Stainless rod bends

[crabber]

Help me (if you are willing!)! I need to build a gimballed stove for a racing sailboat. Most of the boats use quarter inch or so stainless steel rod to basically build a rack to hold a camping stove. I need to make about 12 consistant bends in this quarter inch rod and weld it up. Who makes the best bender for this type of material? If I had more time, I would build the bender. The budget allows for tool purchase, and time constraints further that allowance! Thanks in advance!



~Ian


Dynasty 200 DX
Millermatic 130 XP

[SundownIII]

crabber

For those simple bends, an $89 bender from Northern Tool will do the job and do it well.

Multitude of better, quality benders out there if you wish to spend more. JD comes to mind. Pro-Tools makes a good bender.

[sailor]

If your going to be making some small radius 90 degree bends, round and flat stock. I'd use a oxy acetylene. Heat to red orange make your bend let air cool. The blackness will polish out with a flap disc or what ever. I've had great success with this method. I hope it's a diesel stove, propane's no good for boat heat up in that cold ass country. I like it much better down here were we barbecue on deck in the winter. I supose your gettin ready for the king season, hope ya have a good one.

[FusionKing]

Ditto on Sundowns post. Even Harbor Freight has one I believe. I would bend them cold using heat as a last resort esp if there was little or no welding.

[aametalmaster]

I too use the el cheapo HF bender 100's of thousands of bends over the last 8 years...Bob

[crabber]

I will go with the Northern Tool bender. Seems perfect for the small, lightweight job at hand.


~Ian