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Bending DOM with torch?

JohnX

JohnX

Sarge
NAXJA Member
Location
Williams AZ
Okay or not?

I would like to bend some 1.5" .250 wall DOM with a torch to fab some steering links and trackbar.

Is heating them with a torch acceptable to make the bends or does DOM have issues when heated?
 
it is going to recrystalize the metal, make it softer.

I would reccommend a bender, but at the very least you are going to want to heat it twice, then quench it for about 20 sec after you get it where you want it
 
JohnX said:
So I heat it, bend it, heat it again, and then submerge in water for 20 seconds?
Click to expand...

randomly heating and quenching without thouroughly knowing the temperature of the entire material and the phase that the metal is in, is retarted... Heat treatment of any kind is an exact science, and cannot be replicated with a torch and a 5 gallon pail...

find someone with a tube bender and do it the right way...

this is your steering you're talking about here - not some spare tire mount, not some roof rack, but the things that locate your front axle...
 
XJ_ranger said:
randomly heating and quenching without thouroughly knowing the temperature of the entire material and the phase that the metal is in, is retarted... Heat treatment of any kind is an exact science, and cannot be replicated with a torch and a 5 gallon pail...

find someone with a tube bender and do it the right way...

this is your steering you're talking about here - not some spare tire mount, not some roof rack, but the things that locate your front axle...
Click to expand...

Preach it Brother....and I say Amen!
 
XJ_ranger said:
randomly heating and quenching without thouroughly knowing the temperature of the entire material and the phase that the metal is in, is retarted... Heat treatment of any kind is an exact science, and cannot be replicated with a torch and a 5 gallon pail...

find someone with a tube bender and do it the right way...

this is your steering you're talking about here - not some spare tire mount, not some roof rack, but the things that locate your front axle...
Click to expand...

I think you're not thinking this through. Lets quantify this subject to a point where the comprehension is unattainable. Then once that has been achieved, bending DOM with a torch is a great idea. Therefore, making this by far... the best mod evar.


:puke:

Come on John!!! :looney:
 
XJ_ranger said:
randomly heating and quenching without thouroughly knowing the temperature of the entire material and the phase that the metal is in, is retarted...
Click to expand...

X2

Buy one already bent or find someone with a tubing bender, preferably not a manual one, that .250 wall is a bear to bend.
 
JohnX said:
So I heat it, bend it, heat it again, and then submerge in water for 20 seconds?
Click to expand...
Relax guys...This was a bit sarcastic. I know enough not to bother "heat treating" metal.

My first question was legit though. I am truely lacking in metalurgic knowledge, I merely wanted to know if heating DOM will adversly affect it? Is DOM a "hardened" metal, or closer to mild steel?

My reason for wanting to do it with heat is simple...it allows me to fine tune it at home, without running back and forth to someone elses bender.

I think my solution will be to make it out of some cheap thin wall tube, then when I have it "just right", I can remake it on a bender with the real stuff.
 
JohnX said:
Relax guys...This was a bit sarcastic. I know enough not to bother "heat treating" metal.

My first question was legit though. I am truely lacking in metalurgic knowledge, I merely wanted to know if heating DOM will adversly affect it? Is DOM a "hardened" metal, or closer to mild steel?

My reason for wanting to do it with heat is simple...it allows me to fine tune it at home, without running back and forth to someone elses bender.

I think my solution will be to make it out of some cheap thin wall tube, then when I have it "just right", I can remake it on a bender with the real stuff.
Click to expand...

You are probably correct in doing it out of super thing conduit then doing it up with the real stuff. It still seems like a waste of time and energy though to do it 2 times.
 
I have bent several pieces of 1.25"x.375 wall DOM with a torch for use as a track bar. Have yet to have an issue with metal fatigue or failure after a year of use. I would go for it, just let it cool slowly and DONT dunk it in water, super cooling metal will make it brittle.

Also most benders dont like bending .250" tube. Most are limited to .188" wall. Doube check the capacity of your bender so you dont over stress it and break a very expensive die or have it come appart and hurt you.

AARON
 
MrShoeBoy said:
I have bent several pieces of 1.25"x.375 wall DOM with a torch for use as a track bar. Have yet to have an issue with metal fatigue or failure after a year of use. I would go for it, just let it cool slowly and DONT dunk it in water, super cooling metal will make it brittle.

Also most benders dont like bending .250" tube. Most are limited to .188" wall. Doube check the capacity of your bender so you dont over stress it and break a very expensive die or have it come appart and hurt you.

AARON
Click to expand...

x2, just let it cool slowly, no water
 
JohnX said:
Relax guys...This was a bit sarcastic. I know enough not to bother "heat treating" metal.

My first question was legit though. I am truely lacking in metalurgic knowledge, I merely wanted to know if heating DOM will adversly affect it? Is DOM a "hardened" metal, or closer to mild steel?

My reason for wanting to do it with heat is simple...it allows me to fine tune it at home, without running back and forth to someone elses bender.

I think my solution will be to make it out of some cheap thin wall tube, then when I have it "just right", I can remake it on a bender with the real stuff.
Click to expand...

It depends on the material you buy...

if you order tube from www.aircraftspruce.com and get their 4130 DOM, then it is a hardenable alloy, and not a mild steel, and would be greatly affected by any heat effected zone (including welding)...

if you get 1020 DOM, it will only be margionally stronger than 1020 HREW in the same size - becasue they are only 1 setp apart from eachother in the forming process... DOM is HREW that has been Drawn Over a Mandrel to ensure consistant inner and outer diamiters - and as part of that process is cold worked, and therefore hardened some...

will heating DOM with a torch make it noticeably weaker in any type of a jeep standpoint - IMO - no. :paperwork

Do i think it is a bad idea to form anything with a torch? Yes... :gee:
 
Aside from and not in any way connected with metalurgical problems...if you are going to bend tubing using a torch, I will assume it is because you don't have a bender and dies....having said that....in order to keep tubing from collapsing....pack the tubing solid with dry sand or steel shot..
 
I don't see any problem using a torch to bend it. With that thick of a wall and in the application you're going to use it in I'd be shocked if you saw any kind of failure. Now if it were something like 12ga or thinner...then yeah I'd be a little leary.

I've done it a few times with 3/16 and 1/4 wall DOM. Once on lower links where it just needed a slight arch and the other time for a custom motorcycle frame where they were using a single down tube that they needed bent in a specific arch. Just made some simple "dies" out of wood, blocks welded to the table to hold the tube for bending and then heated it up slowly and evenly. Still took a lot of pressure to bend it by hand but it worked.
 
Heating any kind of quality metal will return it to close to an "0" condition for heat treatment which will bend easily. If it is quenched improperly you will get inconsistant heat treatment along the length of the tube resulting in internal stresses and eventually cracks. You'd be much better off getting it bent with the proper tools or getting "o" material, making your bends then having the whole part properly heat treated. Much cheaper to have someone bend it with a mandrel bender. That being said, AJ has a point about the strength of the material. The question is do you want to take any chances?
 
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