Bending Rebar
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From: North of Boston MA
Bending Rebar
I am fabbing a tool to be used to lift some concrete landscaping block (the kind with holes in it for pinning to the below course). The manufacturer sells the tool but being cheap, I figured I would make one myself.
Long story short, I basically need to bend two pieces of #4 (1/2") rebar into an "L" shape. I don't have any means of bending it mechanically so my options are limited to the oxy/acetylene torch. Was looking for some advice on doing it so that the steel maintains both it's shape after bending as well as the strength to do what I need it to do.
After getting it red-hot and bending 90°, should I just let it cool on it's own, should I quench it or put the heat back to it and let it cool slowly? Any advice is appreciated.
Ray
Long story short, I basically need to bend two pieces of #4 (1/2") rebar into an "L" shape. I don't have any means of bending it mechanically so my options are limited to the oxy/acetylene torch. Was looking for some advice on doing it so that the steel maintains both it's shape after bending as well as the strength to do what I need it to do.
After getting it red-hot and bending 90°, should I just let it cool on it's own, should I quench it or put the heat back to it and let it cool slowly? Any advice is appreciated.
Ray
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From: Midwest
Quenching means hard and brittle...not exactly what you want.
With as crappy of steel as rebar is, heat, bend and let it cool naturally (at reasonable ambient temps) is probably the easiest route.
The best route for absolute toughness and durability would be to heat, bend, quench in oil, then reheat, and then let it cool naturally.
You're not planning on using this overhead, are you?
With as crappy of steel as rebar is, heat, bend and let it cool naturally (at reasonable ambient temps) is probably the easiest route.
The best route for absolute toughness and durability would be to heat, bend, quench in oil, then reheat, and then let it cool naturally.
You're not planning on using this overhead, are you?
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From: Ontario, canada
Just let it cool down on its own. I think rebar is just mild steel, so quenching it may make it harder and more brittle. Probably wont be a big issue for your application no matter how you cool it though.
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From: North of Boston MA
Originally Posted by FarmLaw
You're not planning on using this overhead, are you?
We'll see how my first prototype works tonight. Thanks for the advice....
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have fun on my last house I stacked 1100 of those buggers the first coarse is the worst so is making steps out of them!!!! do yours take the little fiberglass pins to hold them together did mine 6 years ago think the blocks were $2.50 each at the time good luck mike
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From: North of Boston MA
Originally Posted by no1bossman
have fun on my last house I stacked 1100 of those buggers the first coarse is the worst so is making steps out of them!!!! do yours take the little fiberglass pins to hold them together did mine 6 years ago think the blocks were $2.50 each at the time good luck mike
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Originally Posted by Fordzlla
Just let it cool down on its own. I think rebar is just mild steel, so quenching it may make it harder and more brittle. Probably wont be a big issue for your application no matter how you cool it though.
From what you desribed with your application either way (cooling) will play little role in your ability to do it.
FYI... almost all rebar today is made of rather crappy recycled steel anyway (which is actually fine for it's intended use as it's part of an engineered strength/support not material) so, if material strength really still matters that much to you for strange some reason, then my first suggestion would be don't use rebar....it's not strong steel period.
Also, don't heat/burn any epoxy coated (green)rebar either...HIGHLY TOXIC!
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From: North of Boston MA
Originally Posted by BurnOil
FYI... almost all rebar today is made of rather crappy recycled steel anyway (which is actually fine for it's intended use as it's part of an engineered strength/support not material) so, if material strength really still matters that much to you for strange some reason, then my first suggestion would be don't use rebar....it's not strong steel period.
Also, don't heat/burn any epoxy coated (green)rebar either...HIGHLY TOXIC!
Also, don't heat/burn any epoxy coated (green)rebar either...HIGHLY TOXIC!
My biggest concern with it is that it holds the 90° bend I am going to put in it. Once I heat it hot enough to bend it that much, I figure it won't have much strength left at all. Hell, the jury-rigged piece of crap tool I am trying to make probably won't work anyway but what the heck, I like playing with fire....
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I've bent #4 in the receiver hitch before. At work, we started welding in heavy wall tubing for the back stake holes on the flatbed worktrucks just for this. 1 1/2" square works well for #4. As long as you have about six feet hanging out, the leverage is there. The steel companies can bend it for a reasonable price. Ask for weldable rebar if you're just buying a few sticks to make things out of. Weldable only costs a few bucks more and it's not quite as brittle after you heat it up, plus it'll hold a weld. (You'll see a "W" on the stamp.)
(Be careful with what you have laying around. #4 isn't all that strong and is brittle. You can cut through that stuff half way with an abrasive wheel and snap it the rest of the way.)
(Be careful with what you have laying around. #4 isn't all that strong and is brittle. You can cut through that stuff half way with an abrasive wheel and snap it the rest of the way.)
Last edited by Howdy; Mar 19, 2006 at 07:29 AM.
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From: Morehead KY
just hire some cheap labor
This is a wall my company built in Ashland Ky, it used about 2200 blocks that where 82 pounds each and 400 tons of gravel, most of it carried in 5 gallon buckets. Not enough room for equipment. Hire a few college guys to carry the blocks for beer money.
[img]file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Kirby/Desktop/after2.jpg[/img]
[img]file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Kirby/Desktop/after2.jpg[/img]
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From: North of Boston MA
Originally Posted by fordsuvparts
Hire a few college guys to carry the blocks for beer money.
[
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I actually got lucky, the driver was able to deliver the pallets close to where I needed them and I can back my truck up pretty close to dump the gravel. A couple pesky fence posts today and a shrub and I'll be laying block soon.
Think I'll try bending the rebar in the hitch - I have plenty to play with.
Off to work now.
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From: Marengo, Iowa
If your rebar is shorter, just cover it with a piece of pipe and bend it that way. I had some cleanup after a silo went down, and the rebar it had wasn't all that hard to bend, basically hooked it on something solid and it bent easy with only a couple feet.
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From: fremont ohio
Originally Posted by Nitramjr
You forget what part of the world I live in - 'round here, the college kids are mostly spoiled brats that couldn't carry an 82# block even if they wanted to. Harvard, Boston College, MIT, etc, these aren't working kids.
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From: North of Boston MA
An update - all the concern about heating the bar to bend it was unnecesary. I put an end into a hole in the block and bent it to the shape I needed. Made two pieces into the same shape and wired them together at the appropriate point and made a very handy (and back saving) set of block tongs. Works better than I thought it would.
Now all I need is for the temp to get above friggin cold and I can go out and get some work done.
Thanks for all the advice.
Now all I need is for the temp to get above friggin cold and I can go out and get some work done.
Thanks for all the advice.
