How to bend Round Stock

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What is the best way to bend curves in SS round stock without heat. 3/8" and 1/2" diameters. I am imagining some kind of "jig" that would allow me to make consistant bends. I do not have a bender so that is out of the picture. I do have access to a press. Any advise would be appreciated.
Reply:The more info you furnish, the more appropriate answers you'll get.? what grade of SS is the stock?? is the 'round stock'--solid round bar or tubing?? what are the bend radius? ?inside or outside radius measurement??tolerance allowed on the radius bend??degrees of radiused bends & tolerance on those?? what is the end use application of these bends?? are bending marks okay?? flatness of the entire bend?Blackbird
Reply:X2 with all above.SS has a lot of "spring" in it. I've done a fair amount bending arcs in solid 3/8" round  304SS and 1/2" solid round 316 SS. In all cases it's necessary to work with a die thats a smaller radius than what you will want eventually to account for the tendency to spring back. Also it's usually necessary to bend past you desired angle to get what you want. Most of what I did was trial and error until I got an acceptable result that the client was happy with. Almost all of the bends were done either on a bender or using shop made bending jigs of some sort. The actual way each was bent depended on exactly what result I was trying to achieve.Some kind of idea just what you are trying to accomplish would go a long way to getting the answers you are looking for..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:I'm trying to build some rod holders for my boat. The picture below is similar to what I'm trying to build. I've already completed the aluminum tubing that i'm using for the bases. I am now trying to figure out how to bend the actual rod holder out of solid SS round stock. As far as tolerances go, there are none. I'm just looking for a fairly consistant way to bend the material so that it will look decent. Attached Images
Reply:Hello dee dubya, are you familiar with a machine by the name of "Hossfeld Bender"? If not, try googling it and see what comes up. There are lots of copies that work on the same basic principle. It is likely that you can come up with a clone of your own that will work or you might possibly invest in "dare I say" a harbor freight version that will somewhat allow for a similar result. The Hossfeld is a very versatile and "old" machine, it's been around for close to or over a 100 years, if you have the money they are a great investment for a small shop, but they are spendy. Good luck and best regards, Allanaevald
Reply:The more info you furnish, the more appropriate answers you'll get
Reply:I have an El Cheapo Harbor Freight Compact Bender that I bought on sale + 20% off coupon.  It cost approximately $60.00. The maximum round solid stock I have bent on this bender was 5/8" mild steel.  However, I only bent it to 90 degrees around the largest bending die it came with (3" I think).  In addition, it required a lot of effort to bend the 5/8" solid round stock just to 90 degrees.  I did not preheat the metal.I think you might need a beefier bender to bend 1/2" SS to the tight radius you show in your picture (just my opinion).  Why not farm out the bending portion of your project to a shop with the proper bending equipment?
Reply:with all due respect,bender shmenderi have a hf which will make a very nice bend in the material. that said, something such as you've drawn will drive you absolutely nuts trying to do on such a bender.. each of those individual bends requires a minimum amount of distance between them or  you find that one bend makes it impossible to  set it up to make the next bend...these benders are based on rollers and pins and leverage..in the tight space this figure has alotted will quickly become undoable..vise and hammer,maybe a piece of pipe used as an anvil horn..or make a bending fork..
Reply:You will have a tough time making exact repeatable bends with that design without a lot of time spent in trail and error.This thread has a pict of a press fixture used to bend rod.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...ghlight=benderI know someone also made up a 2 pin adj jig here somewhere to bend stock also, but I can't dig up the link. basically you slip the rod between the 2 pins and push. The near pin becomes the radius you are bending to, and the 2nd pin is a stop to resist the bend if that makes sense.If you use a 2 pin jig or a vise, you may find a length of 1/2" pipe or larger slipped over the rod will help you limit where the bend occurs on the rod, and give you more leverage. Somewhere I have a chunk of 1-1/4 pipe 4' long with a piece of 3/4" pipe 6" long welded in the end we used to use to bend rebar sticking out of footings. Slide the pipe over the rod to the footing and bend it down 90 deg, without making a giant radius in the bar.Looking at your design, I'm betting you may be able to use lighter SS rod because of how stiff it is. I do some hooks out of 1/4" SS 304 rod that will hold 100lbs+ and not "uncurl". 1/4" is WAY easier to bend by hand than 3/8". I'll also say the HF compact bender looks like an exact copy of my Shop outfitters bender at 1/4 the price. You may find that a good investment if you like to do things like this. That would be the 1st tool I would work with to try to build that design..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:Originally Posted by dee dubyaI'm trying to build some rod holders for my boat. The picture below is similar to what I'm trying to build. I've already completed the aluminum tubing that i'm using for the bases. I am now trying to figure out how to bend the actual rod holder out of solid SS round stock. As far as tolerances go, there are none. I'm just looking for a fairly consistant way to bend the material so that it will look decent.
Reply:Use mild steel solid round bar, heat with torch and bend, weld the sections together, then dip the completed assembly in plasti-dip.  The plasti-dip coats the metal to keep it from rusting and protects the fishing rods at the same time.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Here's a pict of one of the 1/4" prototype hooks that I made while I was trying to getthe bend rad and distances all worked out. 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:Forget the whole bending thingMake the holder thingy out pieces of plate/flat stock with the appropriate slots/holes/etc and weld it all together.  Work with what you're tooled for, instead of trying to do what you aren't able to do.It's not a work of art, it's a rod holder"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:stab two big bolts though a heavy plate,bolts about 3/4" apart and protruding through the plate 1 or 2 inches. stick it in the vise,heat up the stainless,put it between the two bolts and bend away!Children; do not try this at home!Pregneant women; use moderation.May cause cancer in the state of californiatractor,loader.dozer,backhoe,and all the tools to keep em movin
Reply:DSW, I'm likeing the two pins in the press idea. I have a lathe, milling machine, vise, table, press, welder, etc. I may try to build a jig as pictured in the thread you posted. I also will probabably try to make them out of 1/4" SS round stock. I had some 3/8" material in the shop and was trying to use it up. The 3/8" may be more trouble than it is worth.
Reply:Cheap, quick and easy out of drops.  I put it together to bend ss round bar on a ont time project. Notice no weldments in between. Width is determined by the dia you want to bend. Insert into a vise or clamp to a table. If you want to do doubleback bends - use two pipes. Pipe dia determines radius.Hope this helps. Attached Images
Reply:bent 5/8" round stock 304 SS on a JD2 bender with hydraulic assist.  180 degrees.  no heat required.
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammForget the whole bending thing Work with what you're tooled for, instead of trying to do what you aren't able to do.It's not a work of art, it's a rod holder