Need to bend 1/4" rod to exact dimensions

[Davey Boy]

I can bend the rod in the vise, but how do I get the exact lengths for the bends.
Is it better to find a machine shop and have them do it, if so can anyone recommend a shop in South Calgary.
As I say I can bend it but it won't match the given lengths.

[bat119]

Get a tubing bender from princess auto bend a piece longer and cut to length

[Davey Boy]

Bending in a vise will be as accurate as those things, as have never used them.
Rather pay someone who can do it accurately.

[Jayhad]

Originally Posted by Davey Boy

Rather pay someone who can do it accurately.

How accurate? there are no tolerances noted on your prints

[nick0danger]

If you get the measurements from the center point of the bends, any instrumentation guy could bend that for you, however it would wreck any threads the bender touches.

[Davey Boy]

Don't think that the tolerances are crucial but it does have to be reasonable or it just won't fit.
And the threads don't matter where the bends are, just either end.

[Davey Boy]

And can you recommend an instrumentation guy Nick. In South Calgary.

[Cigarguy]

In the past I've used Valley Metal a lot for custom metal work. Would be a cinch for them to do what you want. The price? I don't know, might or might not be to your liking.

https://valleymetal.com/

[nick0danger]

Originally Posted by Davey Boy

And can you recommend an instrumentation guy Nick. In South Calgary.

Only one I can think of, does not have 1/4" benders cause there in my garage, and I am in NW Calgary. Lots of E&I shops in the SW.

[Davey Boy]

Thanks I will give them a call.

[Davey Boy]

Wow Valley Metals wants approx $80 to make 4 bends in a 9 " rod and that's with me supplying the rod. Think I will do a lot of trial and error bending on my own.
Appreciate all the replies fellas.
Thanks
Dave

[ghostguy6]

You need to calculate the radius of your bend then subtract that from the point where you want the middle of the bend to be. With my old bender you needed to subtract 3/8" to get the perfect bend. I think it was a 9/16' radius bend. Adding heat will allow for a tighter bend in a vice. I think if you were to subtract 5/16" and start the bend in the vice it should get you fairly close.
Do you need a bend or will a mitred corner weld work?

[Arty]

A cheap 1/4" tubing bender might cost the same or less than driving to an instrumentation shop & paying labor and taxes. The procedure for making a simple 90 is pretty straight-forward, and there's probably even a youtube video for it now by Swagelock.

Any threads on the rod might interfere a little with the bender's contact points, but you could probably force 1/4" material. Never tried to do that with solid rod, because the idea of a bender is to create a nice gradual bend in tubing to precise dimensions with no inside deformation. So no turbulence or resistance and associated problems is created for process fluid.

Might be a better idea just to cut two straight chunks of rod to the lengths you need, mitre the two inside edges to 45 degrees, grind slight channels into the sides of those edges, then clamp and MIG-weld that joint. That will end up being much more precise than trying to bend anything. You could even weld in a triangular reinforcement to the inside of the joint if needed. That will all cover less real estate than the gradual round corner a pair of benders would make.

[Grizzly Adams]

Accuracy ? Build a jig and use heat. Thinking several bolts in a piece of steel in the appropriate places and a good hot torch.

Grizz

[Davey Boy]

Don't have any welders or torches LOL Propane torch I heated up the bend and it snapped right off at the vise. Going to rethink this and maybe try to adapt a large 1/4" Ubolt used in muffler clamps and see if that works.
I'm not that handy.

[Cement Bench]

just trying to,help but not sure about posting

why can’t you buy longer length, bend it and then

cut it to length you need and put the thread type you need, if any on the ends?

again know nothing just thinking about the problem posed

sorry if missed something

[marky_mark]

Originally Posted by Davey Boy

Wow Valley Metals wants approx $80 to make 4 bends in a 9 " rod and that's with me supplying the rod. Think I will do a lot of trial and error bending on my own.
Appreciate all the replies fellas.
Thanks
Dave

$90 sounds like it’s a good deal

[CaberTosser]

If its for a cartridge holder as the drawing suggests, is there any reason that the thing couldn't be made with some scrap wood with 1/4" dowels inserted into holes drilled into it?

Might also be an easy enough thing with some 1/4" soft copper tubing and some benders.

[Davey Boy]

No wood as it is in a flame near the end. CB if it was only one bend I might get away with bending then cutting, but it needs 4 bends within 9",

Going to try the ubolt thingy might be able to make that work.

[Flatlandliver]

Buy a tubing bender, build a simple jig using dowels for the inside radius and Bob’s your uncle.

[CaberTosser]

How about repurposing something that's already close? By the mention of flame I'm guessing this is for annealing, I bet that using a grinder and some bending techniques (heat included!) that an old shopping cart or a dishwasher rack could be modified into a cartridge rack.

[marlin4570]

The ready rod you can buy does not bend well! Best to go with solid rod and thread the ends. Plans say that’s what they did!

[Davey Boy]

Thanks fellas for all the recommendations and advice.
Caber you are right it is for an annealer. I can shorten the end of a ubolt and mount it in the bottom left corner and accomplish the same thing.

Here is what I'm building, plans are available on Thingiverse.com, and the transmission part of this build is printed and does work, so now on to complete the build.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o8CGu6aGbI

[Arty]

I've just used some aluminum annealing cups, a low-speed drill, propane torch and some indicator wax to anneal heavily-used 6BR cases. Doesn't take too long.

[jungleboy]

Just go down to your local metal supermarket. They sell the rod and will likely bend it for you too for a small fee. Looks like it would take about 5 minutes with a vice and a torch.
If I lived near you, I would do it for you, for nothing.

[Okotok]

I've bent a lot of tubing. A tubing bender is not the right tool for solid rod. Just my two cents.

[Ormachek]

Originally Posted by Okotok

I've bent a lot of tubing. A tubing bender is not the right tool for solid rod. Just my two cents.

This. You will probably break the bender. Not to mention the radius would be too large for what you are trying to accomplish.

[Davey Boy]

Rounded ubolt or square ubolt is going to work.

[11567403]

Make a cut 1/3 way through the rod with a Zip disk where you want to bend and anneal with a propane torch before bending. Once your happy with it just weld up the gaps where you nicked the rod and grind the weld to blend in.
Works best if you cut on the outside radius of the bend.

If it doesn’t require much strength and you don’t have access to a welder you could probably even smear some jb weld into the gaps.