

don't think so it was made when there was a copper shortage
and called it red stripe and it has a red stripe down it they wired houses with aluminium wire and its rubbish as the aluminium creeps loosens and burns out

 

[Kayos]

don't think so it was made when there was a copper shortage
and called it red stripe and it has a red stripe down it they wired houses with aluminium wire and its rubbish as the aluminium creeps loosens and burns out

Had a red stripe as you cant use it on gas, its thin even compared to modern stuff

 

[Robotstar5]

Threaded stainless steel?

I think copper goes better with the polished Brass parts?

 

[Kayos]

I think copper goes better with the polished Brass parts?

True, I've been doing a Victorian style bathroom and I've used brass clips on the exposed copper pipe

 

[maz0]

Use plastic pipes.

Not if you have any history of mice activity. You will be pulling up floorboards carpets, fitted wooden floors and re-doing it all in copper!

 

[dobbslc]

Yep.

 

[fzr phil]

For a one-off project like that, maybe try and get some fridge pipe. It is thicker wall and can be bent around a bit more easily with the right tools.
Usually comes in imperial measuement e.g 5/8", 1/2" 3/4", 3/8" e.t.c

Phil