Yeah, I realize it is a simple step and I have built 5 boats prior but I kinked two tubes and just received another in the mail. Just looking for a better way than what I have been doing to reduce the risk of doing it a third time. It's really easy to bend these things with just a little too much pressure in the wrong spot. Either that or I am too darn strong.:beach:

Cerro products from McMaster has a product (8921K12) that melts at 158 degrees. It's a little pricey, but it's reuseable. I never use it because I'm a cheap SOB. I heat the tube red hot, let it air cool, bend it, reheat it and dunk it in water to harden it again.

I also use a tube that is 3/8 OD with a .029 wall thickness and I NEVER have a problem. That tube is available from K&S Engineering, just like all the other brass tubing.

Thanks Steve. I received a new stuffing tube in the mail Friday and had it kinked by Saturday morning. I was so ticked off. In the past I built hydros with real long tubes, never a cat with such a short tube. Saturday morning I went to the hobby shop and bought some brass tubing, enough to make three tubes. I secured the shaft adapter to the end, cut the tube to size and ran some teflon liner through that I had bought from Remy a year back and had laying around. With three fresh home built stuffing tubes in front of me late last night I got it on the first go around. I was bending in the wrong spot to begin with even with the template and I realized that I needed more of an arcing curve instead of a bend. I installed the tube into the strut and ran the strut bushing through it. This morning, I got up and bondoed it into the hull after aligning to the collet and followed up by glassing the tube in place for reassurance. I cut the flex shaft to size and put my prop on (3 blade 6717 that I cut down from a mold weeks ago; balanced and sharpened as well). The Avenger is Done. All I need is a thawed out lack for testing and adjustment.

Hi,
A simple solution to bending the stuffing tube that I have found is just use those small plumbers tube benders. It works for me every time, a hint is it's easier if you do NOT cut the tube to length, just bend and then cut to length.
Hope this helps.:beach:

I guess im just lucky then as ive never kinked a tube to date in any of mine or customers boats.I just bend em by hand or over my knee till im happy .Just be sure to have the flex in the tube when you do it,bend a little at a time then check it and bend some more till you get the shape you want.Dont over complicate whats a simple job its not necessary :? .
Mart