pak
Cast Iron
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2007
- Location
- Miami Fl, USA
I have just received a request from a friend of mine who recently paddle boarded across the Gulf Stream from Bimini to Miami in seventeen hours straight to raise awareness of plastic in the ocean. Now that he has accomplished that, he wants to know how to bend a 1.5 or 2 inch Aluminum tubing into a uniform circle with a diameter of about 6' 8". This from a young guy who builds wooden boats from scratch and helps disabled people learn how to sail. He is a master wood craftsman, but knows nothing about metal. He needs our help for his next charity. And bye the way, he has no budget. This is a 'nuts and berries' kind of guy.
While I have done similar things on a smaller scale, I have cannot advise him on this project. I would think he would build a wooden jig of the proper diameter and fill the tubing or pipe with sugar sand (or equivalent) to prevent kinking. Once the AL was properly bent, he would take it to a pro for welding and faring. I would think it would be thin wall AL. It doesn't have to be terribly strong; just rigid enough to hold his weight without bending. He is about 175 lbs.
Having said that, what are your thoughts. Have you done similar projects and do you have pictures of the jigs and results?
Sorry for the limited specs, but that's all I have.
Regards,
Drew
While I have done similar things on a smaller scale, I have cannot advise him on this project. I would think he would build a wooden jig of the proper diameter and fill the tubing or pipe with sugar sand (or equivalent) to prevent kinking. Once the AL was properly bent, he would take it to a pro for welding and faring. I would think it would be thin wall AL. It doesn't have to be terribly strong; just rigid enough to hold his weight without bending. He is about 175 lbs.
Having said that, what are your thoughts. Have you done similar projects and do you have pictures of the jigs and results?
Sorry for the limited specs, but that's all I have.
Regards,
Drew