How to Bend a Stainless Steel Rod
by C.L. Rease
There are two ways to bend stainless steel rod, one requires force and the other requires heat. When you bend a stainless steel rod mechanically with a press brake, you create a bend that has a true radius. If you do not have access to a press brake, your other option is to use an oxy-acetylene torch to heat the rod and then bend the heated area of the rod. Of the two ways, heating the stainless steel rod is the most commonly used way to create a bend in a stainless steel rod.
Step 1
Clamp the stainless steel rod into the vise with the area you need to bend resting against the side of the vise.
Step 2
Put on your safety glasses and leather gloves.
Step 3
Light the oxy-acetylene torch with the striker and set the torch to a neutral flame that does not emit any soot and has a constant blue glow. The inner portion of the flame should be short, as not to emit too much heat to the stainless steel rod.
Step 4
Use the torch to heat the area of the stainless steel rod where you need to create the bend. You need to heat the entire area until the stainless rod emits an even orange glow.
Step 5
Turn off the torch and while the rod is glowing orange, apply pressure on the stainless steel rod toward the vise and hit the side of the stainless steel rod with the hammer to bend the rod.
Step 6
Loosen the vise to release the bent stainless steel rod and place the bend into the bucket of cold water to cool off the steel.
Step 7
Clean the area of the bend with the 400-grit sandpaper to remove any oxidation from the surface of the rod.
Things You'll Need
- Vise
- Safety glasses
- Leather work gloves
- Oxy-acetylene torch
- Striker
- Heavy hammer
- Bucket of cold water
- 400-grit sandpaper
