making cross over pipe

[bassmonster]

Hi all,
i want to start making my own cross over pipe like in the pic. what tool is used to make the ends of the pipe...

 

[erpkid]

They are made with a flaring tool after annealing the ends. Rothenberger make one, handy to have as you can make your own fittings from scrap.

 

[bassmonster]

thanks for the info erpkid...i've never come across the world annealing . I've had a look on ebay but most say they are for brake tools. would you be able to kindly provide me with a link to one?

 

[oz-plumber]

We call them pipe expanders.
Rothenberger and Ridgid make them.

The lever arms are the same - you will have to check the expander heads to get the right size for the pipe you wish to expand

 

[Killy Bing]

Bass, our copper pipe is a little..... Thin!

this does weaken it.

can't you pull them in the bender as you go?

 

[bassmonster]

KB, i'm not too sure what you mean by pulling them in the bender?

 

[Killy Bing]

KB, i'm not too sure what you mean by pulling them in the bender?

Just bend them into the pipe, no joins and no weakening the copper from expanding it.
also you wont be able to get it as small as the premade cross overs.

if you expand the pipe too far up you're already expanding the weakened wall from the bending further =not good

i've used maybe....three of these in three years.
just bend half and full cross overs

 

[bassmonster]

ahhh..of course, i see what you mean....makes perfect sense..

 

[Killy Bing]

You see older installations with expanded pipe, look at imperial pipe thickness over current metric.

on my attempts with the newer stuff its just too thin. Some of the 15mm split while doing it even with annealing.

those premade fittings are thicker than the actual pipe if you look and they are made to that shape where as we have to manipulate the copper.

while expanding pipe you're stretching it and reducing the wall thickness

just as bending has the same effect on the outer bend.

refrigeration guys expand their copper and braze but the soft copper they use is much thicker

don't get me wrong its a great idea but i tried the same thing.

 

[AWheating]

its called 2 x 15mm couplers.

 

[Killy Bing]

its called 2 x 15mm couplers.

would just aswell bend a 90 and ues two 45's to make it tighter

 

[quality]

Its not possible to make the preformed cross overs the same size with hand tools. but you can use the previous suggestions to acheive the same result

 

[kay-jay]

thanks for the info erpkid...i've never come across the world annealing . I've had a look on ebay but most say they are for brake tools. would you be able to kindly provide me with a link to one?

Anealing is heating metal till it softens/hardens with temperature. It is nothing to do with flaring the pipe per se. But in an industrial process the manufacturers will anneal metals to harden tools or make metal malleable for working. The closest we get is heating a bit of 28mm upwards copper pipe filled with sand to soften it so it can be bent.
The flarimg tool required to .ake the sockets required on pipe ends is simply a tapered tool that you ang into the pipe with a hammer this flaring the end

 

[Chalked]

How many are you gong to use to warrant making them. .? Either use a bender or order some from BES. £1.35 each.

 

[starbs]

Get the pipe bender out and create them yourself to clear the obstacle in question that is if you have a pipe bender I guess