Heating and bending .25inch steel

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i have a need to bend some 2 inch by 0.25 inch thick steel bar. i dont have a o/a outfit or a forge. Propane or Map-Pro? I dont know...
Reply:Big hammer and a heavy duty vise that's well mounted is one option. A second option would be one of the many brands of compact benders.http://www.harborfreight.com/compact-bender-38470.html.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:Take your truck, put one edge of the steel up curb and one down on the road.  Then drive on it.You're asking how to do something without the tools to do it.  Why don't you ask how to be a lumberjack but don't have an axe or a chainsaw?Buy/borrow/scrounge the tools for the job man...
Reply:If you're not using oxygen with the propane or mapp it still won't do you much good. Cold bending is do-able.
Reply:Originally Posted by jmtebbensWhy don't you ask how to be a lumberjack but don't have an axe or a chainsaw?...
Reply:I'd go for the vise and hammer idea myself if you just want an angular bend.  You can also weld it to something that's of a similar but slightly smaller/tighter contour than what you want to end up with, and then beat it around the edge or curve with a hammer right after you weld it while it's still hot.
Reply:If you have a wood vise make sure you put some metal in there or you're gonna really mess it up! You dont need that big of a vise for 1/4 x 2 I wouldnt think. another thing you could do is gouge out the areas you want to bend with a cutoff wheel on a grinder then reweld them if all you have is a welding machine.
Reply:Option #1:  If you have a transformer based arc welder, then you can buy (or build for nearly free) a Twin Carbon Arc torch.  It can actually heat metal, even hotter than oxy/acet potentially can and it runs for free.  Now if you have an inverter based welder then forget attempting Twin Carbon Arc.  Here is a pretty condensed links on Twin Carbon Arc that I contributed to on another forum with some video links and how to links (note the videos are not mine):http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtal...ad.php?t=42262Option #2:  Use a 4 1/2" grinder with a cut-off wheel and add relief cuts and vee score cuts to the plate without cutting all the way through the plate.  Bend the metal to desired shape, then weld a bead in all the score cuts to bring them back to original thickness - a bit hillbilly but it does work if appearance is not critical.Last edited by rankrank1; 07-21-2011 at 10:17 PM.
Reply:Propane torch should get you about 1800°. Kind of an orange. Should be enough to make a bend easier. You won't be doing many of these bends this way tho unless you're one patient person."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Originally Posted by midGAoutdoori have a need to bend some 2 inch by 0.25 inch thick steel bar. i dont have a o/a outfit or a forge. Propane or Map-Pro? I dont know...
Reply:the compact bender looks interesting.
Reply:another vote for oa as the most useful piece of equipment around...
Reply:if you have a welding machine, take a grinder with a zipcut disc layout exactly where you need your bend. Take the zipcut disc and cut 3/4's of the way through the material. Make your bend to desired angle. " it will bend very easily " proceed to weld up the now perfectly created corner joint and grind flush. If using this method, always bend a few degrees past your desired angle to allow for pull.
Reply:Hey midGAoutdoor,Pressure_Welder has suggested the easiest method that I have incorporated 20yrs ago for bending as I don't have any room in my shop for a large brake. It works quite nicely & some practice learning to keep a straight-line cut will be necessary. Some of the members here have posted some guides that are available that you can attach to your grinder that may help. I still do it the 'ol fashioned way.....slow on the initial cut to get the first groove made. Here's some pics of a 1/4(.250)" plate I cut & bent for a mini-safe for a customer & a sled runner(3/16/.187) I did for another customer. Cutting approx. 75-80% of the depth will allow the bend to be configured to any angle you may want. Try it....you'll like it.Denny Attached ImagesComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Originally Posted by wintermuteAlso could post where you are...if you're near me, you could just bring it by my shop and bend it up here for free...either heat or one of my benders would do it just fine.--Wintermute
Reply:Heating the joints that you want to bend will certainly help you bend them, even if it's only a little bit more. But the big advantage of heating the metal is that it will be less prone to cracking at the joint. Especially notable with aluminum.
Reply:how much of the strength is lost in the metal when u do it like this? this is a tractor bumper thats gotta remain strong. just wonderin when u weld it up does it get srtong again?
Reply:Just bend it in a vise and get it over with.Geesh.Making a mountain out of a molehill.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by midGAoutdoorhow much of the strength is lost in the metal when u do it like this? this is a tractor bumper thats gotta remain strong. just wonderin when u weld it up does it get srtong again?
Reply:internet handy, google search for welding shop even easier...I forgot how to change this.