Need help with a project I am working on

[DKForge]

The Civil War Fort where I demo asked me to make some reproduction items. I need your help in how to make a certain part of the project.

I am using 3/4" square wrought iron.
Attached is what I need help with.
How do I make the right angles you see in this drawing? While it doesn't look like it would be hard, with the stock I need to use and the tight right angles at the end of the bar it has turned into a bit of a challenge. I also need to make sure I don't get any shunts in the tight 1/4" area.

I made one just by bending the end over and not forming the right angles but I am afraid that may not be strong enough and the originals had the right angles.

These are the ends of a horseshoe shaped tool used to twist rails during the civil war so it needs to be strong enough for that.

Thanks to all in advance for your input.

[matt87]

Have you tried bending it over a piece of 1/4" thick stock, e.g. a piece of 1x1/4 mild steel? If you need dead crisp square right-angles you need to bump-up (upset) the stock at each corner, so as to provide enough stock to draw it square after you make the bend. Fiddly job though.

I'm a little confused... twist rails? Train rails? Sounds like hard work!

[DKForge]

Right Matt train rails. During the American Civil War the north would bend rail road rails around trees to disrupt the confederate rail system. The south was able to straighten them out so the north came up with these large horseshoe looking tools to twist the rails like a cork screw along the length of the rail making it impossible to return to service. They also did it cold which is even more fascinating.

Thanks I will try bending it over 1/4 stock. The problem is I am finding the wrought iron to be pretty tough to work with from the standpoint of its stability when making sharp tight bends like I need on the ends. I have had it shear off a number of times and contrary to what I have read it seems to work better when it is cooler as when it is hotter it is like butter and seems to just slide right apart. Maybe I need to refine it before trying to make the ends.

[mike-hr]

Use the green toolbar at the top of the page, click 'search' and write 'square corner'. There's a thread by Warren Nekkala called square corners. Mark Aspery wrote a ditty in the thread on how he does it. He taught this to me in a class a couple years ago, I'm still jazzed about how good it works. You can dink out a square corner in pretty good time, to a very close dimension.

[Fe-Wood]

I'm not sure how to post a link to another thread but look at
www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f11/square-corners-9347/index2.html
Page 2. Mark Aspery does an excelant job of explaining the process.

[Fe-Wood]

Ha, wudaya know! Did it all by itself

[matt87]

Right Matt train rails. During the American Civil War the north would bend rail road rails around trees to disrupt the confederate rail system. The south was able to straighten them out so the north came up with these large horseshoe looking tools to twist the rails like a cork screw along the length of the rail making it impossible to return to service. They also did it cold which is even more fascinating.

Fascinating! Now I think about it, weren't ACW-era rails WI? That might explain it a bit!

[DKForge]

Thanks guys that is a big help. I suppose I could try and put 1/4" flat bar in the vise for the last bend.

I appreciate the help.

[DKForge]

It appears,most rail was rolled iron but some steel rail was imported from England between 1850 and the end of the civil war. This was because iron manufacture invention and resources were more focused on armaments during the war.

Here is a time line I found. Remember Bessemer steel was in England 1850's era so some of that may have come to the states.

"Iron rails 18 feet in length were imported from England as early as 1831, and by 1845 or 1850 most railroads were being built of iron rails. The first Bessemer steel rails manufactured in the United States were rolled at the North Chicago Rolling Mills on May 25, 1865, and by 1880 about 30 per cent of all tracks in the United States was laid with steel rails. At the end of another ten years, 80 per cent of the country's mileage was equipped with steel rails, and by the late 1890's steel had almost completely replaced iron."

Edited March 20, 2009 by DKForge
Typo

[Mark Aspery]

DKForge,
Does the tool absolutely have to have crisp inside corners?

This would be an area of weakness for me. A round inside corner would be much stronger.

For a double bend on such a tight dimension, I would fold the bar over a 1/4-inch thick bar and form a 'U' shape.
Take another heat and re-insert the 1/4-inch bar but leave a slight gap in the end - I would start with 1/4-inch.

Clamp the whole thing vertically in the vice with the back of the 'U' pointing skyward and drive the 'U' onto the 1/4 inch bar.

The trick is to arrive at 90 degrees at the same time the inside of the bend reached the end of the 1/4-inch bar.

A 1/4-inch bar with round edges will give you a little more forgiveness.

I have not done this with wrought and that is my unknown for this method. I have done this with steel, but with 1/2 inch stock.

.02

[DKForge]

Thanks Mark I believe the original ones were square but round would serve the same purpose. Just may not be authentic.
Thanks for your advice it is greatly valued.

[ThomasPowers]

DK what was the cite for that timeline? I want to add it to my historical metals file.

For me I would try making it a little loose and upset it down to size at a welding heat to clean up the corners.

Great to hear that you are using real WI for it too! The museum at Manassas VA had some examples of ACW WI rail in it; some of them are kind of different than "modern" rail.

[DKForge]

Thomas here are two

Train track

Full text of "Origin and development of the railway rail : English and American wood, iron and steel"

[brianbrazealblacksmith]

I agree with Mark about the inside corners. When I was with Alfred Habermann we made several different sized bending wrenches out of spring. They were very simple, and it would only take 1 or 2 heats. Bend your material to your gap placing a spacer in when your almost there then pinch out the corners with a fuller or cross pein. You can make the out side corners rounded or square, your choice. This simple technique adds considerable strength to any bend with no fussing around.

[DKForge]

Awesome Brian thanks! That is why I love this site! So many people willing to help each other with what has worked and not worked in past real life experiences.
Thanks to all!