Need help on how to bend 3/4" HR MS rod

[Techie1961]

I need to bend 8 pieces of HR 3/4" hot rolled mild steel round rod into the shape in the image. I don't have a strong enough back (injury) to do it cold so I am considering making a little forge oven with some fire brick and propane torch. Any other thoughts on how I can do it? They are 36" long.

 

[rockwithjason]

how about making a jig and then heating the rod with a torch and laying it in?

 

[Spareparts]

A spring shop can bend them on their bender, they bend "U" bolts all the time, probally take 10 min. to bend a half dozen for you.

 

[EdT]

With any kind of torch you have lying around, you're going to have tough time getting much of the rod hot at any given moment. This would probably result in a ***** bend and would also take a long time to heat and reheat the rod. If I was doing it, I would make a 3/4 " plywood form in the shape you hope to get. I would arrange it horizontally on a very sturdy work bench or other surface and fastened down well. i would make a very robust clamping arrangement to hold onto the straight part appropriately aligned with the plywood form. Clamp the straight part and then put the longest piece of pipe you can manage on the other end and walk it around the form. The first try will not come out perfect because of spring back so you will either have to move the plywood or trim it down such that you over bend it a little and it will spring back to where you want it. The clamp for the straight part is critical as well as having the plywood form fastened down tight. Bolted to a welding table would be good.

 

[Kevin54]

Do you have a rosebud and a set of torches? I could give you a layout as to where to put some pins, or some templates to cut some wood to make a wooden jig so you can drop the bar in and work it around. If you use something like some a 2x12, and some 2x6's, you can make a 1x use wooden jig. Fasten the 2x6's down to a 2x12, or even down to some plywood.

I'll help you out anyway I can as far as drawings. If you want to put some dowels into something, I can lay it all out for you, no problem. I have torches and tanks, but by the time I got the material on my end, made a jig up, bent it up, and then shipped it, someone on your side of the border could probably do it cheaper.

But if you have tanks and torches, make a wood jig up, and bend things to that. The longer your barstock, the easier to bend it once you heat it up cherry red. Keep the jig wet and you may get a couple of pieces out of it.

 

[Techie1961]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the responses. I was thinking about the torch Jason but thought that I would probably **** back a lot of gas and time to do them that way. I hadn't thought about a spring shop Spareparts, do you think they can do the different radii? I like the idea about the plywood templates and a pipe to give me the extra effect I need. I think that if I use some 3/4" ID tubing that I have I can hold the straight end and make a cleared out area in the template to finish with the straight rather than the larger arc. I'll have to take a best guess at the spring back and then adjust from there.

Thanks for the other idea Kevin, and the offer to assist. I was thinking of leaving the bars longer to do the bending but then the last short ones would be a problem and I would have to get out a pipe anyway. I may end up heating them but the cold formed route might be the best to try first. Great idea on keeping the wood wet and still using a plywood form.

 

[Showkey]

Years ago built a propane forge ( from plans off the internet ) worked great for a similar project. The propane burners were made from water pipe and fittings.

 

[ez-duzit]

A spring shop can bend them on their bender, they bend "U" bolts all the time, probally take 10 min. to bend a half dozen for you.

Come on! You're way off!

A 1/2-dozen of those, that match, would be a good piece of work for even a skilled blacksmith.

 

[zkling]

That is a pretty difficult piece to get the radii transition correct. For 1/4" bar stock is one thing, but 3/4" is going to be tough. I'd check local blacksmith/general fab shops that do ornamental iron work to see what they would charge for a small run. They should have a ring roller that would make it much easier.

What are these for out of curiosity?

 

[jimgood]

Your best bet is going to be a blacksmith. You'll need a large forge in order to get the piece in to heat each area. It's easy when it's straight. But once it's partially bent, it gets harder to fit into the common sized propane forge that a farrier might use. Frankly, a coal forge would be easiest. That way you can throw in several at a time and keep them hot while one is being worked over the mandrels.

This can be done with a torch but it's going to be painfully slow.

 

[Rangermoe]

I don't think heat is the way to go. 3/4 HR wouldn't be difficult to bend around a jig with a little leverage. The ornamental ironwork guys would be a big help. Years ago I worked with a guy that did a bunch of ornamental work. He built several jigs, clamped the piece in at one end and bent the piece around a form. The forms were smaller that what it ended up because of spring back. 3/4" would be more of a challenge to bend but I think if you cut the pieces slightly long to start with and put a 4ft piece of pipe over the end for some leverage it would be doable. The jig would have to be sturdy. Maybe 1/4 x 1 welded to a piece of plate slightly smaller than the shape you need. The straight end could be wedged between two pieces, then bend around the 1/4 x 1 curve.

 

[steel 35]

I made a roller at my last job that had 1" and 1 1/4" at the other end, I have rolled 1".
If I couldn't get access to it, I would try one of these; may wrinkle it and may need to make dies.

http://www.harborfreight.com/tubing-roller-99736.html

 

[Techie1961]

Down and dirty does the trick. Thanks to everyone that commented; I really appreciate it and I got it done.

I grabbed some old scraps of 3/4" plywood, a skid, my forklift (nice solid base and adjustable work height) and some pieces of pipe. The skid was hardwood and I used some long wood type lag screws to screw it all together. The 1 2 3 block was needed due to the high starting load for the bend. I had a piece of 1" black pipe that was about ten feet long and that was plenty of leverage.

Once I got it around most of the radius, I put a piece of 3/4" ID x 1 1/2" OD tubing over the end to protect the straight section and finished the section near the smallest part of the bend. I started it with a template that had overbend in the radii and it was close enough on the first try.

They are for my John Deere tractor. It is a little back saver that I am putting together for another piece that I built. I'll put some shots of it in here once I have it done or at least once I start to use it.

 

[mike13u]

Nice job

 

[Techie1961]

Nice job

Thanks Mike.

I finished up the piece that I was building and it came out nice. I still have to put some paint on it but functionally, it works.

I have a piece that I call a "Plucket" or Plow Bucket that I built for my John Deere tractor. I use the bucket mostly because I don't have a front end loader but need one and the pieces that I put on the 54" blade worked really well for the new implement that I just made.

This one is used to pick up branches from the winter as well as clearing some brush areas and overgrown bush/weeds. I can go in, push all the **** out of the soil and then use the rake to pick it up and take it away.

This is a video of it more intended purpose

If you are interested this is the "Plucket" in action

 

[ez-duzit]

Pretty cool.

 

[toplessHO]

nice job
I guess you know they make a real one for skid steers about that same size

 

[Techie1961]

nice job
I guess you know they make a real one for skid steers about that same size

Thanks man. I don't have a lot of experience with skid steers. I have seen grapplers on them that are much heavier for lifting rocks and such that are open all around. Mine is more of a rake than anything that I have seen. Is that what you're referring to or are there other styles? Regardless though, my little 425 wouldn't be able to lift anything that I have seen and this was cheap.