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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2018 16:57:59 GMT -5
I didn't have the money, but I bought it anyway Should look great on my 2000. I paid 125.00 + 10.00 shipping for it, but I sold the damaged old handle for 24.00 and a replacement flush handle for 10.00, so after shipping I have 100.00 in it  20180116_134033 by Al Michaels, on Flickr |
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Post by lesorubcheek on Jan 16, 2018 18:09:06 GMT -5
Sure is pretty! It's a shame these things are so hard to come by (and therefore cost so much!). A while back I started looking into using some 7/8" od aluminum tubing and doing some bending, but it got put on the back burner. One day somebody has to come up with a way to reproduce these things. Vaguely remember hitting a snag trying to find a bender with the needed radius, thought about trying to custom make a die... that's about where it ended.
Dan
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2018 18:28:40 GMT -5
Sure is pretty! It's a shame these things are so hard to come by (and therefore cost so much!). A while back I started looking into using some 7/8" od aluminum tubing and doing some bending, but it got put on the back burner. One day somebody has to come up with a way to reproduce these things. Vaguely remember hitting a snag trying to find a bender with the needed radius, thought about trying to custom make a die... that's about where it ended. Dan I'm not sure if the whole handle is solid or just the ends near the mounting holes. Do they sell solid 1" aluminum rod? That might work |
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Post by lesorubcheek on Jan 16, 2018 18:49:06 GMT -5
About 99% sure these things are hollow tube with solid plugs on the ends and maybe wherever else a hole is needed for re-enforcement. You can look on the bottom and see the plugs pretty clearly. The joining piece on the top though that comes down to attach on the side of the tank is solid, but the main section is hollow.
Dan
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2018 20:01:42 GMT -5
About 99% sure these things are hollow tube with solid plugs on the ends and maybe wherever else a hole is needed for re-enforcement. You can look on the bottom and see the plugs pretty clearly. The joining piece on the top though that comes down to attach on the side of the tank is solid, but the main section is hollow. Dan I was pretty sure they were as you described them, just wondering if they could be formed from solid Aluminum? |
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Post by lesorubcheek on Jan 16, 2018 21:09:21 GMT -5
I hear ya. I bet you could. May be easier than trying to get a good bend on hollow tubing. I still need to learn alot about different metals, max bend radius, etc. Never worked alot with aluminum, other than mashing soda cans.
Dan
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2018 23:05:48 GMT -5
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Post by sweepleader on Jan 17, 2018 8:08:20 GMT -5
6061-T6 is great stuff, the Wonder Metal, but you would not be able to bend it that much without cracking. It is heat treated (T6) to be pretty hard. It would have to be annealed first. I will see if I can find out what alloy would be used for bending like that.
If the rubber could be duplicated, a splice or two could be hidden beneath it making fabrication without special tools much easier. Bending a nearly closed loop is tough.
I have some 7/8" aluminum conduit that bends quite easily and remains round and packing a tube TIGHT with dry sand helps maintain the shape when proper tools are not at hand. I have done that with steel tube, welded plugs on the ends to hold the sand tight.
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Post by lesorubcheek on Jan 17, 2018 18:18:37 GMT -5
I have some 7/8" aluminum conduit that bends quite easily and remains round and packing a tube TIGHT with dry sand helps maintain the shape when proper tools are not at hand. I have done that with steel tube, welded plugs on the ends to hold the sand tight. I had read about the sand. Went so far as buying a few pounds of this stuff called cerrobend. It's an alloy that melts at a crazy low temperature, a little over 150F if I remember correctly. Supposed to be the stuff for filling metal tubing for bending and preventing cracks and cave-ins. Even found a used special melting pot for the stuff. Dan |
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Post by sweepleader on Jan 17, 2018 19:54:49 GMT -5
Tubing this size might also be bent with a tight fitting spring slipped over the bend area. It needs to extend beyond the bend into the straight area. It can be screwed off afterwards. I have several small tubing benders that are springs with one enlarged end to ease installation and removal.
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