looking for curved 90deg elbows

[PoopyPants]

anyone know where i could get some curved 90deg 1/2'' OD elbows.
i have some hardcut 90deg elbows that i use in my water setup but i figured i would help relieve the push pull stress in the link by changing to curved 90deg elbows.
water will flow thru a curve better than a straight 90deg angle that goes striaght then instantly cuts to a different direction. water flow will be faster and smoother in a curve.
the hose i have isnt soft enough to bend it just ends up crimping.
i have tried setting it in boiling water then bending it then dipping it in ice water but it never works. it will always end up crimping or the curve actually goes away.

anyone got any ideas.
ive checked my local menards and home depot and didnt find any.
havent checked a straight plumbing supply store yet but i might do that this weekend.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

In automotive use,sometimes a spring is inserted into the hose at the bend. For a PC this
would not be a good set-up.
True,that in air and hydralic systems a dead 90 will decrease flow rate by at least 15' of
stright line run, plus cause heat build-up and cavitation. Machined 90s and 45s are to be
avoided. (i use air btw)
The problem facing you. Most of the plumbing 90s are what is called"street elbows". One end
will be 1/2"and the other will be swaged to an OD of 5/8". This is done so a 1/2" tube can be
inserted and sweated in place(soldered).
As i see it you have two solutions:
Buy the street el and sweat a piece of 1/2" tubing in it. Buy some copper tubing and bend it
to a much wider radius. Depends on how tight a turn is really needed.
New copper tubing will be very shiny and soft. A satisfactory bend can be made by pulling it
around a 2" water pipe or other fixed round object. Just get at least 18" of it so it will be long
enough to use in forming. The extra lenght is for handles.
Old copper tube will be dark and can get harder even in storage(many years).
To soften copper it can be anneled. Google annealing copper tube if necessary.
A tubing cutter is what is normally used to shorten copper tubing. A hacksaw can be used
with a fine pitched blade and a suitable cutting agent, like Rapid-Tap($3 for 4 oz).
Using a hacksaw dry will cause binding and gauling of a soft material like copper.
I use Rapid-Tap on aluminum and it work very well, it is recomended for copper also.


Galvanized

Pipe is measured on the ID. Tube is measured on the OD.


EDIT: forgot something(nothing new for an old guy) ;-)
When you bend copper tube around a fixed round object make sure that it is smooth.
A damp rag interface works good and pull the ends like a tug-of-war as it is being bent.
This will help prevent a kink from developing. Do not stop and go with the bend as the heat build-up will cause some degree of hardening to develope as it cools quickly during a pause (re.annealing).

 

[tw33ter]

http://www.frozencpu.com/ex-tub-13.html
something like that?


http://www.freshwatersystems.com/products/index.asp?prid=1304

or use 2 45's like these maybe?