How to make a spiral from a stainless pipe. Bending stainless steel pipe. Manual bending methods

The coil is a mandatory part moonshine still, designed for condensation of alcohol vapor due to heat removal by water or air through the walls. Despite the complex definition, anyone can make a coil at home. Homemade option will work no worse than store-bought analogues. We will look at the theory and practice of manufacturing.

Coil parameters:

1. Material. Most important factor, affecting the safety and taste of moonshine. The coil material must not react with alcohol or be toxic, but still have sufficient thermal conductivity to allow alcohol vapor to condense.

Taking into account the requirements, you can make a coil from copper, aluminum or stainless steel. Suitable material Glass is also an option, although it’s easier to buy a ready-made glass coil at a chemical store than to make something similar yourself.

Copper has the best thermal conductivity, but many moonshiners consider it a toxic material; in fact, this is not the case. For example, for several centuries the French have been distilling all strong alcohol in alambiks - special copper distillers, and so far no one has been poisoned. Aluminum takes second place in terms of thermal conductivity (1.6 times worse than copper), but it is relatively cheap, accessible and easy to process. Stainless steel coils are 3-4 times inferior to copper ones, moreover, the exact brand of stainless steel is not always known, and only food grade ones that can withstand high temperature and do not react with alcohol.

2. Dimensions. The longer the tube, the larger area contact of vapors with water (better cooling), but at the same time the hydraulic resistance increases (the distillation speed decreases). Correct length coil in the moonshine still (the tube itself before curling) - 1.5-2 meters.
The larger the cross-section (inner diameter) of the tube, the larger the contact area and the lower the resistance. I recommend using a tube with an internal diameter of 8-12 mm.

The small thickness of the coil wall increases thermal conductivity, improving condensation, but tubes that are too thin are difficult to process and operate because they are very fragile. In addition, when two media come into contact, in our case condensed alcohol and steam, the thermal conductivity drops sharply, regardless of the size and material of the wall. The optimal thickness of the coil tube is 0.9-1.1 mm.

3. Orientation in space. The coil can be positioned vertically, horizontally or obliquely. In moonshine brewing, it is desirable to use a vertical connection scheme, in which the condensed distillate flows by gravity and does not create additional obstacles to the movement of steam.

Vertical coils are either ascending (steam goes from bottom to top) or descending (from top to bottom). For minimal resistance, steam should be supplied from above.

4. Cooling system. The coils are cooled with water, ice and air. The last two options are less effective and require complex structures, so we will not consider them further. Water cooling systems can be open - they work on running water, and closed - the tank is immediately filled with the required amount of water. Design closed systems simpler, but they cool worse; the moonshine often comes out warm, and after a couple of hours of distillation it’s even hot.

In open systems, water circulation cools the coil much better, and the moonshine turns out cold. In addition, flow-through designs use a smaller volume water tank, resulting in a more compact device.

It is correct to supply water from below and remove it from above. For normal cooling, the water must move towards the moonshine, otherwise the lower part of the coil will not cool well. This scheme is called "counterflow mode".

Coil manufacturing technology

You will need a copper, aluminum, brass or stainless steel tube 1.5-2 meters long, with a cross-section of 8-12 mm and a wall thickness of 0.9-1.1 mm. I advise you to find a housing (reservoir) in advance to install the coil. The coiling diameter of the pipe depends on the size of the housing. For example, a plastic sewer pipe with a diameter of 75-80 mm is suitable. For effective cooling, the coil must occupy at least 15-20% of the tank volume.

The coil installed in the housing is called the refrigerator of the moonshine still, the drawing is shown in the photo.



Subsequence:

1. Fill the tube tightly with dry bulk material, for example, river sand or soda, so that the metal does not flatten when curling. As a last resort, you can fill the tube with water and freeze it.

2. Place wooden choppers (pegs) on the ends of the tube. Alternative option– solder or clamp tightly. It is advisable to weld a nut on one end.

3. Wind the tube around any smooth object with an even round the required diameter (in the example 35 mm) with a pitch between turns of 12 mm.

4. Release the ends of the coil, pour out sand, and rinse with running water.

5. Install pipes for water supply and drainage on the cooler body.

6. Place the coil in the housing, install plugs at the top and bottom, and seal all connections with superglue or another method.

