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Start with opening a
new image, 300 x 300 pixels, transparent background.
Select the
Rectangular Marquee (dobbel click the rectangular marquee to open the
marquee options - it's on the upper right side on your screen - see fig.
1).

Figure 1
Change
style from Normal to fixed size, and enter with: 400 and Heigth 20.
Now click on your image to make your selection. (It's the same where you
make your selection - we are going to center it vertically later...)
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Now select the Linear Gradient Tool.
If you don't have a chrome gradient you can download mine.
Just click on the gradient image... 
(To install the gradient click on the Linear Gradient Tool - in the
Linear Gradient Options choose Edit. Now click on the Load button and
choose my gradient).
Be sure you have white as your foreground colour and black as your
background colour.
Your Linear Gradient Options window
should now look like fig. 2.

Figure 2
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Now it's time to fill your selection
with the gradient.
Hold down the Shift-key - Start 1-2 pixels above the selection, left-click
the mouse and hold and drag down until you are 1-2 pixels below the
selection. See fig. 3.

Figure 3
Now we have to center
the pipe vertically.
Select - All. Now go to Layer - Align to Selection - Vertical center.
Deselect.
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Now it's time to add some details.
Open up a new image - width = 2 pixels and heigth = 50 pixels.
Select the Single Column Marquee Tool.
Place the selection on the left side of your image.
Make black your foreground colour and fill the selection with black.
Your image should now look like fig. 4.

Figure 4
Now select all - Edit -
Define Pattern.
We are now going to fill the pipe image with the pattern we just made...
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Back on our first image
:-)
Hold down the Ctrl-key and left-click the pipe layer to select the pipe.
Create a new layer.
Select the Paint Bucket
and change the Contents from Foreground to Pattern in the Paint Buckets
Options window. Fill your selection. Deselect. Your image should now look
like fig. 5.

Figure 5
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Now to the fun part.
First we have to merge the pipe layer and the pattern layer. Go to Layer -
Merge Visible.
Now we are going to bend some pipes
:-)
Select Filter - Disort - Polar Coordinates - Rectangular to Polar - OK.
Your image should now look like fig. 6.

Figure 6
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Now you can insert the pipes on your
designs.
Here you see my example :-)
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