Track Bender

WKDOR

WKDOR

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Looking to beg/borrow/share/hire/buy to let a track (2 rails at once) bender for a couple of weeks. I guess that means one of the Train-Li/Aristo/Massoth models. Operating Instructions or a demo would be preferred.

Any sightings or other intelligence welcomed!

TIA

mike
 
Does a rail-bender for both rails at once actually exist??

If so, can it cope with the different makes / profiles of track??

I presume it would only work on so-called flexi?? AND there must be a 'magic formula for cutting the plastic between sleepers??
 
PhilP said:
Does a rail-bender for both rails at once actually exist??

AND there must be a 'magic formula for cutting the plastic between sleepers??
Click to expand...

Phil, on LGB flexi track, the web is already moulded with the 'cut' every alternate sleeper.

b269ff7aec9f4308970fb9575504dea8.jpg


An yes those railbenders do exist....
 
Seriously though...
I do NOT think I have seen a 'GR-size' rail bender at all??
Only seen them for 'model engineering' rail sizes. - Sort-of 5" / 7 1/4" et al..
*Think* I might have spotted a 'something' for ?smaller? gauges that looked like an inverted rolling road you clamped to the rails (flexi) once you had used knee, tummy, beer barrel whilst you then screwed it down and hoped it didn't move.

Edit..
Blinding obvious.. Moved cra, sorry papers, in front of keyboard, and lo a Massoth catalogue!!
Massoth do one.. I now know why nobody has one, or will admit to having one!! :rolf:
I *know* they would not sell many, but about £250, that's a decent engine!!

I suppose one of the 'societies' could probably afford one and lend/rent it out??
BUT
I also bet it would be abused..
 
Made my own...... Try eBay, they pop up there second hand...
 
Thanks for the link Ross..
and the info Gizzy..

Having looked-up the Massoth offering, and read the instruction pdf, it looks OK-ish, but my guess it would be a little fragile if abused. - States code 332 rail only.

What we need is a Russian-built copy.. Over-engineered from cast-iron, and driven from a tractor power-take-off!
Then comrades, "Vee can take over the world, one garden at a time!"
:rolf::rolf:
 
Single rail benders are very easy to make. I made one using an old wide based machine vice in no time at all. Used mainly I admit for straightening out cheapo LGB curves right to the very end. LGB and Piko track is so easy to slide out of the sleeper mouldings and to "match" curve its difficult to see how spending a lot of money on a twin bender can be justified. Turning up the rollers can easily be done on a pillar drill if no lathe is available. I have just made up another finer set of rollers for Tenmille SM32 bending to assist in making up some points. If I can do it anyone can.
 
Found it!

First pic - can only upload single pics in each post on this thread - c'est la vie
In this picture you can see the central "bending bearing - closed"
5737e8d9eae24366a7bd005c459d3bc5.jpg
 
Finally an "edge on" view so you can see the bearings

0d099f1b940948c2a4e677dd14945da3.jpg


Its for sale if anyone wants it - £40 plus P&P
Its bloody heavy so collection in person would be best I guess
I'll weigh it tomorrow to so people can judge how much postage may cost :)
 
you can get plastic formers you lay inside the track and bend it by hand to match the former

used to called "tracksetta"
 
ROSS said:
Excellent..how about putting up a drawing/specs of the unit?
Click to expand...

Can give some rough measurements - but not having made it I can't give exact sizes (and digital verniers playing up!)

I'll give Mike (WKDOR) first refusal
Mike - If you don't want to buy it - understood - You can borrow it if you wish - but you'll unfortunately have to stump up postage both ways :crying:
 
Many Thanks Ian, very kind offer.

But I'll pass on yours please if you have a willing buyer who can collect.

Still looking for Massoth/Aristo/Train-Li bender - ever hopeful.


mike
 
Thanks Alan. Just missed a used one on German eBay that went for 170 Euros.

Now that we know what they're called I've found a couple of demos (massoth and Train.Li) on youtube but in German at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETGmAGlmpzY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkQ0hpXPwtk

I see that Massoth say that theirs is for bending flex-rail. Does that mean only flex-rail?

Has anyone actually used either of these successfully to bend sectional track to wider radius or straight? e.g. Aristo 10ft to 15ft?

mike
 
WKDOR said:
I see that Massoth say that theirs is for bending flex-rail. Does that mean only flex-rail?
Has anyone actually used either of these successfully to bend sectional track to wider radius or straight? e.g. Aristo 10ft to 15ft?
mike
Click to expand...
Each individual makers' Flexi and "set track" will be of the same profile and metalurgical composition. I.E they come from the same rail stock.

A rail bender relies on the user pulling a length of rail through a set of rollers a number of time to achieve a required radius. The term "Flexi" tends to imply the use of longer lengths of rail, say 1.5 m in the case of LGB code 332 rail, as opposed to the shorter lenghths down to 300mm of "set track".

Doing this bending with shorter track lengths will prove somewhat arduous (though not impossible) and as with all track benders will result in about 2", dependent on design of the rollers, at each end of the rail being re-radiused, not being altered at all. OK when starting with long lengths of rail to produce a continuous/progressive radius but not so handy if you are trying to convert shorter radiused sections of track.

A cheap solution might be to take two lengths of 2"x 2" timber, slightly overlength for the rail you wish to open out and carefully compress each rail between these battens in a vise to acheive the desired increase in curvature.
Max.
 
I used a single rail bender to restructure some surplus R1 curves. See link below:
[style="color: #0000ff;"]http://www.gscalecentral.net/CURVED-TRACK-STRAIGHTENED-m283567 < Link To http://www.forum.gscalece...AIGHTENED-m283567

[style="color: #0000ff;"][style="color: #000000;"]Subsequent to that exercise I've used it to form all sorts of custom radius curves from a variety of pieces and makes of track. I made my own radius jig from a 12" x 30" sheet of white hardboard. I stuck a metal peg in the lawn and attached a long length of non stretchable string. I measured several different lengths and marked the string in appropriate places. Using a pencil held next to the mark on the string I scribed an arc on the hardboard before moving the pencil 45mm towards the peg and scribed another for the inner rail. You'd be surprised how many different radii you can accomodate on one piece of hardboard. Worked a treat. It doesn't take long to run a few passes through the bender and check progress until you reach the desired shape.[style="color: #0000ff;"]
 
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