You may achieve better bends taping on end of the tube, fill with fine (dry) play sand and oil the outside. The sand creates the inner mandrel of sorts. Once done it’s simple to remove the sand and reuse.
I was hoping you told us where you got the bender from or posted a link. That hoop turned out nice. My first CK was the slice and bend / weld method as well. Just FYI, once you place your sheetmetal or aluminum sheeting over the bows, you won't really notice the imperfections of the reinforcement hoops. Keep up the good work.
Sorry about that. I added the links in the description. As for the aluminum wrapped over the old hoops, it's possible, but I would really like the finish to be the best I can do for my first try. Additionally, these old body hoops are 2-3 inches too low because of a math error I made so they'll need to be remade anyways.
You may achieve better bends taping on end of the tube, fill with fine (dry) play sand and oil the outside. The sand creates the inner mandrel of sorts. Once done it’s simple to remove the sand and reuse.
I was hoping you told us where you got the bender from or posted a link. That hoop turned out nice. My first CK was the slice and bend / weld method as well. Just FYI, once you place your sheetmetal or aluminum sheeting over the bows, you won't really notice the imperfections of the reinforcement hoops. Keep up the good work.
Sorry about that. I added the links in the description. As for the aluminum wrapped over the old hoops, it's possible, but I would really like the finish to be the best I can do for my first try. Additionally, these old body hoops are 2-3 inches too low because of a math error I made so they'll need to be remade anyways.
Good stuff!