Bending metal watch parts

[Ulises Victoria]

The other day I tried to make a pen with the watch parts embedded in acrylic. I failed at the proper catalyst/resin mix so I spoiled the whole thing, but that's another matter. My question is: I noticed when trying to bend to shape some of the pieces (gears and wheels) they broke. I have seen blanks made with those pieces and I am wondering what technique, if any, is used to bend those breakable things, or if it's just a matter of searching for flexible parts.
All comments welcome! :good:

 

[firewhatfire]

How are you bending them? Some drill a hole though sometyhing then split it and use a puch that matches that size to press into a curve.

 

[RickLong]

One of my favorite casts pens is using old watch parts. I took a piece of 1" diameter Aluminum and cut it about 5" long. Drill a 3/8 hole down the center and then cut it down the middle length wise with a saw. This results in two jigs for bending the watch parts. I lay the watch parts down the center, which has 1/2 of the 3/8" hole. I heat the gears, etc up with a torch and use a metal 3/8 rod (ie pen disassembly rod) to push down on the parts and get minimal breakage. Some still break but I have found this to work best for me. I am sure there might be an easier way to do this but it works well for me.

Oh... BTW: make sure you remove the small pin in the center of any of the gears. This will also reduce breakage with bending the gears.

If you want me to PM you an image of my bending jig, let me know. I don't like posting images in threads I did not start.

Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Rick

 

[Holz Mechaniker]

Perhaps this Bending Machine might be useful

 

[Ulises Victoria]

Perhaps this Bending Machine might be useful

Being a ship model builder I have seen this machine before. It is designed to bend long strips of wood or metal. Not sure how it will perform for bending tiny metal gears, and +$100 is a lot to spend to make a test.
Thanks for the input though

I think the key word here is "heat" as Rick said. My only concern is that that procedure will burn the piece. How to restore it to its original color?