Has anyone here used and have an opinion about the HotBend PVC bender? http://www.hotbend.com

I normally use Hot Boxes but occasionally have jobs where there isn’t an adequate electrical source nearby especially for the larger boxes that require 240 volts. I thought there was a topic on this subject some time ago but didn’t find anything doing a search of the general forum.

Curt

Sorry for the subject line. I noticed the mistake as I clicked post. I don’t think I can edit the subject line.

[This message has been edited by caselec (edited 09-22-2005).]

Liked it until I saw the $$$ price tag.

We have two of them at work. You can't beat their speed and portability. They sound like a jet engine taking off, they seem to always turn a few heads.

I know you guys are probly bending big stuff but the other day at my parts house I saw some big springs that you slip inside 1/2" and 3/4" then just bend it cold. The counter guy did a demo and it worked fine. They are made by a Mom & Pop outfit.

How could they bend PVC cold? It would just snap back to its original shape as soon as you let go. My guess is that the spring keeps the PVC from "folding" while it is bent hot. Once cool, you pull off the springs.

Talk about deja vue. When I was a first year apprentice over 30 years ago, we would use propane torches to heat PVC for bending. Sometimes we would ignite the conduit. Nasty black smoke. Ugly scorch on the pipe too. The Hot Box was the expensive alternative only the big contractors could afford.

Yea, this is how I learned also. I didn’t even know that there was another way.


[This message has been edited by jw electric (edited 09-23-2005).]

I've used the HotBend on jobs. OK for bending conduit that will be burried but I would never use it on exposed PVC.

You have to spend some time with it to get the nack.

Brian

[This message has been edited by master66 (edited 09-23-2005).]

Good for bending pipe.......AWSOME for those jobsite hot dogs


1 hot dog + 1 10"screw driver + 30 seconds of hot bend = quic lunch

Propane torch my foot! Why, back in my day all we had to use was the muffler on any available truck, backhoe, or genny set and we still managed to run a couple thousand feet of bends before lunch time, dag nabbit!

-John

bigb...
i MISSED that demo in new york (long island)
the counter guy said they just stuck the spring inside the pipe and bent it to shape. said the guy had up to 2"!!
you say it was a mom & pop...they said Cobra was sponsoring the guy.

mhulbert...if you put PVC in your hand bender,bend it to a 90 and hold for a couple sec. it holds...not pretty but works,hence the spring inside to hold the shape.
bill

"1 hot dog + 1 10"screw driver + 30 seconds of hot bend = quic lunch"

Tom, a real electrician cooks hot-dogs with electricity. Place a 100-watt bulb in series with a pair of clean stainless-steel nails on a cord and plug.

Stab one nail in each end of a dog, lay it on a non-conductive plate, and plug it in. The bulb acts as a current limiter; when it dims or goes out, your dog is ready.

Note: There is a very real shock hazard when cooking with this method. Hot-dogs are conductive. Do not handle hot-dogs when the contraption is plugged in.

The 100w light bulb is not really necessary. Back in the 70s Presto sold the "hot dogger" that "electrocuted" 1-6 dogs directly from the line. I had one and it did sort of work but the ends of the dogs blew open and the center was cold if you didn't get them on the spikes right. http://www.neighborhoodvalues.com/nv/kitchen/misc/35kc.htm


[This message has been edited by gfretwell (edited 09-25-2005).]