Forming circles

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Ok, I am working on some decorative things and I am trying to figure out how to form a circle out of 1/4" solid bar. I was thinking around 10" diameter, but I havent came up with many good ideas on how to do it. I cannot figure out the best way to make a fixture for it either.... If anyone has ideas or experience I would appreciate it. HTP Invertig 201Lincoln Idealarc SP250Miller 180 AC StickBy farmall:They should have held the seagull closer to the work, squeezing evenly for best deposition.
Reply:well you can do something as simple as using a pipe to bend the rod around. draw a circle on a bench or scrap peice of steel and tack peices of round bar in 2" incerments around the circle and bend around that. it works best if you tack the end of your peice your going to bend right on the pipe or the rod peices. you could also use a vise, or break if you have one. figure out how many bends and to what degree the bends will be and hand bend them. you could buy a parts bender from HF or TSC for aound $100. or if you plan on doing alot of these you could build a ring roller/maker. it all depends on how accurate you want them and if you want to spend money or not
Reply:Cut a 10-inch diameter circle in some 3/4-inch plywood.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:I recently made a dog bowl holder and had to make some rings.  I went with the ball peen hammer and a 3 or 4" piece of C channel.  I started tapping the rod which was supported by the points of the C channel and slowly moved the rod and continued tapping until i got a circle of the desired size.  If i had a flat spot i hit that part more, it some was too bent i flipped it over and flattened it out a bit.  I was amazed at how nice of a circle it actually made.  I was using 3/8" solid round bar when i did this.  When i was done i cut it to size and welded the 2 ends together.
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPCut a 10-inch diameter circle in some 3/4-inch plywood.
Reply:Unit I made awhile back to bend rings. The "pipe" is a chunk of scrap 7 1/4" gas cylider that failed hydro. I tack the sides at the begining of the bar to the ring and then crank the unit around with a big breaker bar and socket. Jig is held in the big vise on my heavy table. I wrap around past 360 deg since the begining of the 1st piece will have a short flat on it. I cut the tacks with a slitting wheel and slide it off the wheel and then cut thru the overlap with the grinder. The stock used is 3/16" x 1" flat.I thought I had picts of the bend in process, but I can't find  them right now.Last pict is the unit assembled with teh rings. Final dimensions of the ring are almost exactly 9" after the spring back. With this I can make repeatable bends over and over and they are almost perfectly round. Attached Images.No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:its 1/4 round solid 13.5" long, roll and i get 4" round Attached Images
Reply:I ended up using an old disc brake rotor and wrapped it around the OD of it.. Worked out OK it was very hard to clamp the steel to the rotor though. I tried welding on it, but the cast didnt take the weld very well hahaHTP Invertig 201Lincoln Idealarc SP250Miller 180 AC StickBy farmall:They should have held the seagull closer to the work, squeezing evenly for best deposition.
Reply:Originally Posted by fordmanI ended up using an old disc brake rotor and wrapped it around the OD of it..
Reply:There is a tool for this purpose, it is called a ring roller.   If you are only making one ring, you could not justify it.I like the suggestion of making a plywood circle to facilitate a smooth bend but it would need to be smaller than the final size due to springback.RichardSculptures in copper and other metalshttp://www.fergusonsculpture.comSyncrowave 200 Millermatic 211Readywelder spoolgunHypertherm 600 plasma cutterThermal Arc GMS300 Victor OA torchHomemade Blacksmith propane forge
Reply:If you're going to weld the ends together you don't need to worry about spring back. Now if you're not going to weld the ends together you'll have to counter the spring back, by making the template smaller.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:That looks good Ed. Did you use Gilders Paste for the finish?