to answer the op's question .. a resistor / diode folding jig, maybe three bucks ..
i was actually disappointed with title, i thought it had something to do with fishing, sigh
wrench567 I have a set of needle nose pliers with smooth jaws. For short grabs I will use some 3M electrical tape on one jaw to make a stop to lay the wire against. Works well for me.
This is almost exactly what I do.
Needle nose pliers have worked many times when I needed grab irons of different widths than Tichy offers.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Thanks for the tips! That took from Micro-mark looks very tempting with the added bonus of being usable for many other projects. The grabs I need to form are a squared off U shape with the top ends being bent down to fit into drilled holes so the needle nose pliers would be a bit small.
Lone Geep
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Hi Lone Geep,
I think that Pete's suggestion to put a piece of tape on a pair of smooth jawed needle nose pliers is the best way to address your situation.
I have made jigs like those that doctorwayne showed, but only for complex shapes. What you need are simple 90 degree bends and they are easy to duplicate using Pete's method.
I will strongly recommend using phosphor bronze wire (available from Tichy Trains) for your grab irons. It is very firm but it is still easy to bend. It will allow you to correct a bend that was initially made in the wrong place, and it stands up well to normal handling. It also solders beautifully. If you want to model 1" diameter grab irons in HO scale, Tichy's 0.0125" PB is perfect.
https://www.tichytraingroup.com/Shop/tabid/91/c/ho_wire/Default.aspx
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
lone geep How do you make your jigs? I have a caboose project that I need to form the grabs for the tops of the cupolas, I unsuccessfully tried to make one out of scrap styrene, but I didnt work out well for me, unfortunately, the holes in the cupola has been drilled so I need to form the wires in close tolerances. I want to make a jig since I have a couple of cabooses I have to do. Looking for as many tips and tricks I can learn.
How do you make your jigs? I have a caboose project that I need to form the grabs for the tops of the cupolas, I unsuccessfully tried to make one out of scrap styrene, but I didnt work out well for me, unfortunately, the holes in the cupola has been drilled so I need to form the wires in close tolerances. I want to make a jig since I have a couple of cabooses I have to do. Looking for as many tips and tricks I can learn.
Well, it's nice to see that what I recently posted here has disappeared, but I'll make another stab at showing what was here a few minutes ago....
(just click on the photos to enlarge them)
...this one is for drop-steps on some freight cars, and also for passenger and baggage cars...
...and some more wire-bending details...
...and a couple of jigs for making caboose ladders...
...even adding details to r-t-r equipment, such as rotary snowplows, can eat-up a lot of strip and brass wire...
Of course, Tichy offers a variety of ready-to-use grabirons, and also a number of phosphor-bronze wire sizes for making your own details.
Wayne
Micro Mark sells a grab iron bending jig for various width of grab iron
Grab Iron Bending Gauge, used to form exact duplicates of grab irons and hand grabs, for model ships, model trains, airplanes, trucks, and more, including military and sci-fi (micromark.com)
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
I use an American Model Builder lasercut #900 grab iron bending jig. I don't recall where I got it but it was under $10 and does a fine job.
I used it when building their NYC wood caboose and for several other projects.
caboose track2 by Edmund, on Flickr
Good Luck, Ed
I have a set of needle nose pliers with smooth jaws. For short grabs I will use some 3M electrical tape on one jaw to make a stop to lay the wire against. Works well for me.
Pete.