Swaging and butting 4130 tubing

[wilson248]

I am looking for some help with metal fabrication. I have designed some bicycle handelbars and would like them to be manufactured, however I have little knowledge about the butting or swaging process. Ideally, I am looking for 7/8" OD, 0.065" ID tubing roughly 2 foot long 4130 seemless. This tubing needs to have butted or thinned in 3 places and then cnc or manually bent, followed by a couple of welds.

Do most shops that service tube bending also service tube butting? Does anyone on this forum have any good resources for a shop in or servicing Colorado? I am looking for first run prototype of 5 peices , followed by a run of 100 or so.

Thanks in advance!

[Janos]

I have had plenty of experience with 4130 tube. I have build entire chassis for doorcar and dragsters for longer than I want to. The tube you are talking about will bend pretty easily with the help from a hydraulic bender but it has to remain the same dia. through out the area being bent. If we needed to make a different dia. for some reason we would cut and put a slip joint in it. If you PM me with a sketch of what your thinking I could probably tell you if I can assist you in making it.
As far as swaging the stuff, you will have your hands full. I believe it would take quite a machine to do that. Perhaps some kind of a roll former.