Lets say I have a small mild steel metal rod... about 1/3" in diameter.. and
I need to bend it in the middle about 45 degrees. What would be the easiest
way to do this? Is there any sort of 'bender' commonly available? Thanks!

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant

Maybe build or buy a small bending jig like this??

http://home.flash.net/~dwwilson/ntba/archive/bjg/

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant


wrote in message
. com...
Lets say I have a small mild steel metal rod... about 1/3" in diameter..
and
I need to bend it in the middle about 45 degrees. What would be the
easiest
way to do this? Is there any sort of 'bender' commonly available? Thanks!

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant

Place in a vise. Slide pipe over the end that sticks out. Push
or pull as required.

This method can even be set up to be repeatable.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




wrote in message
. com...
Lets say I have a small mild steel metal rod... about 1/3" in
diameter.. and
I need to bend it in the middle about 45 degrees. What would be
the easiest
way to do this? Is there any sort of 'bender' commonly
available? Thanks!

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant

DanG wrote:
Place in a vise. Slide pipe over the end that sticks out. Push
or pull as required.

This method can even be set up to be repeatable.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




wrote in message
. com...
Lets say I have a small mild steel metal rod... about 1/3" in
diameter.. and
I need to bend it in the middle about 45 degrees. What would be
the easiest
way to do this? Is there any sort of 'bender' commonly
available? Thanks!

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant





Or . . . . for a sharper bend, whang it with a sledge hammer.
Bugs

LOL!!! Nice..

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant


"Bugs" wrote in message
oups.com...

DanG wrote:
Place in a vise. Slide pipe over the end that sticks out. Push
or pull as required.

This method can even be set up to be repeatable.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




wrote in message
. com...
Lets say I have a small mild steel metal rod... about 1/3" in
diameter.. and
I need to bend it in the middle about 45 degrees. What would be
the easiest
way to do this? Is there any sort of 'bender' commonly
available? Thanks!

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant





Or . . . . for a sharper bend, whang it with a sledge hammer.
Bugs

Unbelievable. LOL. That is a great idea! What do you think about the section
I'm going to bend first with a propane torch? Worth the extra time?

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant


"DanG" wrote in message
news:uJOFd.18157$4h.9626@okepread03...
Place in a vise. Slide pipe over the end that sticks out. Push
or pull as required.

This method can even be set up to be repeatable.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




wrote in message
. com...
Lets say I have a small mild steel metal rod... about 1/3" in
diameter.. and
I need to bend it in the middle about 45 degrees. What would be
the easiest
way to do this? Is there any sort of 'bender' commonly
available? Thanks!

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant

Errr... I didn't say that right.

What I mean... what do you think about HEATING the section I'm going to bend
first with a propane torch? Worth it? Sorry.. just woke up.

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant


wrote in message
om...
Unbelievable. LOL. That is a great idea! What do you think about the
section
I'm going to bend first with a propane torch? Worth the extra time?

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant


"DanG" wrote in message
news:uJOFd.18157$4h.9626@okepread03...
Place in a vise. Slide pipe over the end that sticks out. Push
or pull as required.

This method can even be set up to be repeatable.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




wrote in message
. com...
Lets say I have a small mild steel metal rod... about 1/3" in
diameter.. and
I need to bend it in the middle about 45 degrees. What would be
the easiest
way to do this? Is there any sort of 'bender' commonly
available? Thanks!

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant

On 14 Jan 2005 06:35:00 -0800, "Bugs" wrote:
DanG wrote:
wrote in message
. com...

Lets say I have a small mild steel metal rod... about 1/3" in
diameter.. and I need to bend it in the middle about 45
degrees. What would be the easiest way to do this? Is there
any sort of 'bender' commonly available? Thanks!

Place in a vise. Slide pipe over the end that sticks out. Push
or pull as required.

This method can even be set up to be repeatable.

Or . . . . for a sharper bend, whang it with a sledge hammer.

If the temper of the steel isn't a huge concern, it may prove to be
a lot easier to heat the steel rod in the bend zone (1" either side)
with a propane or Oxy-Acetylene torch till red hot and somewhat
plastic, then bend it in a vise as suggested above. When good and
hot, that rod will fold like a flexy straw.

If you do need to re-temper, get it bent the way you want and then
heat again and quench in a bucket of water. If the ultimate strength
of this rod is very important, find out exactly what type steel you
have and follow the specific tempering steps required - may need to be
oil-quenched.

