How to Bend a Copper Pipe With and Without Plumbing Tools

Even though there is a wide range of plumbing pipes and copper tubing available now, there are still many people who prefer the durability of the traditional copper pipe. Copper pipes can be bought in rolls for use behind walls, but you might want to mount the pipes on the surface of the wall and in this case you'll want a nice, neat job and you'll need to bend your pipes.

There are several ways that you can bend copper pipes with and without specialised plumbing tools. These are a few of the methods that I learnt while training to be a plumber in Limousin, France.

• Blow torch
• A vice
• Dry sand and a funnel
• Pipe bending springs
• Pipe benders
• Pipe cutters
• Bucket of cold water
• A square (not illustrated), used to check that your pipe is a true right angle

Safety Equipment

Always have protective gloves and safety glasses to hand

If you don't support your copper pipes during the process of bending they will collapse and pleat. This not only looks ugly but, more importantly, the water will not be able to pass freely.

All the methods of bending pipes outlined below involve supporting the pipe one way or another while you bend it.

For some methods of bending tubing you need to heat your pipes and you do this with a plumbers torch.

The illustration shows small butane torch with a hand held bottle is perfectly adequate for soldering your pipes and you can just about manage to bend pipes with this, but it can be difficult to get the pipe up to temperature.

If you have a lot of pipe work to do you might like to invest in an oxy-acetylene torch which will allow you to heat your pipes red hot, at which point they will bend like butter.

Using pipe benders like this one are designed for one pipe size only. If you have lots of different sized pipes to bend you'll need to investing in a pipe bending set. This is only worth while if you have a lot of work to do.

Advantages

• Accurate
• Easy
• No need to heat pipes

Disadvantages

• A different bender is needed for each pipe size or
• A set is needed
• This can be expensive

With this method heat the pipe until red hot along the length of the bend. The pipe is then slipped into the spring as quickly as possible and you then bend the pipe which will be supported by the spring.

Always use protective gloves and cool the pipe afterwards in a bucket of cold water.

Advantages

• Can be less expensive than a pipe bender
• Easy to store and transport

Disadvantages

• A different bender is needed for each pipe size

Yes, you can bend pipes with sand. The sand must be fine and absolutely dry. Block one end of the pipe with a screw of newspaper and then fill the pipe with sand.

Tap the pipe vigorously to ensure that the sand is compact. Air or moisture in the pipe will allow the pipe to fold and collapse. When no more sand can be added, block the other end of the pipe with paper, heat the pipe until red hot along the length of the curve and bend manually.

Always use protective gloves and cool the pipe afterwards in a bucket of cold water.

Advantages

• Free

Disadvantages

• Time consuming

You can use just your hands and a vice to bend pipes. Heat the pipe until red hot along the length of the bend, quickly put into the vice and close the vice until just touching the pipe. Pull the pipe up at both ends to achieve the correct angle before it cools down. The vice supports the sides of the pipe to avoid collapse.

Always use protective gloves and cool the pipe afterwards in a bucket of cold water.

Advantages

• Free
• Easy
• Only a vice is needed

Disadvantages

• You need to be quick and be skilled as this is quite tricky.

Sadly, France wasn't quite ready for an English lady plumber and so I set to work, with my husband, renovating a beautiful French farm house and barn to create a four room bed and breakfast and a three bedroom holiday cottage, vacation rental or, in France, gite. Do drop if you're in our neck of the woods, we'd love to see you. For more details e-mail me on info@lestroischenes.com or look here on this page for more articles from Les Trois Chenes.