Wire is sold in coils, and sometimes there are a lot of bent and twisted pieces lying around at home. But what to do if you need a piece - large or small - of perfectly straight wire? In industrial production, wire is straightened using special machines or using high temperatures. But what to do at home? FirstStroy.ru portal will tell you about simple and effective ways to straighten wire at home.
Home craftsmen have long come up with many ways to simply and cost-effectively straighten both wire from a coil and different pieces of wire - bent and twisted.
Method No. 1
We tie one end of the wire tightly to something strong - for example, to a concrete power pole. We unwind the coil to the required length, and wind the second end to a mobile object, for example, to a car tow bar, to a tractor, or to a winch.
Having started off the car, carefully tighten the wire. It is important to stretch it well, but not to tear it. Be careful, a wire that breaks like a string can seriously injure you or people nearby.
Typically this method is used when stretching wire with a diameter of 5 mm or more.
Leave the wire taut for 30-40 minutes, or an hour. Then the wire will “remember” the new shape and become straight, straighter than ever.
How to Straighten Copper Tube - Metalworker's Guide
HDPE pipe or low-density polyethylene pipe, or polyethylene system (PE) - basically they are all the same thing. The appearance of such products can be gray, black, black with blue stripes or blue.
The color does not affect the characteristics of the design, but traditionally elements of blue color and with blue stripes are intended for water (drinking).
When using such systems, frequently asked questions are: how to straighten a HDPE pipe, how to connect it, how to bend it, what to use it for, and so on.
HDPE pipes are used in pipeline systems with drinking and industrial water, and are also suitable for arranging a sewer system.
Pipes made of low-density polyethylene compare favorably with their characteristics compared to metal pipes.
Some of their advantages include the following indicators:
- light weight, and accordingly, transportation and installation will not require much effort;
- Just like a metal-plastic pipe, HDPE pipe is distinguished by its high resistance to corrosion, which makes it possible not to insulate the structure when laying in the ground;
- installation and connection are quite simple, especially with the use of compression fittings;
- no reaction with water, no metallic taste in drinking water, and no rust;
- due to its high elasticity properties, it is not damaged when water freezes inside the pipe;
- long service life;
- low cost.
Use of low pressure polyethylene pipes
This category of products is used in pipeline systems with drinking and process water, and is also suitable for arranging a sewer system. All pipes have appropriate markings that characterize the main parameters:
- purpose of the pipe (for drinking or industrial water);
- minimum strength;
- outer diameter size;
- wall thickness size;
- the value of the nominal operating pressure and other indicators.
HDPE pipes with a diametrical size not exceeding 180 mm are produced in coils tens of meters long. This quality is used to create long branches of pipeline systems without the use of connecting fittings. The ideal option for using HDPE pipes is considered to be external water supply, wiring in a summer cottage, connecting a pump to a well.
An example of using HDPE pipes in a water well.
By appearance it is very easy to identify a low-density polyethylene pipe intended for drinking water. The main thing is to pay attention to the thickness of the walls; it should be the same throughout the entire diameter. No foreign inclusions should be visible on the pipe section. Another important factor is the absence of any unpleasant odor.
Is it possible to connect a HDPE pipe in the same way as a metal-plastic one? The polyethylene pipe is connected using special fittings made of a material similar to the pipe material.
If you choose fittings by price, soldering fittings are considered the cheapest. Soldering methods can be different: either end-to-end or in a socket. This connection method is durable and strong.
More expensive fittings are collet or compression. They are also more convenient for installation.
The tightness of such a connection remains of high quality due to the presence of an o-ring, which is clamped with a special nut (clamping nut).
HDPE pipes: how to straighten them?
The question of the straightening method arises before everyone who has used HDPE pipes, since they are mainly sold in coils, respectively, in a curved form. Great physical effort is required to straighten the HDPE pipe.
Experts do not advise bending and straightening the part using your own knee and other parts of the body, as this can have a detrimental effect on health. You can use various available means, such as metal railings, brickwork, and so on. The smaller the segment of the straightened structure, the easier it is to straighten the part to the desired state.
There are also various devices for straightening HDPE pipes. As an example, we can give this option:
- a special trolley designed to perform the function of transporting and straightening pipes made of metal-plastic, polypropylene, polyethylene and other multi-layer pipeline fittings, the diameter of which varies from 14 to 20 mm.
Method No. 5
We make a hole in a wooden block with a diameter equal to the diameter of the wire (using a drill and an electric drill), strengthen the block in a vice, pass the wire into the hole, fasten the end of the electric drill chuck, and at low speeds, forcefully pull the wire through the hole.
In fact, there are a lot of ways to straighten wire at home, we just talked about the most effective and simple ones.
Why there is a stair lift in the house and how to choose it, read here https://rvprf.ru/neobxodimost-ustanovki-v-dome-avtomaticheskogo-lestnichnogo-podyomnika/
How to flare or bead copper tubes with your own hands - Prof Pipes
03.06.2019
Firstly, what are the types of flaring:
Types of flaring
1) Single funnel - not used in the automotive industry. It is simply flared with a cone in one operation. Although, in principle, I know of cases when such a single funnel was screwed on instead of a double one, and it seems that even with this, after a very strong tightening, the brake fluid did not flow out. I did this myself without any tools.
