I am going to make a run of Plastruct butyrate tubing that will contain a few bends. I started looking for elbows and ran across this picture:
As you can see the piping is just bent and generally doesn't have flanges or elbows (at least that are visible.) Has anyone worked with this material to know how easy it is to bend into a 90d angle without collapsing the wall?
Rick
I am not familiar with that brand of tubing, however, anytime I have bent metal or plastic tubing I insert a piece of wire at the spot of the bend to prevent collapse. Depending on the inside diametre of the pipe you can use piano wire, electrical wire, or for a large opening a coat hanger.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I haven't decided on the exact size yet but my ID will be something like 3/8".
I've made bends using a small "craft" type heat gun. It takes a little practice to know when exactly to stop applying heat and quickly place the tubing on a work surface already set up with guides so you get the angle and flatness desired.
IMG_5799_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
I never really had a use for what was offered by Plastruct. Most of what I've seen was kind of lacking in detail.
You might consider one or two of the Walthers Refinery piping kits.
https://www.hobbylinc.com/walthers-refinery-pipingkit-ho-scale-model-railroad-building-accessory-3114
I've gathered pieces from several of these kits and use them quite a bit for chemical piping and the like.
IMG_5858_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
The pipe in your photo has flanges but they get covered when insulation and lagging is applied, generally with heat trace lines underneath, and this leaves a smooth, usually aluminum surface visible.
The Walthers piping kit has several types of expansion joints, flanges and pre-made elbows, tees and valves generally in three different pipe sizes. I've used various sizes of Evergreen tubing and rod to simulate other pipe runs.
https://evergreenscalemodels.com/collections/types?q=tubing
If you can find older stock kits made in Denmark grab those as the styrene is a better quality and easier to cement than the later stuff made in China.
933-3114 Walthers pipe by Edmund, on Flickr
There's an add-on kit 933-3105 that has other pieces and additional lengths of pipe, too.
Good Luck, Ed
Thank you, Ed. I do have a few of the Denmark Walthers piping kits to use for the refinery area. This application is to move coke oven gas from the steel mill/coke oven to a tar recovery building and the pipe needs to be much larger than what is in the Walthers kits.
An old trick used by plumbers is to fill the tubing with sand or other heat resistant material and then do the heat bending. This prevents the tubing from collapsing at the bend. After bending the sand is removed. Should work with small plastic tubing.
Joe