bending forks???

[elvis51]

does anybody have any ancient secrets about bending forks? im a little on the broke side right now to buy a bent springer, so im just gonna try and bend one of the forks i have. the fork im using isnt a springer but its not your typical newer style bmx fork. i dont know what the heck to call it. its basically your standard old school fork. if anybody has some secrets to share it would be mucho appreciated!!!

Easy E

 

[KOTA]

Go to RRBO3 forum, Silver "Kween" page 4. Actually I'm gonna be bending another one this week, I'll try to takes pics.

 

[KOTA]

Did one tonight. This one is for a 24in wheel. It was a little tougher then I expected. I had to use a FAIR amount of strength. I got caught up with bending, so I didn't take to many pics. The first one is the fork in the conduit bender (doing a second bend). You have to bend in small increments, then CHECK to see how much more you need to do. I've heard people say that a conduit bender leaves "kinks', not if you don't try to go to far with a bend. If you need more of a bend, move it, slightly, up or down. I used two reference points, on the fork, for this bend. The first was with the drop outs sticking OUT of the bender, an inch. The second was the TIP of the drop outs flush (even) with the end of the bender, as shown. This wasn't a "radical" bend. I just wanted to change the attitude of the bike slightly. Remember, go in increments to achieve what you want, put it back on the bike and check. The more you bend, the higher the tire gets to the top of the fork. Bend to MUCH, and you won't get the rim back in! The last four pics show the progression of the forks. As far as measuring, you can see that I use the space in the boards of a picnic table bench. GOOD LUCK! .....I hope this helps you out.

 

[elvis51]

thanks kota! ill have to check out a conduit bender and see how much it is. i really appreciate the help. could you maybe post some pics of it on the bike so i can see how much of a rake ot puts on the bike? if anybody else out there has any tips to offer im willing to listen! thanks guys!!

Easy E

 

[fast eddie]

i think this is a great idea,i have an old conduit bender, im a cheater bar away from having the means to bend fork blades!! did ya just set the fork on the ground and pull the cheater bar like you have pictured?
fast eddie outty

 

[KOTA]

i think this is a great idea,i have an old conduit bender, im a cheater bar away from having the means to bend fork blades!! did ya just set the fork on the ground and pull the cheater bar like you have pictured?
fast eddie outty

YEP! On this bend, I used my foot to hold the fork in place, by the stem. That's why it was "tough", had to use mostly arm strength. Other forks I've done seemed to be softer metal. But as you can see in the pics, there are no kinks, the curve is nice and smooth. .......I really get a kick out of bending these things, it's low buck (no buck), high visual impact.

 

[KOTA]

Here's the bike with the forks! Not really the best pic, I hope you get the idea.

 

[elvis51]

kota!!! ive got the conduit bender from my pops and ive tried bending two forks now and after getting them completely bent to the degree i want, i look at it, get pissed and throw it across the garage in anger cuz the forks are now ridiculously off centered and the both the forks are leanin hardcore to one side! how do i fix this or keep this from happening on other forks i bend?

Easy E

 

[KOTA]

First off elvis, relax. If it messes up, you can figure it out........Can you post a pic, of the bent fork?.......WE'LL figure it out!.I know what you mean. Just want to make sure. If you can't post a pic, I'll go into a simple but lengthy explanation. I've had forks go to one side, It's a matter of "pulling" one, and pushing the other! ...Like I said, relax.......Your A FABRICATOR now!

PS
Even if I have to bend a "spare" fork off centered, to show you how to fix it, I'll do it.

 

[elvis51]

GOD I LOVE THIS SITE!!! everybody is so freakin helpful its not even funny!! ill try to post a picture as soon as possible. its just an experimental type thing with bending the forks. but ill post a picture as soon as i can. i really appreciate any help you can give me. thank you so much kota!!

Easy E

 

[elvis51]

this is the first one i tried to bend kota!! lemme know what i can do to make it better. its worse than appears in the pic

Easy E

 

[sensor]

quick question.....do you bolt something in them(like an axle when you bend them)?

 

[elvis51]

no sensor i didnt know that your suppoed to or it was recommended to i was so excited to get the pipe bender home i just slapped it on the first fork i saw and tarted crankin on it. i bent really easy but cranked er to the side

Easy E

 

[sensor]

i dont know if it is or isnt........was just wondering
you might be able to save those forks....have you got a jack(at least 3 ton with a handle about 5' long and a vise and some 2"x4"s?
if so line the wood in the vise and clamp the fork by the steer tube(dont over tighten or itll oval it)near the race...slide the jack handle over the fork leg and lean into it and walk it over the direction you want...it may or may not work.if it doesnt work do you have access to an oxy/acetylene torch? heat would work with out a doubt....just use a neutral flame and go in small increments so you dont crush the tubbing

 

[elvis51]

lol wow thats intense sensor. sounds like alot of work. but i guess its worth a try. that was honestly just a donor set of forks that was my first attempt at doing this. those forks are pretty much junk for the simple fact that i put a pretty decent kink. so i guess i just need advice on a BETTER way of bending em with a pipe bender. any suggestions anyone??? thanks sensor

Easy E

 

[KOTA]

lemme know what i can do to make it better. its worse than appears in the pic

YIKES!.................Gimme a few days, I'll bend ANOTHER one, and try to use more detail explanation.

 

[elvis51]

thanks kota. its not ALOT worse than pictured but it aint much better. lol. im ure i could straighten them out if i really set my mind to it. but id like to just find a way to do it better next time so this doesnt happen again as im runnin out of donor forks!

Easy E

 

[elvis51]

just thought id show you exactly how much of a bend ive put on em kota. there pretty much at a 90degree bend so there cranked out there pretty good. this is just a mock up on a junk frame that i no longer have.

 

[KOTA]

I've never bent one quite that far. SOOOO, it'll be good exprience for me also. I'll post the pics when I'm done! OH! Can you put a 26in tire-wheel on THAT fork? With out it hitting the crown (top).

 

[Rustinkerer]

Say, Kota, is that a 3/4" or 1" bender? I was at Lowes yesterday picking up materials for work and noticed they have a 3/4" for $37, and a 1" for $62. Just wondering if that makes a difference-I would think that using too wide a bender would cause the fork to deflect to the side like Elvis' did. ~Adam