bending aluminum from hardware store

[vermont]

The Porcelain Rocket Mr Fusion seems to have the stabilizing rack thing down and there are definitely imitators and DIY versions.  I'm going to try the DIY type.  I could use flat stock aluminum (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-4-in-x-48-in-Aluminum-Flat-Bar-with-1-8-in-Thick-801917/204273967). It would be easy, no brainier thing to do.  I wonder if the round tubes would be more stiff, however (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-36-in-x-1-2-in-x-1-16-in-Aluminum-Round-Tube-801247/204274002). 
Has anyone played around with the tubes?  Would I be able to cold bend it or would a small torch help out?  The ends attached to the seatpost would need to be flattened.  Would heat help that out (with a bench vise as the clamping force)?  Tips on this project?
Thanks,

[vermont]

I just noticed they make tubes and rods (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-2-in-x-36-in-Aluminum-Round-Rod-801637/204273968).  Would I be able to hammer an end flat or would I be begging for failures?
Thanks again.

[bmike-vt]

Order these:

https://ortliebusa.com/product/240mm-black-roundstay-ea/



Bend and bolt. Depending on your design you may need a splice piece to join 2 of them together.

[bmike-vt]

I don't think heat will help. If you are bending tubing you can get a small tube bender from lowes or Home Depot or horrible freight for pretty cheap.

If you use tubing you will need to deal with the ends where they bolt. You'll want to make them solid somehow.

[riderx]

I posted some info on my DIY Porcelain Rocket knock-off over here:
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/diy-make-your-own-gear-(myog)/diy-seat-pack-stabiliser/msg86667/#msg86667

Pack the tube tightly with salt before bending, it will keep from deforming. Instead of flattening the ends, I filed some adaptors. Use lockwashers on your bolts.

Tube bender was from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NPUKVQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[bikeny]

First of all, go with stainless steel tubing instead of aluminum. Pack with sand or salt when bending. Flatten ends in a vice or similar and drill hole through. Heat should not be required for any of it.

[riderx]

First of all, go with stainless steel tubing instead of aluminum. Pack with sand or salt when bending. Flatten ends in a vice or similar and drill hole through. Heat should not be required for any of it.

Just my $.02 here: I tend to go with strength over weight for most of my parts, but aluminum tubing has been holding up just fine for over a year of use in technical terrain. It's for anti-sway, not weight bearing. Alum was cheaper and easier to work with, bending SS with a small, cheap tubing bender probably won't work.

[riderx]

Update on this support system:
First one shown in the above link is still going strong after many trips (roughly 2 dozen days, with a lot oftechnical singletrack). It was made for my wife's bike but I "borrowed" it on trips when she wasn't along. The first version I made was shorter and not really long enough for her bag so it sat unused, but I retrofit my bag with a support pocket and tested the shorter version on a trip the 2 of us did this weekend. Feeling lazy, I did not bother filing the conical washers that I made for her setup. I just used a flat washer and lock washer and tightened down until the tubing deformed a bit and was a bit flat (but not totally crimped). 90 miles later, with about 80% of that gravel washboard, and everything was nice and solid. No need to tighten anything along the trip.

Future versions will be raw aluminum with maybe a clear coat. Both of these versions were lightly sanded, primered and have 2 coats of paint on them, but that quickly wears when rubbing against the cordura plus getting grit between the bag and support.