bending die life expectancy

[perp]

Finally got my tube bender up and going last night , and as i was trying it out on some 1" tube I started wondering how do you tell when a die has worn out. do they ever wear out? surely the pressure die will some day even with proper greasing. so how long should i expect my die sets to live and what is the first sign of trouble? both my 1" and 2" dies are new, i am just wondering for down the road.

 

[TWISTEDJACK]

Are you using any kind of lube???? If not your dies won't last long at all. Also make sure the tubing is clean and has no rust or metal burrs. Once the dies get sratched you can take a flap wheel on a die grinder and polish them up.

 

[big83chevy4x4]

the follower die is the only one that will wear out, the main die has nothing sliding on it to wear it out.

i use white lithium grease in a spray can on my follower die. just spray where the tube slides and do like 4 bends on it. if you don't lube it, it after a few bends it will start the scratch the tube.

nice bender btw

 

[perp]

thanks guys. I have been using the bender lube that Van Sant supplied (for a charge) with the bender. It's good to know white lithium will work too. I have also heard good clean bearing grease works in a pinch. I wonder if i can buy replacement follower dies or if they are machined/sold as a set only. Guess i will call Van Sant on Monday and ask. anyone know of someplace closer to chandler (phoenix) that sells dies for the JD2 model 4?

 

[cybrfire]

I put grease on the die every other bend. Just makes it operate more smoothly. Grease is cheap, dies on the other hand....

Just about any grease should do the job.

 

[81jimmyslt]

Use the wheel bearing grease on any pivot point with a pin on your bender, and use the white lithium grease as mentioned on your backing block. My Die kit STRESSED NOT to grease the actual die. Oh ya and sweet bender

Jesse