Bending aluminum pipe advice

[captpierre]

Hey Guys. This aluminum pipe at the back of our pedal boat is bent.  Still turns the rudder but at an angle.   It’s supposed to slide up and down but because of the bend it can’t. I’m want to straighten it but buddy says it will likely crack. Any ideas? Add some heat?

[glen]

If you heat it and bend it back you might be able to reinforce it on the inside with another pipe. 

[misfish]

8 hours ago, glen said:

If you heat it and bend it back you might be able to reinforce it on the inside with another pipe. 

Yup. If you can remove it, that would work. Heat it up slowly, use a larger dia pipe to  slide over it to straighten it bit by bit and slide a piece of conduit in it. Or just replace it with a piece of galvanized thick wall conduit.

[captpierre]

Thanks Gents. How much heat to apply? Assuming propane torch. 

[OhioFisherman]

It doesn't look that badly bent and I might be a bit leery of heating a piece of thin wall aluminum pipe. If it is removable you might try finding a piece of oak dowel rod that will fit snugly inside the pipe and slide it in farther as you bend it straight? using a piece of iron pipe?

[dave524]

Would it not be easier just to get a new short piece ?

[DanD]

1 hour ago, dave524 said:

Would it not be easier just to get a new short piece ?

That's what I was thinking. Maybe even going with an aluminum solid bar rather then tubing? Just for the heck of it, I looked up a 12" length of 1/2" aluminum bar and was only $10.00 and change.

Dan.

Metal Supermarket

[grimsbylander]

I wouldn’t heat it up. Two reasons: the aluminum will conduct the heat very quickly and it’s going through bushings that are most likely plastic? And, that aluminum will have a T6 condition which is a hardening spec for aluminum. If you heat it up enough to bend it, you’ll remove the T6 and I guarantee it’ll bend again but easier. 
I’d support it well and cold bend it enough to get it out then replace. Use a decent aluminum grade and don’t buy on price alone. 

Edited September 25, 2020 by grimsbylander

[misfish]

I am assuming he can remove it from top to bottom and rework like I mentioned. A solid piece of stock would be a great option.

[OhioFisherman]

I am assuming it got bent hitting something? A solid bar maybe too strong, the next hit might break the plastic and cause a bigger problem?

[ketchenany]

2 hours ago, misfish said:

 A solid piece of stock would be a great option.

And why didn’t the builder of the product use it in the first place? 

This could get ugly, probably China made and it was from the US! 

It can be fixed or rebuilt for sure. 
My dad had a saying, “if you can’t buy it, just build it”.

Done it many times, thanks to dad.