Paul, you recently posted a link to a tubing beading tool. How in the
heck does
one get one? there are no prices, and linkes to dealers, like autozone,
don't even carry the thing.
How did you get yours, and how much did they cost?
C. Smith

I think I bought it at the Earl's retail outlet in Hawthorne CA but I
forgot how much I paid.

It does not work that great. I am considering building one
of the geared type as people want $400 for them.

This one looks great. I think I will buy one.
http://www.tubebeadingtool.com/

I am going to call them first thing in the morning.

Paul Lamar

    I saw a tubing beading tool in that catalog that Paul was
pushing. I think it was limited to one inch tube.

    Check out this device:

   http://www.harborfreight.com/18-inch-sheet-metal-fabrication-kit-34104.html

    It's a multi-tasker that you can do a lot more with than just
roll beads.

Mark LaPierre


Woodward Fab out of Michigan  $139 +27

http://www.woodwardfab.com/woodward_fab_bead_rollers.htm

<http://www.woodwardfab.com/woodward_fab_bead_rollers.htm>Made in USA

BrianG

The long one is too big in diameter (greater than 1.5 inch) already shot
down. The small tube beader will only do .028" thick material. Most
water and intake plumbing tubes are .065 thick.

Brian, you need to read all the messages before commenting.

Paul Lamar


Paul,

Did a bit of web surfing today looking for a cheap beader tool and ran
across this site.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137858
Not especially cheap, but very cool.

Mark

That is OK for beading sheet metal but 1.5 inch tube would probably
be a problem.

Micheal Hart found some Earl's EZ Beaders on Amazon and had them drop
shipped to me..

2" OD $70.56 1.5 OD inch $57.74


Paul Lamar

I went to all the trouble to building a beading tool like the WW II type and it did not work on 6061 T6 two inch .065 wall tubing. It merely bent or distorted the tube  out of round.

This outfit claims it is making something similar. I called them and they
said they were not ready to ship.  http://www.tubebeadingtool.com/

I think they could not get it to work either :)

Back to the Earls Supply tube beader. I found something on the Internet
about a trick to soften T6 aluminum. You put it in the kitchen oven
and set it on self cleaning mode for 4 hours. Worked like a charm.
Made beading the 2 inch OD .065 wall tube 10 times easier with the Earls
beader.

Normally kitchen ovens do not go higher than 500 F but apparently in self
cleaning mode it goes a lot higher as it takes 750 F for 10 hours to completely
soften aluminum. See the jpgs. It takes about two people to do this quickly.

Remember this oven trick. It will come in handy someday.

Why do we need to bead tube? Lets say the pressure in the turbo intake system is
15 psi boost. That means there is 3.14 square inches in a 2 inch tube ruffly.
R = 1.

Pi X R squared = 3.1416 square inches. Times 15 psi is a force of 47 pounds trying to separate the tube from the hose. That could ruin your whole day. Now you see why I spent so much time on this problem.

A water cooling system is worse as a 30 psi pressure cap is typically
used to raise the coolant boiling temperature.  However the typical coolant tube is only 1.5 inches in diameter. R = .75 times .75 times pi is only 1.75 square inches. 1.75 square inches  times 30 psi is 53 pounds.
That means the force is 53 pounds trying to separate the coolant hose from
the coolant tube.

Paul Lamar