For two conjoining pieces of pipes to be attached to each other, the most logical and fast solution that had a lot of strength and could be done without access to the inside of the pipe was using pop rivets. This tool is essentially an elaborate pair of pliers which grabs the tail end of the rivet once it has been placed inside the drilled hole, and pulls it back through, creating a bulge on the inside of the pipe which holds the rivet in place.
The tool is quite hard to use - it takes a lot of force to pull the rivet into place, and even further force to pull out the stem, requiring the use of bodyweight - but it feels very secure once it's done.
The pipe bender is very temperamental - it's proving very hard to get a tight curve without the pipe kinking and folding at the tightest point of bend, which really effects the strength of the piece, not ideal for a weight bearing area.
The issue of getting the tighter curves on the pieces like the saddle was remedied from connecting the halves using the pop rivets, and then using rope to tension the pipes into a better shape, and using the heat gun to 'set' the curve. The pipe is not perfect - it does have some tight bends and slight kinks - but for something so lightweight that won't bear too much weight and will be completely covered up, the aesthetics aren't too important as long as the general shape is there.
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