2) "Fungus". It is considered a one-time connection (although in real life it allows you to screw the tube up to several times). Is standard for European and Asian cars.
This is the result of European greed: firstly, it is rolled in one operation, and secondly, disposability contributes to the demotivation of car repairs and an increase in car sales.
In the USSR, this type of flaring first appeared on VAZ cars, and then “crept” to Muscovites, then Volgas, and most recently to UAZs.
3) “Double funnel” - American standard, considered a reusable connection. It is rolled in 2 operations: the first operation produces a “bubble” or “Mushroom”, done with a mandrel. The second operation is jamming with a cone and forming a funnel. This standard was also used in the USSR on old Muscovites, Volgas and UAZs.
A more detailed picture showing the difference between a single and double funnel:
Single funnel on top, double funnel on bottom.
Now about how to flare. To begin with, a photo of a set consisting of a piece, mandrels, a strip and a clamp with a cone:
Kit
The fix looks like this:
Mandrels for flaring the fungus (from which you can later get a double funnel).
You need to buy a metric set. For some reason there are a lot of inch ones on sale. Our (Moskvichevsko-Volgovsko-UAZ) tube size is 6mm.
1) Cut the tube using a cutter. To do this, we put it on the tube and lightly clamp it. We roll it around the tube several times, press it, and roll it again several times until it falls off.
2) Clean the inner edge of the tube with a sharp object (insert and twist). As a rule, the blade for such cleaning is located on a segment. You can use a regular steel knife with a sharp end.
3) Stripping the end of the tube. To do this, we clamp the bar in a vice by the long end, with the smooth holes facing up. We clamp our tube into the corresponding hole almost flush with the surface of the bar. We sharpen the end of the tube with a file.
4) Place the nut on the tube. This is important to do right now, personally I often forget
How to straighten wire without a machine
Unfortunately, at home, making a good roller machine capable of straightening wire with a diameter of over 2 mm is quite expensive and labor-intensive. Moreover, if the need for a straight wire rod is one-time.
An example of one of these devices can be seen in the photo.
Therefore, in order to straighten the metal wire from the coil, it is worth using the most common method of force stretching, for this you must be guided by the following sequence:
- First you need to firmly fix one end of the wire in something massive and solid. To do this, you can wrap its end around the base of a power line pole or a strong tree with a trunk diameter of at least 25 centimeters.
- Next, we manually unwind the coil on the ground and, if possible, stretch it as much as possible.
- At the second end of the unwound wire we make a loop and secure it in a device capable of pulling it with force, that is, moving it a certain distance.
- The straightening process itself consists of slowly stretching the metal wire with great force until it becomes shaped like an ideal string. To secure the straight shape, you can leave it in this tense state for some short time, from about 5 to 30 minutes.
A fairly wide range of devices can be used as a tensioning device, depending on the diameter of the metal wire. So, for a wire 2-3 mm in diameter, a steel scrap with the effort of two strong men or the use of a manual mechanical winch may be enough. But straightening wire for a diameter of 5 mm or more will require much significant effort and for this you will need to use either the towbar of a personal car, or the dynamic force of a tractor or truck.
It is worth keeping in mind that straightening a wire with a diameter of more than 5 mm, made of alloy steel, will require not just tension to the shape of the string, but stretching until the wire breaks. As a rule, the rupture occurs at the attachment point on one of the ends, and for safety reasons you should not be near the stretched wire.
How to straighten a wire with your own hands
If the wire rolled into coils can be considered conditionally smooth, then in order for it to become straight, we just need to get rid of the large radius curvature.
But how to straighten the wire in the form of crumpled remains and poorly stored waste? They represent not only turns, but various zigzags located in different directions from the axis. In this case, straightening the wire with the right approach to the state of an ideal straight rod is quite achievable. There are several most effective ways to align the wire. Depending on the choice, they will have slightly different quality results.
So, from simple to complex:
- You can remove creases from the wire by securing both ends in your hands and starting to forcefully roll it through a pipe or door handle.
Straightening the wire works well if its straightened sections are placed on a flat surface of the workbench. Cover it with a wooden block and start rolling it over her so that she can move freely. Just a few such rollings give quite good results.- To straighten soft copper wire, you need to secure it at one end at a height. To the other hang a not very heavy load, such that it cannot tear it. By rotating the load clockwise and back several revolutions around its axis, you can achieve an ideal result.
- Straightening the wire will follow a similar method. If one end is secured in a vice, and the other is clamped in the chuck of a screwdriver or electric drill. The straightening process will occur from slow rotation and at the same time holding the wire under strong tension. Just a few turns will be enough for complete straightening.
- Also, a screwdriver or electric drill will be needed to straighten small pieces of wire up to 30 centimeters. To do this, make a spinning hole in a wooden block with a diameter slightly larger than the wire one and pass one end of the rod through it. We fix this end in the chuck and begin to slowly rotate, pulling the wire through the hole.
