You don’t have to go to the store to buy profiled square PVC pipes. They can be easily made from round PVC pipes, especially since they are cheaper than profile ones of comparable size. Let's look at three simple ways of such transformation, the implementation of which does not require expensive materials, special tools, special skills and knowledge, the main thing is to work with heat-protective gloves, since you will have to deal with flame and hot air.
Will need
- PVC pipe with a diameter of 100 mm;
- pendulum saw;
- plain paper;
- square pipe made of wood 90×90 mm;
- hair dryer;
- heat source (for example, gas stove);
- gloves for protection against elevated temperatures.
The process of turning a round pipe into a profile one
We divide a PVC pipe with a diameter of 100 mm into three parts according to the number of ways to heat a round pipe to transform it into a square one.
Let us take into account that the softening temperature of PVC depends on the stabilizing material and lies in the range of 79-83 degrees Celsius.In all cases, we use a strong and rigid square wooden pipe with external dimensions of 90x90 mm as a template.
The first method of heating with paper
First, we use ordinary writing paper as a heat source. Three or four sheets of A4 format, rolled into a loose rope, are enough, which we burn sequentially, and with their flame we soften the plastic evenly around the circumference.
As soon as the plastic has warmed up at the inlet and has become pliable, we put the round plastic pipe on the square wooden pipe, paying special attention to the corner area, and pulling the material slightly to the side.
As the end of the square wooden pipe approaches the unheated section of the round pipe, we proceed to further warm it up and at the same time continuously move the cooled plastic along the template until the lower end of the plastic pipe is on the surface of the square one.
We use a household hair dryer
In the second case, we heat the material of the round pipe with a regular hairdryer, blowing hot air over the inlet part. The moment of sufficient heating is visible visually: the pipe begins to lose its roundness and the edges bend outward.
As in the first case, we stretch the softened part of the round pipe onto the square one, successively heating sections of the plastic until its lower end is on the square pipe.
Heating on gas
Now we select the gas stove burner as a heat source for heating the round plastic pipe. We carry out the heating carefully, because the thermal energy of the combusted gas is noticeably higher than when burning paper and blowing it with a hairdryer.
