Max Trent Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Being new to building i have now got to a point that i need to bend wire.The first piece will be 2mm to join the elevators.Tool wise i have no specialised items,just a big bench vice and pliers.I would like to get sharpish bends and have no idea the best way.Do i literally place in the vice and pull the longer side of wire OR do i hit to hit the wire at the vice to get the sharp/square bend.Bending the smaller wire has been ok,its just the larger 2mm and 3mm.I have not got much if any spare in the kit and did not want to waste what i have testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 For thin wire like this a vice is fine. Take any jaw protectors off so you have a nice sharp edge to the vice jaws. Bend it. Then give it a couple of solid taps against the top surface of the vice close top the bend - that usually gives you a nice sharp right angle. Golden rule of course - especially if you are short of stock - measure twice then bend once! BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Cantwell Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 depends on the wear on the vice jaws, try it on one of our vices at work, and you will have near a 5mm bend!! dont get it too sharp, radiuses are your friend, sharp edges lead to fracture 2mm is not very thick for an eleavtor joiner, is it a small model?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Trent Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 Alan,Its a Flair Magnatilla.Each elevator is apx 7 inchs long.Kinda big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 up the wire size - 2mm seems a bit thin. 12swg (2.5mm) minimum or better still 10 swg (3.25 mm) would be my choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly P Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I use a trick I developed a little while ago to bend wire easilly. I have some 10mm ID ali tube at home, left over from another project. I clamp the wire in the vice with the length I need held in the vice. I slot the tube over the end and push in the direction of the bend. this ali rod is 1.2m long, and will bend most wire quite easilly. I then remove the tube and finish the bend with a small hammer. If I need a radius (and as Alan syas, they are a GOOD IDEA) I use a piece of ofcut suck to the edge of the vice with blue tack! For bending sheet metal, the minimum radius used in industry is 1.5 times metal thickness, often more. wire I use the same rule. Olly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Plains Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I would use a vice if possible. Or heavy vice grips (Mole Grips) clamped to a work bench at least. I would also use a wide-ish, 1", piece of flat steel bar to help press the wire into a tight bend, if you have room for it. Edited By Chuck Planes on 26/08/2012 23:50:14 Edited By Chuck Planes on 26/08/2012 23:50:54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Fairgrieve Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I use one of these. Not cheap but well worth the outlay. Wire Bender Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Powell 2 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 You can even do the loops in thick retractable U/C legs with them. Replace the limp spagetti wires you get in the Asian rubbish. The American K&S wire is the best, even though it tends (for the UK) to come in weird sizes, but you can always find a 'near enough' one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Plains Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Posted by Mark Powell 2 on 27/08/2012 06:48:53: The American K&S wire is the best, even though it tends (for the UK) to come in weird sizes, but you can always find a 'near enough' one. I find it quite amusing that imperial sizes are now considered odd in the UK. After all, I'm sure that eherything in the Queen's house is measured in imperial! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Powell 2 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Perhaps not 'odd' But all other 'piano' wire is sold as Standard Wire Gauge. In the US it is AWG which is different.. Probably because of the American Revolution. Metric piano wire would be nice. K&S uses inches. Edited By Mark Powell 2 on 27/08/2012 15:21:44 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Plains Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Ah yes, as I don't use anything in the SWG/AWG type of measurement at work, I forgot about the wire gauges. They're all weird. Neither match up with anything in the fracional scale, and the AWG only seems to make sense when you get down to steel guitar string sizes! Edited By Chuck Planes on 27/08/2012 16:01:28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas oliver 1 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 It is possible to obtain piano wire in imperial sizes. I can buy 1/16th in at a model shop in Stockton on Tees., and they do have other sizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Yes, Try Squires Tools page 344. beb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Miller 4 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Max Do not be tempted to heat the wire. Piano wire is heat treated (hardened and tempered) heating it will soften it and make it next to useless. I have seen several posts on here that have advocated silver soldering the wire. Although I am a newbie at this lark I do know what I am talking about with regard to metal work. I go along with the other guys with regard to the vice, but my preference is to use a copper hammer to get the final bit of the bend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Fully agree about destroying its temper by overheating it but the reason it can't have its temper restored is because the temper is created during the cold drawing process and not by heat treatment as in "normal" high carbon steels... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Olsen 1 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Ok, the story I have seen about the American wire sizes is that they took their standard off some samples of British wire they had over there. Of course the wire samples had been made in normal production and the dies had worn, by varying amounts for each size. Hence the American wire size is generally larger than the British standard, but by a random amount depending how much the particular die had worn. I don't know if this is true or not. I always like to wind up Americans, when they talk about "English" measurements I always correct them and say "Imperial standard". They must be about the only part of the old Empire still using them. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Miller 4 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Hi Martin It just goes to show, I have used piano wire over many years and was not aware of the hardening process, in fact never thought about it. It now makes sense, that is the beauty of Forums and proves the point you are never to old to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 John - just a little snippet I picked up after a failed experiment to re-temper some bendy undercarriage legs a few years back - the words snap and carrot (amongst some that can't feature on this forum!) came to mind on the first landing... Edited By Martin Harris on 24/09/2012 17:56:43 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koen Smits Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 **LINK** on this page you wil find a drawing from a wirebender ( draadbuiger) to bend pianowire up to 4 mm. 2 or 3 post later there are some video's how to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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