- To align a wire of not very large diameter, you can make a fairly simple and cheap device with your own hands.
For this we need a massive wooden board measuring 500 x 120 x 50 mm. We hammer 5-7 nails with a diameter of 3-5 mm into it in a straight line with an indentation to the diameter of the wire. The distance between the nails directly depends on the diameter of the wire and its elasticity. The higher these indicators, the larger the gaps between the metal rods. The process of straightening the wire will consist of simply pulling it between the nails along the marking line. For clarity, a schematic photo will help you.
If you know your original way to straighten the wire with your own hands, then please share it with us in the comments block.
How to Manually Align and Straighten Wire
In order to align a metal wire, it is necessary to expend not only some effort, but also use a number of simple devices.
Sometimes, for household needs or in the workshop, you need to use pieces of straight wire for work. But the question immediately arises: how to straighten the wire? After all, it is produced in factories and immediately packaged in round coils. This form is very convenient for storage and transportation. Therefore, in order to make a metal wire straight, it is necessary to expend not only some effort, but also use a number of simple devices.
Our production
Device for leveling steel wire with a diameter of 6-10 mm and strips 20x3 30-4 mm with a manual drive. Serves for straightening galvanized steel wire with a diameter of 6-10 mm, as well as galvanized steel strip measuring 20x3 mm, 30x4 mm. Round and flat conductors are supplied in coils of 40-50 kg.
In order to efficiently install an air-termination “mesh” made of steel wire on a flat roof, it is necessary to place the wire in holders and connect the nodes using terminals. The wire is laid in cells measuring 6x6 m, 10x10, 12x12 m. In order to lay the “mesh” conductor evenly, it must be straightened from its twisted state. Galvanized steel wire 8 and 10 mm is difficult to straighten manually, especially steel with a diameter of 10 mm, and in the straightened state there will be unevenness from uneven straightening.
To lay down conductors from lightning rods on the roof, chimneys and other structures of buildings and structures, and install conductors in holders, it is necessary to lay it as smoothly as possible without bending. The reason for this is the aesthetic appearance, as well as unevenness, as a result of which the wire may come loose from the holders or the holder mount itself may be damaged.
For ease of installation, our company offers this device for straightening conductors from nine rollers, which will allow you to save time on installing lightning rods, as well as install down conductors in the shortest possible time without fear of dismantling uneven sections of wire and strip.
The design of the wire straightening machine allows you to install it at a height of 0.5 m from the roof or floor on any structure made of wood or metal, adjust the pressure of the rollers on the conductor and achieve evenness of the wire or steel strip.
— installation on wooden pallets — 5 minutes;
- screwing screws into wood - 2 minutes;
— setting the pressure rollers for the conductor from 5 to 15 minutes;
— unwinding of a standard coil 115 m 5-7 minutes
— cutting to required lengths from 5 to 20 minutes
In total, on average, it takes up to 1 hour to unwind and prepare galvanized steel wire with a diameter of 8 mm for installation. For a building with a flat roof measuring 50x20 and 10 m high, approximately 3 coils of wire may be required, this means that in 3 hours you can prepare the conductor for laying on the roof and down conductors, without spending a working day on it.
What you need to straighten the wire
Aligning steel wire with a diameter of 4-6-8 mm is not so easy. This is especially difficult to do at home, where often there is nothing at hand except a hammer and a vice. But still, if you try, you can quickly carry out this procedure without resorting to any specialized means.
So, to align thick wire, we will need:
- A small piece of log (50 cm long);
- Electric drill;
- Long wood drill. It is very important that the diameter of the drill be slightly larger than the diameter of the steel wire that needs to be aligned. Also, the length of the drill must be sufficient to make a through hole in the log;
- Winch.
As for the winch, it can be replaced with a car. The point is to create a pulling force to straighten the thick wire, since doing this by hand will be impossible.
Industrial methods
In production, specialized straight cutting machines are used to straighten almost all types of metal wire. The process is based on two main methods:
- straightening by rolling through a system of 5-6 pairs of rollers, which are located sequentially in different planes so that each subsequent pair is perpendicular to the neighboring one;
- straightening by drawing through several specially made dies.
As a rule, such machines must have a special device for automatically unwinding wire from coils or coils.
To work with elastic types of wire and alloy steel rod, the production technology involves heating and tempering the steel structure of the workpiece using gas burners or high-frequency inductive heaters.
How an industrial straightening and cutting machine works can be seen in the video:
Gromovod
- - accessible and inexpensive
- — quick installation
- - always in stock
- — quick registration
- — discounts from 5 days
- - folding tripod base
- - one person management
- - ease of use
- - light and durable
- — buying as a set is cheaper!
- - alignment of wire in coils
- — electrolytic galvanization Fe/Zn12/C/T2
- - control both manually and remotely
- — bearings do not require lubrication
- — thermal protection of electric motors from overload
A truly reliable device that has never let me down. And believe me, we have enough work for him.
The price won him over. Or more precisely, value for money. So far it hasn't let me down, it works fine.
There were fears at the beginning, but completely in vain. A normal workhorse. The further it goes, the more it makes our work easier.
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