There are special technical devices that allow you to bend a copper pipe

The need to bend a copper tube arises at the time of construction installation work related to the installation of heated floors, sewerage or water supply. The choice in favor of this material is due to its wear resistance and versatility. Even with long-term use, copper is practically not subject to corrosion. At the system design stage, all pipe bends are taken into account. This will allow you to complete the installation with pinpoint precision. The less “congestion” is formed along the path of the liquid, the higher the efficiency of the system.

Builders advise not to neglect safety rules. All work is carried out in a well-ventilated area or in outdoors. The easiest way to bend a copper tube is to use a spring. The latter must be made of high quality steel. Its core is characterized by maximum thickness and frequent turns.

Before starting work, you need to make sure that the spring you are using passes freely through the bent tube. It is better when the spring and tube are approximately the same size.

The further procedure is as follows:

• Before starting manipulations, you must make sure that the spring can be easily removed from the pipe;
• Preheating of the workpiece is carried out using a gas burner or blowtorch;
• The thermal effect continues until the tube becomes easy to bend.
• After that, you give it the desired shape with your own hands.
• The work is completed by placing the product in a cold environment to cool.

At the last stage, beginners make a common mistake. Do not remove the spring from a hot pipe, otherwise it will become deformed. You need to wait until it cools down.

Universal method using sand

It happens that there are no pipes and construction equipment at hand. In this case, you can use sand at home. Before starting work, you need to pay attention to physical properties sand and the pipe itself. It is enough to make even a minor mistake for the copper tube to become irregular shape. The first thing you need to find is a supporting surface that will withstand the load. Second place on the list of necessary things is given to 2 pieces of durable wood.

Once everything is collected, you can start working:

• For work, only sifted river sand without foreign inclusions is used;
• Fractions should be as small as possible;
• Sand for bending tubes must be dry;
• One end of the tube is plugged with a stopper made from a piece of wood;
• Sand is poured into the cavity;
• During this procedure, the tubes must be shaken slightly so that the sand is distributed evenly;
• As soon as everything interior space turned out to be filled, the second end is plugged with a stopper;
• The tube is slightly heated and then bent;
• The support surface is intended to simplify the task.

As soon as the pipe gives way, heating is immediately stopped. Once everything is completed, the pipes are laid in cold water. After this, both plugs are removed. Sand spills out.

When to use a pipe bender

It happens that the spring and sand cannot cope with the task. In this case, heavy artillery is used. A device that saves time is called a pipe bender. The mobile unit changes the shape of the pipe based on the parameters specified by the person.

The whole process comes down to fixing one end of the tube and manipulating the other. The main thing is that the bend point is correctly fixed.

Before you start, you need to choose the right tool. There are lever and hydraulic pipe benders.

Their characteristics are as follows:

1. Manual or lever - its design includes 2 levers, a bending shoe and a template. There are marks on the surface of the lever, on the basis of which the required angle is set. The tube is fixed in the bracket so that the zero marks are aligned. Limit angle for bending – 180 degrees.
2. Hydraulic – refers to professional equipment. They can get the job done several times faster than their manual counterparts.

The use of a pipe bender is justified when a significant amount of work is involved. The mobile device optimizes time costs provided the right choice. Manual type suitable for domestic needs, and hydraulic - for industrial needs.

Spiral bending at home

It can be difficult for beginners to bend a brass or copper tube into a spiral. To solve the problem you will need a rubber mallet and 2 supports. Sand or, less desirable, ice is poured inside. The tube is placed with 2 ends on the support points. After this, the bend point is gradually heated. As soon as the material begins to yield, a mallet is taken into hand. With its help you need to bend the pipe. Each action must be as balanced as possible, otherwise the material will simply crack.

After bending, the pipe becomes more compact and practical

The following recommendations will help reduce the likelihood of errors:

• If the tube is too hard, it needs to be burned a little to make it more flexible;
• As soon as it has cooled, filler is poured into it, after which it is easier to bend it at the required angle;
• Application of support cylindrical will give the product an even shape.

Laying a sewer or water supply requires increased attention to the quality of the pipes used. You can give them the required shape yourself or using hydraulic equipment. Regardless of your choice, you need to be extremely careful. The pipe surface should not be exposed to excessive heat. Do not hit it too hard, otherwise the pipe will simply crack at the bending point.

