torch question

[Doug Dare]

I need to bend some steel rods to help shape the area of the roof where I shaved the rain gutters around the doors. They're fairly thin, to where I can just barely bend them by hand. After struggling for a while trying to get the proper angle, I thought perhaps it'd be easier if I heated the metal up nice and hot. Will a little propane torch from home depot work for this ?

Thanks,
Doug

[Wayne]

You would probably be better served by picking up a small cylinder of mapp gas at the same place. Mapp gas burns hotter than propane. I have used it for soldering copper pipe together. You can get copper pipe red hot with mapp gas. Never could do that with propane.

Wayne

[John Kelly]

Doug,

You might try it cold. Use a hammer to tap on the rod while it is resting on a piece of fairly soft wood. It will start to form a curve.

John www.ghiapecialties.com

[Phil V]

John, I'm curious why you would suggest cold form that rod ? I'm not questioning your expertise of working with metal, Just thought I might learn something new.

[John Kelly]

Hi Phil,

It is easy to form smaller solid stock and tubing without heat. I guess the reasons I would recommend cold forming are; all of the material is the same temperature and will react the same to similar force, and it is cheaper and faster. You can form 1/2" square stock, square tubing, round rod etc. this way. Using heat tends to make things easier for materials that are too stiff to form cold by hand, but it is also more tricky to get uniform curves with. You do not know if you are done until the metal is cool when heat bending. If you end up working too hard, or want to shrink, then heat is a good option. Sometimes you can use heat in a very small area to pull the piece into the proper curve as well. Driveshafts, large "I" beams etc are sometimes straightened this way.

John www.ghiaspecialties.com

[TimG]

Just a thought....
Sometimes I'll use an old steel wheel,pulley off one of the frame machine towers,etc,to form/straighten sheet metal to a pretty uniform radius..