-- Bruce --

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

Thanks, Bruce & everybody else. I ended up going to home depot & getting a
5/16" x 36" mild steel rod. I used an angle grinder to cut off roughly 11
inches and I saved the rest of the rod in case I need it later (why throw
away $$?). I stuck the edge of the rod in the vise & secured it. I then
heated the area I was going to bend until I felt it was hot enough (not
glowing red, but I felt it was hot enough) and used the "pipe" from my
vehicle jack & stuck that on the end & made the desired bend. Worked like a
charm! I thought I was going to have to take it to a metal bending jig or
something, but nope! A little heat & a vise & pipe did the trick. I
*probably* could have done it without heating the rod first, but ah well...
heating it was more fun. I was actually needing to bend it because I didnt'
feel like paying $15 for a single exhaust hanger from Randall Ford & I
didn't even really wanna spend the $10 for an aftermarket hanger which I'd
hafta figure out how to rig up... plus making a custom hanger didn't seem
*that* difficult so I thought I'd put the welder to good use. Heating,
bending, and welding all in all took about 20-25 minutes and now my exhaust
is very stable again (I only had 1 side w/ a hanger for a few days & wanted
to stabilize the other side asap). Btw, the steel rod was $3.08 with tax.

So again, all of your recommendations/suggestions were awesome & I
appreciate it a ton =). Have a great day. Thx for saving me a few bucks!

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant


"Bruce L. Bergman" wrote in message
...
On 14 Jan 2005 06:35:00 -0800, "Bugs" wrote:
DanG wrote:
wrote in message
. com...

Lets say I have a small mild steel metal rod... about 1/3" in
diameter.. and I need to bend it in the middle about 45
degrees. What would be the easiest way to do this? Is there
any sort of 'bender' commonly available? Thanks!

Place in a vise. Slide pipe over the end that sticks out. Push
or pull as required.

This method can even be set up to be repeatable.

Or . . . . for a sharper bend, whang it with a sledge hammer.

If the temper of the steel isn't a huge concern, it may prove to be
a lot easier to heat the steel rod in the bend zone (1" either side)
with a propane or Oxy-Acetylene torch till red hot and somewhat
plastic, then bend it in a vise as suggested above. When good and
hot, that rod will fold like a flexy straw.

If you do need to re-temper, get it bent the way you want and then
heat again and quench in a bucket of water. If the ultimate strength
of this rod is very important, find out exactly what type steel you
have and follow the specific tempering steps required - may need to be
oil-quenched.

-- Bruce --

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

In article , says...
wrote in message
om...
I *probably* could have done it without heating the rod first, but ah
well... heating it was more fun.

If you didn't even get it glowing, you didn't really do much to it. To
really see the effect of heat on steel, you need to get it up a good 2000F
(yellow) or so. The things you can do...


The effect will be pretty obvious at 1100-1200F, where yield will be 30-
50% of yield at room temperature. At 2000F it'll be 5% or less. But it's
true that there won't be much change before the steel starts to show
some color.

Ned Simmons

I can't really explain it... it was "red" (starting to turn red), but I
didn't keep it there so it'd be GLOWING red... but I would imagine that it
was a little easier to bend at least than if it was cold. It was about 30F
outside.

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant


"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
In article , says...
wrote in message
om...
I *probably* could have done it without heating the rod first, but ah
well... heating it was more fun.

If you didn't even get it glowing, you didn't really do much to it. To
really see the effect of heat on steel, you need to get it up a good
2000F
(yellow) or so. The things you can do...


The effect will be pretty obvious at 1100-1200F, where yield will be 30-
50% of yield at room temperature. At 2000F it'll be 5% or less. But it's
true that there won't be much change before the steel starts to show
some color.

Ned Simmons

In article ,
says...
I can't really explain it... it was "red" (starting to turn red), but I
didn't keep it there so it'd be GLOWING red... but I would imagine that it
was a little easier to bend at least than if it was cold.

Estimating temperature by color is very sensitive to the surrounding
light level, but if you saw any red at all you probably did make it a
bit easier to bend the bar.

Scroll down to find a color chart..
http://hypertextbook.com/physics/waves/color/

and a graph of reduction in yield vs. temperature..
http://www.pentoncmg.com/sfpe/articl...pring%2003.pdf

Ned Simmons

Whoah! Awesome, Ned! Thx =). Btw... for kicks, I took the remains of the
rod... put it in a vise.. bent it.... it was a *little* more difficult I
think, but not much more difficult. Oh well. Propane torch was fun anyway.

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
FRPP 3.73 gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo)
Hi-speed fan switch
255/60R-15 rear tires
Subframe connectors
Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant


"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...
I can't really explain it... it was "red" (starting to turn red), but I
didn't keep it there so it'd be GLOWING red... but I would imagine that
it
was a little easier to bend at least than if it was cold.

Estimating temperature by color is very sensitive to the surrounding
light level, but if you saw any red at all you probably did make it a
bit easier to bend the bar.

Scroll down to find a color chart..
http://hypertextbook.com/physics/waves/color/

and a graph of reduction in yield vs. temperature..
http://www.pentoncmg.com/sfpe/articl...pring%2003.pdf

Ned Simmons