During construction, repair and installation work, pipes are used for laying sewers, gas pipelines, water supply, ventilation, sewerage, etc. Depending on the location of operation, pipes made from different materials, various thickness, diameter and length. However, it is not always possible to use an elbow or adapters. In such cases, you have to bend the pipe, as a result it can be damaged or even ruined. Since a material such as stainless steel has sufficient strength, it has long time operation and is not affected by moisture, it is often used during installation work. Therefore, in this article we will look at how to bend a stainless steel pipe.

The bending process itself metal products can be divided into two types. Temperature, when the workpiece or part of it is heated or cooled with subsequent bending. Mechanical, when the workpiece is acted upon with a certain force using special devices or bending it by hand. It is worth noting that stainless steel is a relatively technologically advanced material and there are usually no difficulties during operation.

Stainless steel pipes must not be pre-bent (e.g. gas burner or a blowtorch).

Bend as a negative factor

Pipe bending is negative factor for performance characteristics. Have a place various disadvantages, depending on the material, bending angle, bending device and method, internal diameter and thickness of the material. Negative consequences include:

• change in bending radius during operation under the influence of thermal expansion or contraction and mechanical action, resulting in a springing effect;
• reducing the thickness of the outer wall at the bend;
• the appearance of sharp breaks or folds in the form of an accordion on the inner wall of the bend;
• ovalization - a change in the shape of the pipe and the appearance of an oval-shaped lumen;
• increased exposure to corrosion on the inner and outer walls of the bend.

When a substance passes through the internal cavity of the pipe, special pressure is exerted on the outer wall, therefore, when installing in places where liquids flow through high pressures It is recommended to use an elbow, thickening or a pipe with thicker walls. The resulting ovalization also negatively affects the pipes during rapid fluid flow. In such places, there is a narrowing along one axis and expansion along the other, which, in turn, also increases the pressure on the outer wall of the bend. You also need to take ovalization into account when laying pipes in narrow places, since its width at the bend increases.

There are two ways to prevent ovalization and maintain a round shape during cold bending. First, support the walls from the inside using an internal stop. Second, support the walls both from the inside and outside, using an internal and external stop. The internal limiter can be sand, rubber, water, resins or fusible materials carefully compacted into the pipe. The main thing is to securely close the pipe holes so that when the pressure increases during bending, the filler does not fall out. If possible, it is recommended to seal the pipe openings tightly.

When using the second method, the holistic indicators are slightly higher, but this requires special mechanical elements or tanks that are commonly used in industrial pipe manufacturing. If you use a more rigid and solid internal filling, more round shape lumen, so they are used more often. But when using elastic fillers, the outer side is less stretchable.

Bending methods

In production, when it comes to bending stainless steel pipes, cold bending is usually used due to higher profitability, and in cases where hot bending is necessary, it is often more profitable to simply pour the required shape right away. Therefore, the following are methods of cold bending, especially since most technologies are not very different from the hot method.

Bending using two supports

The workpiece is placed between two supports in such a way that the first support holds and the second acts as a load-bearing support. When exposed to a screw or hydraulic press or jack, bending occurs beyond the second support. This method can be used to bend pipes with a diameter of up to 350 millimeters. The equipment is quite simple and can be used directly at the installation sites.

Rolling

This method is used when you need to get a ring or spiral from a small diameter pipe. The workpiece, with the help of mechanical fasteners and a pusher, moves through rotating rollers, subsequently acquiring the necessary curvature.

Bending by rolling

In this case, the workpiece is fixed and rolled out in certain places using special balls. A similar process can occur both from the outside - wrapping, and from the inside - rolling. As a result, the pipe takes on a triangular shape with rounded edges.

Reel bending

This method has become widespread in industrial production due to the relative simplicity with low energy consumption and the yield of high-quality products. In this case it is used internal filling, most often it is a metal rope with a diameter 0.1–0.5 mm smaller than the internal diameter of the workpiece. When a rope bends, it can leave a mark on the inner surface of the pipe, so ropes made of thin woven metal fibers of non-hard grades of metal are used. Also, when using this method, a lubricant is required between the rope and the inner surface, which is usually machine oil or anti-corrosion soap emulsion. You can bend pipes with a diameter from 10 to 425 millimeters in different planes. Therefore, for large diameters, the cable is not used, but, if possible, is replaced with a bulk or liquid substance.

Bending by rolling

The method is that a rolling roller moves around a roller or support of the required dimensions, a workpiece is placed between them and a bend is obtained. In a similar way, you can work with pipes with a diameter of up to 150 millimeters with thick walls.

