Bent aluminum tent pole

PlacidWaters

Adventurer
Has anyone ever successfully rebent an aluminum tent pole without breaking it? How did you do it? How did you hold it and what did you bend it against?
 

1000arms

Well-known member
Although not an answer to the question you asked, I will mention that there are "tent pole repair splints" for broken or bent tent poles. There are different sizes available.

For an example, see:

 

NatersXJ6

Explorer
Has anyone ever successfully rebent an aluminum tent pole without breaking it? How did you do it? How did you hold it and what did you bend it against?

No, but I’ve broken more than a few aluminum tubes Trying to make new RTT poles on an actual tube bender. Do you have a picture? That might help with advice.

Generally, heating it will remove the temper and allow easier bending, but kinking or breaking is EXTREMELY likely. You might be better off buying a new one or a new section at least.
 

PlacidWaters

Adventurer
) U < &
On a scale from parentheses to ampersand, how bent?
If sharp do the splice.
If not sharp you might get away with bending by hand, with or without low heat.

Actually parenthesis describes it exactly! The poles crosses over the top of the tent. It's supposed to be relatively flat. Instead it's the shape of a parenthesis. I already tried bending it by hand and it wouldn't budge.
 

pith helmet

Well-known member
Assuming it’s segmented, maybe take it apart and deal with each piece individually.

Take the short pieces and stick them one at a time in your 2” receiver hitch with a couple pieces of wood on each side to keep from getting a crease bend in it on the metal edge. Then try gently bending by hand.
How big are they?
 

NOPEC

Well-known member
These new poles are incredibly strong for their weight and I think a lot of that comes from the temper in the aluminium. I would be concerned about using heat which may comprise the temper and thus, the strength. What about using a piece of straight 2x4 or similar straight edge as a basic jig and use a couple of woodworking clamps, C clamps, etc. to gently force the pole back flat along the length of the straight edge?
 

NatersXJ6

Explorer
Is this pole for the same tent you modified in your other thread? It may have been bent due to the change in geometry to sit higher. In that case, don’t worry about it, it won’t bend more and is unlikely to break in normal use.
 

PlacidWaters

Adventurer
Nope. It's the 4P version of the tent I modified, so it has larger poles, about 3/8" in diameter, hence the difficult of bending it.
 

NatersXJ6

Explorer
You might consider drilling a closely matched diameter hole through at least a 3-4” thick block of hardwood then shoving the pole through several times. If you can do it without mushrooming the pole, it should come out close to straight.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,539
Messages
2,875,661
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top