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Thread: How do you bend a tube?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
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    32

    Default How do you bend a tube?

    Hello again,

    I recently made a baby teething ring necklace using a silver tube, but I had a lot of trouble getting the tube into a true circle. I'd flattened the circle a bit to solder the two ends together, but I was then stumped how to get rid of the 'bump'. Obviously with a piece of wire, you can just hammer it on a round mandrel, but that's not an option with a hollow tube. What's the trick?

    Thanks in advance,

    Karen

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
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    1,086

    Default

    Well, plumbers put a spring inside the tube to stop a round pipe squishing when they bend it..can you improvise something similar? I'm sure that there is a more jewellery way to do it, though.
    Author: Pearls A Practical Guide
    www.pearlsapractical.guide
    www.Pearlescence.co.uk

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
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    32

    Default

    Interesting...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
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    England
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    If the tube is a wide diameter with a thin wall, fill it with setters cement, bend it into a slightly smaller circle than required so that the ends overlap, then gently heat the tube and melt the cement out before annealing the whole piece to burn off any remaining cement, finally clean the ends of the tube, align the circle, flux and solder.

    James

  5. #5
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    Feb 2011
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    Scotland
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    Default

    Thanks James, I didn't know that either it's a useful thing to know

  6. #6
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    Sep 2014
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    Ive been wondering this for ages!
    Have read other things like put a wire inside or fill with sand but this sounds like a far better idea as I was thinking if the wire was thick enough to prevent the tube kinking it would be next to impossible to remove once bent.

  7. #7
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    Sep 2014
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  8. #8
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    Aug 2010
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    England
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    Quote Originally Posted by enigma View Post
    Would this stuff work James?
    This is what I have in atm:
    http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...rcode-999-2383
    Yes Sarah, I have the same stuff, I forgot to add that I would heat up the tube before filing it with the setters cement, this helps the cement fill the tube before it sets.

    James

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Posts
    38

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by enigma View Post
    Would this stuff work James?
    This is what I have in atm:
    http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...rcode-999-2383
    I see the description includes this advice:

    "Any residue can be removed with alcohol."

    This conjures up a picture of a glass of wine helping things along

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Romsey
    Posts
    5,256

    Default

    Vodka will work better, although I tend to use meths for cleaning and drink the vodka.

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