Thread: DIY side bending iron

Originally Posted by fts_sjk

the heat element maybe i can get if i open up an old heater and pull the electrical components out?

The elements in a standard room heater would not be suitable for the device you describe and i would suggest that if you don't know what you are doing, playing with 240V elements is a very bad idea.


the heater would have adjustable heat control, so that would be the +.

The thermostat in a room heater is not suitable for adjusting the temperature of a surface heater. Again, don't play with it.

Sorry to be so negative fts_sjk but manufacturing 240V equipment should only be attempted by someone who is qualified and knows what they are doing. At the very least, get anything you build checked over by a qualified electrician before switching it on.

Originally Posted by NCArcher

Sorry to be so negative fts_sjk but manufacturing 240V equipment should only be attempted by someone who is qualified and knows what they are doing. At the very least, get anything you build checked over by a qualified electrician before switching it on.

thanks for the heads up!!

damn, i'm just out of luck, last year our electronics class teacher was actually a fully qualified electrician. however he was only a 'student teacher', so he was sent to another school for another internship.

damn, i will try and get this other guy to have a look at it.

Originally Posted by fts_sjk

hey guys,
would it be possible for me to build my own DIY side bending iron?

See Campiano and other books for propane powered bending pipe. If you want best heat control buy an electric bending iron.

A friend and I made a bender with a piece of aluminium and a silicon surface heater (basically a flexible rubber-looking 10cmx20cm mat with flexible elements inside it) It works just dandy.

Originally Posted by sundancewfs

A friend and I made a bender with a piece of aluminium and a silicon surface heater (basically a flexible rubber-looking 10cmx20cm mat with flexible elements inside it) It works just dandy.

aha!!
is that the type of one where you put it in the microwave so it gets hot, and then put it on your stomach or other body part for cramps?

how did you heat the silicon so high?
how many degrees is needed to bend an indian rosewood side?

You could do it the old fashioned way; piece of steel pipe with a couple of bbq charcoal heatbeads inside. Or the propane torch method works too.

Originally Posted by fts_sjk

aha!!
is that the type of one where you put it in the microwave so it gets hot, and then put it on your stomach or other body part for cramps?

how did you heat the silicon so high?
how many degrees is needed to bend an indian rosewood side?

Its an electrically powered silicon rubber blanket. Without a temp controller youre going to end up burning your sides (the blankets get very hot very quickly). Cost of a blanket is going to exceed that of an electric bending iron. You're on a tight budget so lets keep it cheapr and practical. Bending iron......propane powered would be my choice.

Originally Posted by kiwigeo

Its an electrically powered silicon rubber blanket. Without a temp controller youre going to end up burning your sides (the blankets get very hot very quickly). Cost of a blanket is going to exceed that of an electric bending iron. You're on a tight budget so lets keep it cheapr and practical. Bending iron......propane powered would be my choice.

Yeah....I've gone the cowboy route.....silicon blanket no/timer, no temp control..
my temp control is a meat thermometer and an extra pair of hands....because you need to keep an eye on the thermometer and have the extra pair of hands manning the power switch at the wall...
I wouldn't recommend it .. I haven't had a problem but the temp can really get motoring once its up around 300f....if your not keeping it monitored you'd easily burn the sides and probably the workshop to the ground...

Originally Posted by NCArcher

Sorry to be so negative fts_sjk but manufacturing 240V equipment should only be attempted by someone who is qualified and knows what they are doing. At the very least, get anything you build checked over by a qualified electrician before switching it on.

Youre not being negative mate.....having fts_sjk off line because he got zapped by his sidebender would be a really big negative

Originally Posted by gratay

Yeah....I've gone the cowboy route.....silicon blanket no/timer, no temp control..

Whoa...silicone cowboy. Ya mean like a country and western version of "Prescilla Queen of the Desert"???

Originally Posted by kiwigeo

Whoa...silicone cowboy. Ya mean like a country and western version of "Prescilla Queen of the Desert"???

funny you should mention "Prescilla"....I did a tour once and we had the choice of flying or earning more money doing it by road.....someone in the band knew the guy that owned that bus which had just finished the movie shoot and still decked out in zebra skin and painted pink...so we hired it for 2 weeks to do this tour from sydney to melbourne.....
It was good fun but the bloody thing kept breaking down ......spent one very cold night just outside bendigo freezing .....by the end of the tour I'd had enough of it and opted to catch the train back home.

So yeah silicone cowboy all the way !!!

What is min and max temperature of bending iron?

Minimum = zero (when the iron is turned off).

Maximum = over 300 deg F.

When using my electric bending iron I judge correct temperature by spraying a bit of water on the iron. If the water immediately forms beads that bounce around on the iron then its the right temperature. If the water evaporates ot steam then its too hot, if it sits on the iron its too cold.

I got a off cut steel pipe diam about 60mm from a guy that makes towbars and I use a hot air gun to heat it up, works a threat and costs $0 ( I already had the hot air gun.)

Make sure you close the end of the pipe else the heat escapes onto you towards the front.

I tried with the blow torch but it was harder to control the temperature and the heat was more localised than with the hot air, I also found it a bit more risky.

If you find something in a larger diameter, like 80 mm it is probably better but make sure it has nice thick walls so it has a good thermal inertia.

Good luck, making the tools is 1/2 the fun.