If there is a strong desire and in the absence of the necessary materials at hand, a system for turning mash into moonshine can be built without a coil. However, it is useless to expect more or less normal performance and acceptable quality of the resulting drink from such a device. Good moonshine This is obtained only when alcohol vapor passes through a condenser with a properly organized cooling system. In this case, the material of manufacture of the moonshine still’s coil, the diameter of the tube, size, wall thickness, and location of the refrigerator in space are important.

Which is better? Should I buy a ready-to-use distiller or try to assemble it myself? The first option is more reliable and simpler, the second? more profitable. Moreover, in practice, making a coil (condenser) for a moonshine still turns out to be not as difficult as it looks in theory.

Geometric dimensions

Length, diameter, thickness of the tube? parameters that primarily affect the rate of condensate formation and distillation of alcohol-containing liquid. The larger the area of ​​contact between the vapor and the cooling surface, the faster the process proceeds. The thinner the walls of the coil, the higher its thermal conductivity and, therefore, the higher the condensing capacity.

This means that it is better to choose a larger length and diameter (internal cross-section) of the tube, and what about the wall thickness? smaller. However, such a decision will not be entirely correct. A tube that is too long will increase the hydraulic resistance along the vapor path, as a result of which the distillation speed will automatically decrease.

To achieve optimal balance, it is recommended to make a coil from a tube 1.5-2 m long. This means that this should be its size before curling, and not the length of the finished coil. What are the optimal dimensions for the internal diameter of a capacitor? 8-12 mm.

Thin walls. On the one side? ok, on the other hand? Not good. The fact is that during the curling process they are easily damaged, and the service life of the fragile structure is shorter. In addition, the thermal conductivity of a coil with thin walls at the moment of contact of two media (steam and condensate) sharply decreases, regardless of the diameter of the tube and the material of its manufacture.

What, in this case, should be the thickness of the walls of the moonshine still cooler? Most suitable size it is considered 0.9-1.1 mm, no more and no less.

Material of manufacture

Important characteristics of the material for making a coil? good thermal conductivity, non-toxic composition, no reaction upon contact with alcohol vapor. These requirements are met by copper, aluminum, brass, food grade stainless steel, silver, and glass. The degree of thermal conductivity is most often
metals and alloys used in decreasing order:

• silver? 429 W/(m K);
• copper? 382-390 W/(m K);
• aluminum? 202-236 W/(m K);
• brass? 97-110 W/(m K);
• stainless steel? 20 W/(m K).

Not any stainless steel is suitable for making a coil, but only food grade. In addition, during processing and welding, the composition of the alloy changes and it is unknown how the metal will then react to contact with an aggressive environment, which is an alcohol-containing liquid.

Aluminum tubes are also a good option, but they are inferior to copper and brass tubes in terms of service life. Silver? metal is expensive. It is not advisable to use it in the manufacture of a homemade distiller.

Thus, it is most practical to make a coil for a moonshine still from copper. This material is not difficult to obtain, it has a fairly high thermal conductivity, is easy to process, and does not release toxins when in contact with alcohol.

Glass? the material is non-toxic, with sufficient thermal conductivity, 1-1.15 W/(m? K). But at home it is not possible to make a coil out of it. Therefore, it is best and easiest to buy a glass capacitor at a laboratory equipment store.

Location in the diagram

Depending on the model and configuration of the moonshine still, the refrigerator may be located in general scheme horizontally, vertically or at an angle. The most rational option for moonshine brewing? vertical diagram capacitor connections. In this case, the liquid flows down the tube by gravity, without interfering with the movement of steam.

Let us clarify that vertical coolers are either ascending or descending. It is more practical to use a downward system, in which steam enters the refrigerator from above. In the rising
In the coils, the vapors of the distilled distillate are fed from the bottom up, which creates additional resistance to the movement of the condensate.

Cooling system

While the moonshine still is operating, the coil must be constantly cooled. Cooling can be air, but in this case it will be necessary to make a complex structure with a cooler, fan, etc. You can use ice or snow as a cooler, which also requires additional effort and material costs in the manufacture of the coil cooling system. In addition, get large number ice or snow is not always possible.

The easiest way to cool the coil is with water. It should be taken into account that water cooling systems can be closed or open. In an open system, water circulates constantly; in a closed system, cooling is carried out by a certain amount of water, which is poured into the tank before the distillation of moonshine begins.

