Tandem Tom

Not a frame building question but I thought the talent here might have a suggestion!
I am needing to fabricate a light mount for my wife's mixte that has center pull brakes. The ones on our other B&M lights appear to be 1/8"+ diameter SS rod stock.
Is there a "tool/jig" that I could make that would allow me to bend and shape some wire brackets?

Andrew R Stewart 

There are all sorts pf forms one can use for bending rod or tube. The light weight units like these:
Are great for the typical curves for racks, Their supported sides help keep tubing from collapsing or kinking. But for rod this kinking isn't the issue so any round form can work with some care to clamp/support the free ends from lifting off the form. I've used vise handles. Park stand tubes or handles and all sorts of round stock. Usually clamped in a vice and sometimes helped with a plastic headed hammer to control where the rods is being bent. All basic blacksmithy and easy to experiment with. There are guidelines for how tight a radius a rod can be bent for a particular material before too much work hardening happens and cracks loom. I just practice a bit and make a judgement since these sorts of brackets generally don't really see too much stress. Andy

I should have added that the round thing is a pulley. Industrial tool companies have a lot of these in differing diameters/widths, not sure about 1/8" wide though.

Tandem Tom

Thanks Andy! I was checking McMaster Carr and they have 1/8" SS rod. So I will play around.

unterhausen

if you are bending solid rod, you can use virtually anything as a form.

wsteve464

If you are using 1/8 " ss rod go to a welding shop and get some ss tig rod. probably end up close to the same price once shipping is included from McMaster

Tandem Tom

I put my calipers on the B&M bracket and it measures 5/32". Thanks for the tip rod idea. But I may just ride out to McMaster Carr next week as it is only 20 miles or so.
Also might ply around with some flat bar stock and twist it and make a mount.
Will supply pics when done!

unterhausen

McMaster does will call? Who knew?

Andrew R Stewart 

Cleveland was graced with a number if industrial and tooling shops back when I lived there. I still have my Discount Tool and Supply book (from around 1990 or so) just as it was bought out by MSC. It's about 4" thick and has really thin paper pages. Days of bathroom reading in that.

Just placed another MSC order tonight. This time for felt for my milling machine way wipers (with some fillers to justify the shipping). Andy