T6 bending large radius

[inventing_man]

Hi guys
I'm using 1 1/2 inch X ,065 wall 6061 T6 on a project. The bends would be formed on a 1 foot radius die sweeping the tube to about 120 degrees . A second piece will be on a 16 inch die and bending 180 degrees.
I read somewhere that to successfully cold bend T6 , a rule of thumb is not to bend under 3 1/2 times its dia. That would be a 4 .5 radius. My bend requirements far exceed that min .
So would This cold bending using large radius dies, yield good results with out having to do a lot of heat treating and other stuff ? The tubes can ovalize some , that would be acceptable . I'm going to build a roller follower bender with hard wood dies.

I don't believe that it can be done (I couldn't do it!). Can you start with T-4, which should be cheaper anyway, or anneal?

[baeckmo]

You will have buckling problems with those thin walls, as mark says. It may be possible to succeed if you can fill the pipes with dry sand, fine grain, hard packed.

[Accurate twrs]

Any T6 will bend a bit then break...

T4 is the temper to go (but at the upper end allready)

Sasha