Is it easier to bend steel hot or cold?

[spinman]

Rats,

Is there any advantage to applying heat to bend. say a fork or frame?
From a metalurgical standpoint, I suppose heat does soften metal, so perhaps it makes the job easier?.

I get the impression that some do it "cold" and some do it "hot".

Thx

Spin

 

[KOTA]

Guess it depends on how much of a bend you want, how thick and what type of metal it is (hardened or not). I usually "try" it cold, then add heat if not successful. Adding heat can sometimes lend to stretching or bending to far, but some intricate bends may REQUIRE heat. (Just my 2 cents worth) :roll: I'm going to do a cold bend (first) on a fork this build, ....IF I EVER GET MY FRAME ! :x

 

[spinman]

"... depends on how much of a bend you want, how thick and what type of metal it is (hardened or not)...."

Gotta bend out high tensile steel fork (see Jiggy Higgy pics). Kinda like the old OEM Schwinn cruiser forks but not solid steel, rather it's sandwiched steel. It's at a 90 degree angle and I've got to open it up maybe 1/4 ". I was thinking of just clamping it down real good and using a 24" big a*s pipe wrench and do it cold.

Spin

 

[CCR]

port-o-power

 

[KOTA]

Just looked at your fork. You're trying to widen it! If you try to SPREAD it, you may end up flat spotting the inside. I'm not an expert!. But I would apply, a little, pressure (spreading inside) while applying heat, evenly, to the top corners. At the same time I would apply a squeezzing pressure at the dropouts. (If you try this and it ruins your fork, I'm gonna delete this post, so I can't be blamed.) :roll: GOOD LUCK!........Get more OPINIONS!

I'd have a back up fork in mind, just in case. :wink:

 

[spinman]

"... (If you try this and it ruins your fork, I'm gonna delete this post, so I can't be blamed.) ..."

Ha Ha! That's funny. A disclaimer on the Rat site! Of all the places on the net, this is the ONE place you can feel free to suggest things and not get blamed for the results.

"...I'd have a back up fork in mind, just in case...."

I do :mrgreen: One which doesn't need to be bent, smashed, spread or cursed at in any way. Only prob is it's chrome, and chrome has no place on the Higgy :mrgreen:

Spin

 

[frontizle]

ive seen people get a piece of tubing and fill it up with sand and heat it up and bend it so u dont flat spot it

 

[sensor]

for what youre trying to do(just spread the fork enough for tire clearance id use a 4 ton port-o-power with the spreader ram with and ol axle or bolt holding the lower part(so you wont end up with a fork 4" apart on the bottom or an uneven spread) just go slow....your going to want to over what you need (not much though...id say about 1/16" or 1/8") to account for springback............and do it with out heat

 

[duct-tape]

last set of forks I spread, I just got a turnbuckle and put the ends in the dropouts.

make sense?

 

[spinman]

"...last set of forks I spread, I just got a turnbuckle and put the ends in the dropouts.

make sense ?..."

Maybe.... if I knew what a 'turnbuckle' was?? :roll:

A turnbuckle to me was what Bruno Sammartino used to jam Geroge "the Animal" Steele's head into during '75 pro wrestling :mrgreen:

Spin

 

[KOTA]

"...last set of forks I spread, I just got a turnbuckle and put the ends in the dropouts.

make sense ?..."

Maybe.... if I knew what a 'turnbuckle' was?? :roll:

A turnbuckle to me was what Bruno Sammartino used to jam Geroge "the Animal" Steele's head into during '75 pro wrestling :mrgreen:

Spin

If you can get George "the Animal" Steele's head between the forks, you should be all set.....But then again,...if it doesn't work........(delete)

 

[copycat]

i do it cold, sometimes with a plumber's spring inserted in the tube

i use a 'special' fork mandrel when i'm building forks for conventional road forks....

...it's replacement is long over-due.