anyone bend their own bars ?
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Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 523
Likes: 1
From: kingston ontario
anyone bend their own bars ?
hey hey
just wondering if anyone here has any experience bending their own handle bars and sissy bars.
this is something i want to do and i have seen/heard some good ideas but i do have some questions like....
-what grade of metal to use or not use ?
-can you use aluminum for bars ?
-is mig better than tig ?
-cold bends vs hot bends, any structural considerations ?
any info or tips from experienced or knowledgeable people would be great
just wondering if anyone here has any experience bending their own handle bars and sissy bars.
this is something i want to do and i have seen/heard some good ideas but i do have some questions like....
-what grade of metal to use or not use ?
-can you use aluminum for bars ?
-is mig better than tig ?
-cold bends vs hot bends, any structural considerations ?
any info or tips from experienced or knowledgeable people would be great
Thread Starter
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Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 523
Likes: 1
From: kingston ontario
had a couple older friends tell me about the shopping carts they used to make handlebars out of
even found a web site with a how to on it, that is a neat idea but i think in most cases people just use the bends that are there and cut/weld the rest. no mention of property changes or concerns on that site
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 11,068
Likes: 1,477
From: Texas! Ya mean there's someplace else?
I bought a bender and one set of dies for 1 inch tubing. I gots the most expensive set of drag bars ever! I use 304 welded stainless steel tubing, 1 inch OD and .062 wall. It polishes well, but 316 will come out nicer with less effort. It also costs more! Seamless is way more expensive, and is a waste as you can easily polish the weld seam so it is invisible.
Link to good metals supplier: http://www.onlinemetals.com
Prices are reasonable for small amounts. 1 inch .062 wall welded 304 stainless in 6 foot length is less that $30. Same size seamless is about $55. 316 goes for $48 for welded, and $95 for seamless.
You do the bending cold. No worries on strength. The tubing comes annealed and while bending will work harden the area of the bend, it isn't so much that you worry about brittleness, etc.
Link to good metals supplier: http://www.onlinemetals.com
Prices are reasonable for small amounts. 1 inch .062 wall welded 304 stainless in 6 foot length is less that $30. Same size seamless is about $55. 316 goes for $48 for welded, and $95 for seamless.
You do the bending cold. No worries on strength. The tubing comes annealed and while bending will work harden the area of the bend, it isn't so much that you worry about brittleness, etc.
Thread Starter
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Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 523
Likes: 1
From: kingston ontario
hey pococj thanks for the response.
lol i hope you find some other uses for that pipe bender...sissy bars, engine guards, pipes, or all of the above for friends
as it happens i work in a place that has welders (tig and mig) and a hydraulic pipe bender, lucky me !!!!
we mostly work with aluminum but steel work can be done so with any luck the only stuff i will have to buy is the metal and paint. tempting to get a shopping cart and use it but i dont like the idea of not knowing what grade of metal it is or how those bends were made.
i was going to ask what welded bar is but i gather from your comment about seamless pipe that they are just made 2 different ways, or someone actually takes the time to clean one up and not the other.
other than ease/quality of polish/finish or there any other notable differences between 304 and 316 steel ?
lol i hope you find some other uses for that pipe bender...sissy bars, engine guards, pipes, or all of the above for friends
as it happens i work in a place that has welders (tig and mig) and a hydraulic pipe bender, lucky me !!!!
we mostly work with aluminum but steel work can be done so with any luck the only stuff i will have to buy is the metal and paint. tempting to get a shopping cart and use it but i dont like the idea of not knowing what grade of metal it is or how those bends were made.
i was going to ask what welded bar is but i gather from your comment about seamless pipe that they are just made 2 different ways, or someone actually takes the time to clean one up and not the other.
other than ease/quality of polish/finish or there any other notable differences between 304 and 316 steel ?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 11,068
Likes: 1,477
From: Texas! Ya mean there's someplace else?
hey pococj thanks for the response.
lol i hope you find some other uses for that pipe bender...sissy bars, engine guards, pipes, or all of the above for friends
as it happens i work in a place that has welders (tig and mig) and a hydraulic pipe bender, lucky me !!!!
we mostly work with aluminum but steel work can be done so with any luck the only stuff i will have to buy is the metal and paint. tempting to get a shopping cart and use it but i dont like the idea of not knowing what grade of metal it is or how those bends were made.
i was going to ask what welded bar is but i gather from your comment about seamless pipe that they are just made 2 different ways, or someone actually takes the time to clean one up and not the other.
other than ease/quality of polish/finish or there any other notable differences between 304 and 316 steel ?
lol i hope you find some other uses for that pipe bender...sissy bars, engine guards, pipes, or all of the above for friends
as it happens i work in a place that has welders (tig and mig) and a hydraulic pipe bender, lucky me !!!!
we mostly work with aluminum but steel work can be done so with any luck the only stuff i will have to buy is the metal and paint. tempting to get a shopping cart and use it but i dont like the idea of not knowing what grade of metal it is or how those bends were made.
i was going to ask what welded bar is but i gather from your comment about seamless pipe that they are just made 2 different ways, or someone actually takes the time to clean one up and not the other.
other than ease/quality of polish/finish or there any other notable differences between 304 and 316 steel ?
A shopping cart is going to be some plain carbon steel with chrome plating. Obviously, the chrome ain't gonna make the bends without popping off. Also, the inside may be rusted, and if the stuff is old enough it may cause a problem down the line.
Welded pipe/tubing is made from flat stock that is rolled together to form the tube-shape, and welded together at the joint. I worked in a steel mill that made pipe and tubing. Pretty wild operation.
Here's a neat link on one method of making seamless pipe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=JdiDwY-3DY0
Link to welded tubing process:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDMln...eature=related
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 816
Likes: 10
From: Southern, MD
I have bent my own sissy bars using 1/2" cold rolled steel bar and a torch. I just made a jig and bent both sides to match each other. To bend your own bars you would def need a bender (mandrel) or the bar would crush.
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 4,212
Likes: 1,776
From: USA
In 2000 I took 1.5" PVC and bent a prototype with a mild torch. Took it to a racecar shop specializing in roll cage work. cost me $50 for 1.5" chromoly bars to my spec. Chromed locally for $75.
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Cruiser
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 239
Likes: 0
From: the dry side of WA state
PVC pipe... that's genius. I'm hardtailing a bike for a friend and was going to mock it up in aluminum, but PVC is way cheaper and bends easily with a bit of heat. I owe ya one.
Thread Starter
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Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 523
Likes: 1
From: kingston ontario
this is great info guys, thanks
i like the idea of using aluminum for prototypes cause its readily available to me but that pvc thing sounds pretty damn good too.
ill bet that 1/2 inch cold rolled steel would keep a passenger pretty safe
i like the idea of using aluminum for prototypes cause its readily available to me but that pvc thing sounds pretty damn good too.
ill bet that 1/2 inch cold rolled steel would keep a passenger pretty safe