9 replies to this topic

[Rick]

I have been asked to show how to use the HD wire bender. I have been procrastinating this for a while.

It really is a snap to use and I just used some brass rod I had handy and because I was holding it on a counter for the pictures. When bending .078 I suggest putting it in the vise. That stuff is ignorant. LOL

Pic# 1 is a picture of what you see when you get it. The two pivot pins are locktited in. The 9 short pins will act as your fence and stop pins.


Pic#2: Put your 7 bottom fence pins in the holes. These are removable for you to do bends past zero and for whatever creative bedning you may dream up. I have put the pins in and also the top fence to hold the wire down againt the pins. It is not ready to make my first bend of the 1" "U".

Pic# 3 is the first "L" bend made using the side of the bending arm with the 1/8" plain hole in it.

Pic# 4: Flip the "L" bend over to the left and adjust the solid fence piece to hold the first bend against the stop pins which are set at 1". One nice feature about this way of bedning, reguardless of what size you are bending the inside dimension will always be 1", you do not have to adjust for wire diameter. There is also a second set of holes to make "U" bends for 3/4" main rails to fit popular motor brackets.

Pic# 5: just a finished product of your "U: bend.

Pic# 6: I am using the U bend wire to show a Jaildoor rail. I put one of the short pins in the last hole on the left, which gives you a 4" inside wire measurement. I have the solid fence adjusted to jold the wire down against the pins. Make the second "L" bend and repeat as many of these as you want for your rails. They will come out the same. The solid fence is adjustable using the slotted hole to make any custom length jaildoor rails also. Measure with calipers and then set from bending pivot to end of solid fence and lock down.

Pic# 7 is your finished Main rail for a Jaildoor chassis

[Rick]

Now on to the Jaildoor Loop for your drop arm. You will use the other end of the bending crank with the recess to register the arm both center and around the bending fixture.

Place two of the short pins in the holes to the right of the larger bending round. These are the stops for the 1/16" brass rod.
Pic # 8: shows laying the wire against the stops. It also shows the bending crank we will be using.


Pic# 9 just shoes the crank in position to make the bend. THis is so easy to bend with the brass wire and a nice smooth radius.

Pic# 10: This is what you will end up with after you bend around the round fixture.


There you have the quick and easy way to make all your wire bending. I think the tool is bulletproof and can't be broken? The worst case scenario is dropping it and having to find all the pins.

Any questions, please feel free....................


If you use this bend and a widgit, you can tack the widgit into the loop and then lay all of the wires to fill in the drop arm as you want. This will hold a radius for the widgit. Keeping it on a solid flat surface you then tach together all the rods. Unsolder the widgit and remove it, solder all the rods into a solid piece and place in the guide tongue bender and bend everything at one time. Then place the widgit widgit back in and solder solid.

[Pete L.]

Rick,

Great how -to ! Where can we find the widgits ?




thanks,

[Rick]

Pete, I have them. Brian may also have them on the left coast?

[The Bugman]

pete,i have both of the widgets,and they both work good,Bryans is a tad smaller diameter where the drop loop goes,
his is .300dia. ,and Rick's is .330,,,,,but Ricks fits his wire bender very good,,,
not much adjusting needed where Warmacks would have to have the loop tightened up abit to fit Ricks wire bender tool,,,,
and let me tell EVERYONE who reads this blog,Im no expert at chassis making,but ive used Ricks wire bender and newest jig to make 2 JD chassis'(a sportsman & a F1),and theyve come out excellent,and square and FLAT too,,,
im gonna send rick some pictures of my chassis soon,,,and if i can do it,,
like the commercial says,ITS SO EASY A CAVEMAN (or old nearsighted slotracer) CAN DO IT too,,,,,

[Pete L.]

Oscar,

Thanks for the info, I've got one of the jigs too as well as the wire bender and jig wheels. Now if I could just get some time to get to the workbench...

[Rick]

Don't forget the original wire bending machine. For those that don't have the wants or needs for Jail door rod bending. Smaller and a little lighter duty but it will still bend the 3/4" and 1" main rails. With some reference lines drawn in by the user it would still do jaildoor rails too.

[chaparrAL]

BTW Rick also has a baby version of the above bender with a smaller bending pivot for small wire. I love mine !

[tonyp]

Very nice, Finally got a chance to try mine out.....

[Stan]

Rick- Thank you so much for the tutorial!!! DOH! I was not using any of the preset spacings you built into the jig! And all the time, they were right there in front of me... while I was simply bending 90's and doing all the 1" measuring and fitting by hand.

When you are learning there are so many opportunities to feel like a moron.