Hard Acrylic Tubing advice?

[Jakexe]

Hey guys,

I'm just getting ready to start putting my new build together and will be using acrylic tubing for the first time. Thought i'd see if anyone has any experience with it and could offer any hints on bending it. I'd rather not risk wasting any because it's a long wait for the tubes from the US.

I have a silicon tube and variable heat gun.

[Tradewind]

It's silicon and rigid? Or Acrylic and rigid?

The first doesn't make a ton of sense since silicon is usually pliable and you can cut it with a tube cutter with zero effort or rough edges.

Bending acrylic though. Yeah a heat gun and a "form" of some kind to keep it smooth, roughly the radius you want it bent in. Like a hairspray can or something. It's not that dissimilar to bending copper tubing. Do it gradually enough so you don't squeeze/pinch it.

[Jakexe]

The silicon tube is for inserting into the acrylic so it holds its shape when bending.

It seems people either say it's really easy or really hard. I was thinking of cutting out some pre-measured metal pipe set to various angles to make bending uniform but I think that might be overkill.

[Tradewind]

Yeah I guess silicon tube would help while molding it. Solid tube though? Otherwise it'll just pinch itself when you bend it. You could also use sand, or something that won't stick to the acrylic.

[Jakexe]

I got the primochill silicon tube, assuming it'd be the same one as they use in their video but it's not. It's a hollow one. Now I have to find a solid one so gg primochill, give explicit advice to not use a hollow tube, then sells a hollow tube.

[Tradewind]

I got the primochill silicon tube, assuming it'd be the same one as they use in their video but it's not. It's a hollow one. Now I have to find a solid one so gg primochill, give explicit advice to not use a hollow tube, then sells a hollow tube.

idk it might still work it's got some depth to the inner wall at least.