How logical is brass tubing?

[Hikaru12]

I'll probably end up doing it since I can use the same fittings and soft copper is super cheap compared to acrylic. I was looking into doing it I just didn't have anything to cut the copper with or polish it. I could buy a dremel to do both things but that would be way too easy! Something about polished copper in a build is just sexy and that's about the only thing that would make me go away from clear tubing with UV dye.  

 

Are you using compression fittings? Avoid using those for soft copper unless it has a ferulle (it looks like a little ridged piece of brass/copper that bites into the metal). I'll be using push fits for my build because it has two o-rings. Unless, you're using SLI fittings - then that's fine.

[FluffyNuggets]

Are you using compression fittings? Avoid using those for soft copper unless it has a ferulle (it looks like a little ridged piece of brass/copper that bites into the metal). I'll be using push fits for my build because it has two o-rings. Unless, you're using SLI fittings - then that's fine.

No it's the Bitspower 13mm hard tube fittings. I just did acrylic in my build this week so the horror is still fresh in my mind! I like how it looks but I don't think I'd do it again if I had to lol. I now completely understand why most people use fittings and do straight runs because getting the acrylic to bend exactly to the fittings is a giant pain! Like I said, I don't know if I suck at bending acrylic or it just sucks to bend. 

[Hikaru12]

No it's the Bitspower 13mm hard tube fittings. I just did acrylic in my build this week so the horror is still fresh in my mind! I like how it looks but I don't think I'd do it again if I had to lol. I now completely understand why most people use fittings and do straight runs because getting the acrylic to bend exactly to the fittings is a giant pain! Like I said, I don't know if I suck at bending acrylic or it just sucks to bend. 

 

It's funny that you should say that you're using 13mm because it's hard to find metric copper here in the U.S. I'd have to order a huge roll online for like $100 to get 13mm copper and pay huge tarrifs on the fittings.

 

It's probably a little bit of both. Getting the heat consistency and shaping is almost akin to shaping glass. 

[FluffyNuggets]

It's funny that you should say that you're using 13mm because it's hard to find metric copper here in the U.S. I'd have to order a huge role online for like $100 to get 13mm copper and pay huge tarrifs on the fittings.

 

It's probably a little bit of both. Getting the heat consistency and shaping it is almost akin to shaping glass. 

So you still have to heat copper to bend it? I thought you just put it in a bender and bend it like you do metal. So what do you heat it with, a torch? If that's the case I probably shouldn't since I foresee me burning my house down. 

[Hikaru12]

So you still have to heat copper to bend it? I thought you just put it in a bender and bend it like you do metal. So what do you heat it with, a torch? If that's the case I probably shouldn't since I foresee me burning my house down. 

 

I'm sorry I didn't clarify - I was responding to your post about the acrylic. By the way, you can heat the copper if you solder extra long connections but for soft copper you just bend it by hand. For hard copper, you bend it in a pair of benders - no heat needed. For brass, I would need something to heat it up to at least 800F without having to break out the oxyacetylene torch lol.

[FluffyNuggets]

I'm sorry I didn't clarify - I was responding to your post about the acrylic. By the way, you can heat the copper if you solder extra long connections but for soft copper you just bend it by hand. For hard copper, you bend it in a pair of benders - no heat needed. For brass, I would need something to heat it up to at least 800F without having to break out the oxyacetylene torch lol.

Aw, I thought I was going crazy or something when you said you needed heat to bend soft copper. What do most people use with WC, hard or soft copper? If it's soft copper than I may go that route at some point so I could just bend it by hand. 

 

Being able to bend it by hand wouldn't take much time at all and seems rather easy. Hard copper sounds a lot like Acrylic, maybe harder to work with. 

 

As for heating acrylic, it's a bit funky to work with. You really have to be in touch with how the acrylic acts and exactly how hot it needs to bend. I had issues because it cools down to a point of not bending extremely quick. It retains heat for quite some time but that window to bend it is very small. 

