Barn Once Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 I would like to know if someone makes a Hinge Eye Bender similar to the Blue Print (BP0152 Hinge Eye Bender) for making hinge eyes in 1/8 in flat bar. I have searched and found a Hossfeld Universal Bender - has anyone used one of these to make a hinge eye? Is there something better? Anyone have something for sale. I am a furniture maker and not a Smith, but would like to make my own hinges. I use a lot, so I do not want to hand roll on an anvil. Thanks in advance. Steve Barn Once FurnitureBarn Once Furniture - Art disguised as furniture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrynjr Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 The bender shown in that bp seems to be exactly what you are looking for. Perhaps you could contract with Wayne Lewis aka Coalforge, who created that bp to custom make one for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primtechsmith Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 Last August we had Dick Nietfeld come demo for us and he showed us his eye bender. Here it is: How it works is he drilled a hole that is the diameter of the pin + 2 times the material...so if the pin is 1/2 inch, and the material is 1/4 inch then the hole needs to be 1 inch. He cut a slot in the block for the material to go into...the slot is sawed out a little ver sized to the material being used. How it works is he places the block on the floor heats up the bar and hammers it into the slot. The material bends around the hole and is done in one heat. when done the block slides off the newly formed eye. Pretty neat and simple idea. Hope that makes sense. I will see if I have any photos of him doing it. You can also contact him at Shady Grove Blacksmith Shop Just tell him Peyton sent you over there about his hinge eye bender...he can help you with the idea also. :-) Peyton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrynjr Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 Good one Peyton, that is much simpler. I like it! Now I just need a 1" drill bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irnsrgn Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 You can do it cold or hot in narrow 1/8 stock by using a bottom swage and top swage and a mandrel for the inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Stegmeier Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Just to clarify things a bit, and so that it will work a little better for you... Peyton missed a minor detail in his description of the little sloted hole type hinge bender... It helps to have the mandrel in hole for the stock to slip around. It is also recomended that you bevel the stock on the end. The bevel practically starts the bend for you, and being forced around the mandrel/pin it fits up tighter in the end. The stock should be started with the bevel faceing the outside of the die, so that it will slip along the outside of the circle, and finish nice and tight in the eye of the hinge. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barn Once Posted May 1, 2008 Author Share Posted May 1, 2008 Thanks Primtech and Finn for the info. Does anyone sell these type of things or I am looking at getting it home grown? Since no one replied, and assume that no one knows of any off the shelf product/tool/machine to use to this. I am going to use at least a 100 or so of these a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 I don't believe there is a commercial made hinge eye bender. One solution to the large quantity you will be requiring, if you don't want to make your own bender or pay some one to make it for you is to buy commercial made hinges from Menard's, Home Depot, etc, the size you need, and modifying them to your needs. Weld on the embellishments to your desired specifications. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barn Once Posted May 1, 2008 Author Share Posted May 1, 2008 Dodge, Thanks for the thought. I want the hinges to be unique and not an off the shelf product. I don't mind paying someone, just have not foound someone close to make them as needed. I just like the thought of making them myself, that way everything piece of the piece was made by me. Thanks SteveBarn Once Furniture - Art disguised as furniture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primtechsmith Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Barn yesteryearforge is my father in law and boss....he makes this stuff, and has a few at the shop. You can contact him and see what he can do for you. email me your info and I will get with him and see what we can do. He is at the BAM conference right now and will not be back until the 10th of May... Peytonrpanderson@kinex.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 I asume these hinges will be 1'' wide or less since they are only 1/8" thick. If so a hossfeld bender would do this quickly and easily. anvilfires iforge demo section has hinge rolling info in the flypress section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awalker Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 A Hossfeld will make eyes in flat bar, no problem, but the eye is 3/4" round (or maybe 7/8", I can't remeber for sure). This is for the #2 bender, you might check the #1 to see what size the main pivot pin is, which is what the eye is bent around. If you don't mind the big pin size I'd use a #2, they are good for many other different tasks as well. If you want to make your own, or adapt one, you could look at how the Hossfeld, etc are made and make a frame quickly and cheap, or just buy a HF bender and make the insert to bend the flat bar (check out the hossfeld piece, or look closer at BP152). Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blksmth Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Primtech commented on a hinge making die that I demonstrated at Yesteryear Forge. The die for rolled hinge joints that I demonstrated should be attributed to Donald Streeters and his book Professional Smithing, ISBN # 1-879335-66-2 and published by the Astragal Press. I do not know what the book costs, but I do not think it is expensive. Mr. Streeter also talks about another Hinge Eye Bender. I watched a blacksmith use his version of that Hinge Eye Bender to easily bend 2" wide 1/8" cold iron hinge with this jig. That jig is called the Hinge-Eye Bender on page 85 and the Die for Rolled Hinge Eyes is found on page 87. Dick Nietfeld, Shady Grove Blacksmith Shop, Shady Grove Blacksmith Shop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Actualy, a factory hossfeld #2 bender comes with two main bending pins; 1" dia. main body, stepped down at each end for a length of 1", in the following diameters, 1/2", 5/8", 3/4" and 7/8". When I built my hossfeld, wich is an exact copy, I also made an extra main pin, wich is 1" dia. and about 4" longer than the stock pin with no steps. This is the one I use the most. As a side note, I bend my hinges over the edge of the anvil, like a tight scroll, when it gets to a certain point, put a hard pin in there and finnish it using a special bottom swage and top tool. Someday, I will make the tooling to bend 1/4x 2 hinge eye in my hossfeld. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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