What's the difference, if any, between black iron pipe like you by at Lowe's or Home Depot, and schedule 40 pipe? Wall thickness? I bought some black iron pipe at Lowe's for building a plate holder (olympic plates, not dinner plates) and was just curious.

Sch. 40 is simply one of the available pipe wall thickness available in pipe. The grade of the pipe is in general an ASTM/ASME/API specification. Chances are the black pipe you bought at Lowes/Home Despot is ungraded.

So without going to a metal shop and asking for a particular "schedule", you have no idea what you are buying. I was going to make some sliders out the black iron, but maybe it's not thick enough, I don't know?

The schedule # merely indicates wall thickness. Sch. 40/Standard is the most common wall thickness. The grade of pipe is indicated in general by a ASTM #, I.E ASTM A106, ASTM A53 etc. If you buy generic black pipe at a home improvement store you are buying ungraded pipe that likely doesn't conform to any specification.

What JasonMT said, plus it doesn't bend worth a shit. Ask me how I know.

Well, tell me how you know? :D

What JasonMT said, plus it doesn't bend worth a shit. Ask me how I know.

I have never had any problems with bending pipe, but I haven't tried bending pipe bought at the local Home Despot/plumbing shop either. I usually use A106 or A333 seamless when bending.

I actually made a 90 degree bend without any problem. It was only 3/4" pipe though. For all you guys who use pipe, do you usually fill it with sand prior to bending?

For all you guys who use pipe, do you usually fill it with sand prior to bending?

Never have. Just matched die and pipe size and capacity of bender with schedule.

Never have. Just matched die and pipe size and capacity of bender with schedule.

BillaVista,

What bender do you use for pipe?