Sourcing tubing in Oz

[h._simpson]

Hey Bros,

I'm having a go at the Gladiator Chopper. Has anyone else in Australia had a go at it? If so how did you get on with the tubing for the frame?

In the book describing the Gladiator build up they show pictures of 1.25 inch tubing with an approximate 9 inch 90 degree radius bend. Apparently this stuff is available preformed in hardware stores in the US (next to the handguns probably:)) but I cant find it here. A local steel fabrication shop said they could bend the tubing up but can only go upto a 6 inch radius, and it is likely to have some necking. This small radius means I wont be able to get the nice curvy top tube.

Thanks for any info!

Bye.
Andrew

[choppersrule]

hi i live in oz and if you go to a exhaust shop they have almost the same tubing and they can bend it for you. the muffler shop near me said they could suple and bend the tubing for me at the right price. give that a go and see how you go, i am starting to get the parts together to build one too if i am going to build a chopper i may as well ride in style, all the best
mark

[John Lewis]

Getting tube bent is a problem. Most of the benders neck the tube ie thin it at the bend.

You need to look in the yellow pages and find somebody with a mandrel bender. Used to be one here but he's move abut 150km away. The mandrel bender can bend tube any which way you want without necking.

Good luck,

John lewis

[savarin]

seeing as we are mostly Oz's here at the moment does anyone know where to get steel tubing that will slide inside another?
approx 38mm od for the inside tube and what ever the outer tube would be.
Dimensions not critical.
I have found a cross bar from a palomar mountain bike and a down tube from an el-cheapo work but both sizes seem as rare as hens teeth.
Exhaust pipe does not match up in any sizes.

[John Lewis]

seeing as we are mostly Oz's here at the moment does anyone know where to get steel tubing that will slide inside another?
approx 38mm od for the inside tube and what ever the outer tube would be.
Dimensions not critical.
I have found a cross bar from a palomar mountain bike and a down tube from an el-cheapo work but both sizes seem as rare as hens teeth.
Exhaust pipe does not match up in any sizes.

G'day savarin,

I know the problem. What I did on my Bentech was to take the nearest smaller tube that was still too big to slide in. I slit it with the angle grinder squeezed it together and welded (in my case brazed) it shut. Worked a treat. The other alternative is to use a bush trned from plastic. I saw that on a trike somewhere.

Don,t know if that will help.

John Lewis

[h._simpson]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the replies. I went into an exhaust shop in town and they said they would be happy to mandrel bend for me as long as I buy the million dollar machine :). They did then say that they can order and get stuff bent up if I give them the dimensions.

Another place told me they dont have a machine but what they could do is get the tubing, fill it with sand, weld end caps on, and then heat the steel and bend it around something to get the 9 inch odd radius curves of the top tube.

Not sure which way I'll go yet but good to know I've got some options.

Thanks again.

Bye.
Andrew

[savarin]

G'day savarin,

I know the problem. What I did on my Bentech was to take the nearest smaller tube that was still too big to slide in. I slit it with the angle grinder squeezed it together and welded (in my case brazed) it shut. Worked a treat.

Don,t know if that will help.

John Lewis

that sounds like the easiest method to date.
I had been dreaming of mounting the smaller tube between 2 centers and driving an inside out belt from a sander with a skate board wheel in the drill to sand/grind the outer surface down a tad.