making stainless steel ace bars?

[flatyre]

Hi all I'm thinking of making a set of stainless steel bars for my project. I made a set from ordinary 7/8 pipe to my own measurements but reckon making a set from ss will be cheaper than getting them chromed. I suppose this is as much an experiment as a practical money saving exercise. The local suppliers stock


Type
Stainless Steel
Grade
1.4401 / 316

Form
Round Tube / Seamless ASTM A269/A213
Part No.
N/A

Dimensions (O/D x Wall Thickness x Length)
7/8" x 0.064" (16SWG)

Weight
0.84 kg per Unit

would this be suitable for bars? I have access to a bender and spring inserts, though would like to try the old sand filled trick.

 

[xb33bsa]

.064 is kinda thin

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

.064 is kinda thin

That's what I was thinking. I wouldn't go any thinner than 0.095" wall thickness. It will be less prone to kinking when you bend it, too.

I looked at onlinemetals.com, and you would be paying about $77 plus shipping for a 3' piece of that. Might not be your most cost effective way to go.

You could get a 3' length of 0.875" X 0.12" 6061 aluminum. That would be plenty strong, lighter, and it polishes up nicely. That goes for about $27 plus shipping.