 

About half way through of getting nowhere trying to bend it to measurements I just got the basic length needed and where it needed to make the first bend and used a jig for the main bend. Doing the offset bends were just a pain for me since I had no idea to account for so many bends using just rulers. So I would just heat it up and put one end into one fitting and bend it by hand to the next fitting. I'm sure I'm not supposed to do it like that but I didn't care at that point. It must have worked since I haven't had a single leak whatsoever since I filled it around Tuesday. 

[Hikaru12]

Aw, I thought I was going crazy or something when you said you needed heat to bend soft copper. What do most people use with WC, hard or soft copper? If it's soft copper than I may go that route at some point so I could just bend it by hand. 

 

Being able to bend it by hand wouldn't take much time at all and seems rather easy. Hard copper sounds a lot like Acrylic, maybe harder to work with. 

 

As for heating acrylic, it's a bit funky to work with. You really have to be in touch with how the acrylic acts and exactly how hot it needs to bend. I had issues because it cools down to a point of not bending extremely quick. It retains heat for quite some time but that window to bend it is very small. 

 

About half way through of getting nowhere trying to bend it to measurements I just got the basic length needed and where it needed to make the first bend and used a jig for the main bend. Doing the offset bends were just a pain for me since I had no idea to account for so many bends using just rulers. So I would just heat it up and put one end into one fitting and bend it by hand to the next fitting. I'm sure I'm not supposed to do it like that but I didn't care at that point. It must have worked since I haven't had a single leak whatsoever since I filled it around Tuesday. 

 

Sorry for the confusion! Most people use hard copper when doing WC'ing simply because you can get straighter and cleaner bends that way. If you use soft copper you have to ensure two things. 1) the place you're getting it from has accurate measurements - in the U.S. we use the imperial system but the ID and OD might not be exactly on point. For example a OD of a 1/2" might actually be 5/8". That's why it's often better to go with metric because it's more precise - only very specific places carry that including some plumbing supply stores. 2) You have to make sure you support the inside wall of the copper with something or it will kink like paper. Most people use bending inserts which are similar to those silicone inserts you use for acrylic to support the copper as you bend. Doing it by hand takes a little more finese to get the perfect bend but you can get some pretty nice results this way.

 

That being said, hard copper is usually more expensive and difficult to find fittings for. 

 

As for the acrylic, I plan on doing a build like that in the future. As when I'll have money for half the stuff I dream of, well then, that's a different story.

[FluffyNuggets]

Sorry for the confusion! Most people use hard copper when doing WC'ing simply because you can get straighter and cleaner bends that way. If you use soft copper you have to ensure two things. 1) the place you're getting it from has accurate measurements - in the U.S. we use the imperial system but the ID and OD might not be exactly on point. For example a OD of a 1/2" might actually be 5/8". That's why it's often better to go with metric because it's more precise - only very specific places carry that including some plumbing supply stores. 2) You have to make sure you support the inside wall of the copper with something or it will kink like paper. Most people use bending inserts which are similar to those silicone inserts you use for acrylic to support the copper as you bend. Doing it by hand takes a little more finese to get the perfect bend but you can get some pretty nice results this way.

That being said, hard copper is usually more expensive and difficult to find fittings for.

As for the acrylic, I plan on doing a build like that in the future. As when I'll have money for half the stuff I dream of, well then, that's a different story.

So soft copper seems like the way to go. Maybe just bend it around a jig would be a better option so it bends in the correct way. Didn't know about the insert but it makes sense because I could see it collapsing like a pop can.

Definitely gonna give it a go in the future because I love how it looks.

[airdeano]

im sure @B NEGATIVE got you this link? Pipe Bending 101

[DEAMONFROST]

I have been thinking about doing the exact same thing and i found this video on Bill Owens channel on youtube 

It seems to be kinda straight forward the only thing is you wont be able to bend the brass so you will be needing angled fittings but that should be easy to get a hold of in any water cooling store.

But what have been stopping me from doing this have been finding brass tubes that fits and the fact that i have a Swiftech Apogee HD http://www.coolerkit.se/shop/swiftech-apogee-hd-2427p.html

which i obviously would need to change and also i want a quick disconnect before and after my gpu blocks which wont work with hard tubing.