Watch part bending

[Cwalker935]

I am in the process of trying to do a watch part pen. I drilled and split a piece of hard word for my bending block but found it limiting. This looks like a good tool:

http://www.amazon.com/U-Channel-Dapping-Forming-Shaping-Grooved/dp/B00LCJQEJO

Any thoughts or alternative suggestions. This tool is more than I would like to pay but it seems to offer a goond range of sizes for bending.

 

[GoodTurns]

Take a piece of 1" corian and drill holes that match the diameters of the tubes you will be using then cut the corian in half across the holes. This makes basically what your picture shows, but in corian for a dollar or two. I use a butane torch (lightly) and pliers with a transfer punch to bend the parts.

 

[seamus7227]

It has been my experience that when using metal to bend metal, the results can be damaging, literally. Therefore wood(and i use hard maple for this) is forgiving and gives way to the parts that may protrude out from the watch face or coin, rather than smashing them flat and giving a noticeable "shiny" or "smashed" look. I hope this makes sense.

 

[Cwalker935]

Well I am feeling pretty stupid. My main interest in the metal dapping die was that I could heat the parts on it. I just did not think about using pliers to hold the part while heating, I guess that's because the guy in the video heated his on the die. Thanks for the helpful and quick responses.