Advantage of closed systems? simple design. But at the same time, the tank needs to be made large enough in volume. In addition, when water comes into contact with the warm walls of the coil, it quickly heats up, so that after a short time the distillation of the distillate has to be stopped.

Open cooling systems are more convenient to use. Firstly, do they cool a coil made of any material and any diameter much more efficiently? The distillate will always be cold at the outlet. Secondly, the refrigerator body with open system cooling can be made compact, which makes assembly, operation and storage of the unit more comfortable.

An indispensable condition when organizing a water cooling system for the condenser of a moonshine still? counterflow or reflux mode. This means that water should enter the vertical tank from the bottom and exit from the top. In order for cooling to be uniform, the water flow must be directed towards the movement of the distillate along the coil tube.

Manufacturing technology

The dimensions, material, and diameter of the coil tube were discussed above. Now you need to decide what kind of housing to make for the refrigerator of the moonshine still.

It is most convenient to use under the tank sewer pipes made of plastic, metal-plastic. They are not difficult to get, easy process, install fittings for water inlet/outlet, ensure connection through adapters with alembic or a steamer. Optimal size cross-section of such a pipe? 75-80 mm.

The sequence of manufacturing a moonshine still cooler:

1. The cavity of the coil tube is filled with any bulk material so that the metal does not flatten during the curling process.
2. The ends of the tube are clamped, sealed or plugged with wooden pegs.
3. Carefully wind the tube around any solid cylindrical object with a cross-section of 35 mm. Distance between turns? approximately 12 mm.
4. The spiral-curled tube is freed from the filler and washed with water.
5. 2 holes are cut out on the cooler body, and a pipe (fitting) is installed in them for supplying and draining water. The holes for the fittings should be located at the level of the spiral part of the coil.
6. The coil is installed inside the housing; the tube is attached to the inner surface of the walls with superglue in 2-3 places.
7. The ends of the body are covered with round sheets of tin and glued around the perimeter with the same superglue. The remaining voids are filled with paper.
8. The ends of the refrigerator and the connection points to the body of the fittings are sealed epoxy resin with a silver coin.

After a day (time for the compound to harden), a homemade condenser with a flow-through cooling system will be ready for use. The productivity of a refrigerator of this design, depending on the heating power, is on average 3-4 liters of distillate per hour.

Stainless steel pipes are often used in both industrial and individual construction work. You can bend them by choosing one of many working methods. The choice of a specific method depends on a number of factors: diameter, wall thickness of the product, the presence of special tools.

Bending in industry

There are many techniques used in industry that allow you to bend a stainless steel pipe. We list the most common of them:

These working methods are effective in industrial conditions. However, in the case of individual construction, they are not suitable. In everyday life, manual methods are used to bend a stainless steel pipe.

How to bend a pipe at home

In everyday life, in order to bend a stainless steel pipe, a manual pipe bender is usually used. Most often, this tool is made in the form of a crossbow. This “crossbow” allows you to bend the product by squeezing it in the bending zone.

To ensure that the product does not deform during work, special internal limiters are used. For example, they can be dry sand. A plug is placed at one end of the part, then the product is filled with sand. The sand is lightly compacted by tapping. Then the remaining end of the part is also closed with a plug. Then you can bend the stainless steel pipe around the blank required diameter.

The internal limiter can also be a spring. It is manufactured in at home. You just need to wind it from wire, the thickness of which is 1-4 mm. It is important to make it such that the spring easily fits inside the stainless steel pipe. So, the spring is placed in the product, then it is bent around the circumference of a metal blank. You can also use a manual pipe bender.

After the work is done, the spring is pulled out by means of a wire previously attached to it, a wire of which one end is left outside. This method will help to bend square-section profile products. In this case, the spring must also have a square cross-section.

A bundle of wire can also act as a limiter for working with a stainless steel pipe. The wire is placed in the product until there is no free space left. At the end of the work, it is sequentially removed.

In conclusion, we can say that the manual method is only suitable for stainless steel pipes, the diameter is no more than 40 mm, and the wall thickness does not exceed 3 mm. If the dimensions of the product that is planned to be bent are larger, special equipment is used.

In fact, bending a stainless steel part is not so difficult if you know the appropriate instructions and rules. To better assimilate the information, you can watch a video that clearly shows the operating algorithm.