Bead Roller in MA?

[xxjoeyxxeb]

I need to roll some beads for intercooler piping but I do not have a bead roller, or a welder to make something. Does anyone within an hour or so of Quincy have a bead roller I can borrow, or give to you to roll, or have some way to help out?

 

Thanks guys!

[calpoly-z]

Joe

 

What size pipe did you end up using? I just made a homemade tool for making beads in the 2.25" steel piping that I fabbed up recently. It worked on the 2.5" AL pipe that I used to have installed as well. Text me your address and I'll pop it in the mail for you. Not as elegant a solution as a true bead roller but it worked well enough for me.

 

Alec

[Snailed]

Take these http://www.harborfreight.com/9-1-2-half-inch-wire-crimping-tool-36411.html and cut the jaws off, leaving just the crimper for bare terminals closest to the pivot point. You can then work them around the end of a tube and make a pretty nice bead in a few minutes, even on stainless steel tube. If you want a really nice surface finish you can dress the jaws a little with a file so they fit the radius of the tube a little better. For $7 it's a pretty good setup.

[Snailed]

Like these.

[BluDestiny]

http://www.homemadetools.net/intercooler-pipe-beading-tool?gce=tab50&utm_expid=57824293-7&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homemadetools.net%2Fcategory%2Fbead-rollers%3Fgce%3Dtab50

[Snailed]

Ahh that could be even better if you are doing soft stuff like aluminum IC tubes. Good suggestion.

 

 

I do lots of beads so I use a Bead Form or the Vibrant bad roller. It's nice to be able to do stainless and tubes down to 3/4" like this 1.5" tube I put together. If you plan on doing a bunch of them (or have the $ and like to do nice work) it's worth it to get the right tools. The other picture is a bead I started as a sample for you with the pliers. That is just one aggressive pass so the tool marks are pretty sizable, but it will do the job of retaining the tube just fine. You could make multiple passes and get a nicer result.