wire formers machine Q?

ive been looking in to a wire former machine for a while now and im not sure about what one i should invest in im wanting to make my own bottom bouncer wire forms and i also have an old spinner bait mold and so should i go all out and get the heavy duty wire former or will the little blue bender work and im not really wanting to go all out since the wife and i just had a baby but with the little blue bender can i still make all the twist and loops and bends that the heavy duty wire former can make?

Save your money. You can make both of those wire forms with an Allen(hex) key mounted in a vice and a couple pair of pliers.

Don't have a pic of it at the moment but you mount the key so that the long portion is sticking out the side of the vise and the short portion out of the top.
Use the long portion to size your forms to length with pliers and then move up to the top part of the key and use the pliers to bend your loops and twist your eyes.

When making a bottom bouncer form, place a small kink in the form to lock the sinker in place when you mold it.

I had a wire bending machine the best that you can buy and threw it in the garbage. I wound up buying a pair of juniors pliers to make my loops and I put a nail in my vice in did them major bending so you do not need a whole lot expensive stuff to do a lot of wire bending and I have made literally thousands of spinners for salmon and steelhead fishermen besides doing spinner baits you may want to look in to buying already made up wire rigs they are very inexpensive try worth company and some your other major component parts company I haven't got a clue what wire cost any more. I was blinded by the thousand yards at a time I believe I still have enough wire to last me the rest of my lifetime because I do not do hardly any bending anymore or making spinners but the cheapest way to go would be a pair of pliers the jewelers pliers are round tips so you can wrap around make your loops and you can make your own jig real easy once you find out what your are going to make make up the jig and then it's real simple, because you'll have that already made up for that particular wireframe. Basically it's a bunch of spiked nails into plywood or something that you could mount on your bench I know it probably sounds confusing, but you get the general ideal of what I'm talking about I did it commercially also for a large company one of the Northwest largest for making salmon and and steelhead spinners I help perfect the rainbow spinner which I do not know if you know what I'm talking about, but it is the rainbow blade use highly for salmon and steelhead. We perfected the paint to go on them.

is there any way some one can post a pic of there wire forming machine that they have built? I work in a sheetmetal shop so I don't think making a machine will be a problem I'm just not sure what I would need or how to go about making it? never said I was the sharpest knife in the drawer lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crappie josh

is there any way some one can post a pic of there wire forming machine that they have built? I work in a sheetmetal shop so I don't think making a machine will be a problem I'm just not sure what I would need or how to go about making it? never said I was the sharpest knife in the drawer lol

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Can't do it right now, but I'll see if I can have something up over the weekend. No moving parts and I'll bet that you have everything you need already.

bump haha

I ended up buying a bottom bouncer mold and 50 wire forms this time but next time I go to buy forms I think I'll buy the wire and make them my self if I can build or buy a wire form machine I got all the resources to make a good wire form machine at work I just need some good plans

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crappie josh

I ended up buying a bottom bouncer mold and 50 wire forms this time but next time I go to buy forms I think I'll buy the wire and make them my self if I can build or buy a wire form machine I got all the resources to make a good wire form machine at work I just need some good plans

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by WiCrappie

Can't do it right now, but I'll see if I can have something up over the weekend. No moving parts and I'll bet that you have everything you need already.

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Here is the tutorial for doing your own wire bending.

You will need
-A bench vise of some sort
-An Allen (hex) key of appropriate size
-A couple pairs of pliers
-wire and your other parts
-beer (optional)

Start by taking an Allen Key and placing it in to a vise like so.
I used a larger key than I normally would for photographic purposes.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/tunefish/13.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/tunefish/1.jpg

Cut a piece of wire longer than you need it because all of your bends/loops will take up the excess.
After you do a few you'll know just how much you'll need for each form.

Bend this wire on the horizontal section of the key. I used my hands but you can use pliers. I'm using .041 dia wire.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/tunefish/3.jpg

Flip the wire over and continue bending until you have a loop in your wire with both ends opposing each other in a straight line.
(you can also only do a three quarter turn/bend, whatever works/looks better to you)

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/tunefish/4.jpg

Move up to the vertical portion of the key.

Take your wire and set it so that as you bend one end over (upwards) the standing wire, the vise acts as resistance to bend against.
--You'll only get about half way over even with pliers.--

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/tunefish/5.jpg


After you get halfway flip the wire over on the key and finish bending by pulling downwards.
This time use the vise for resistance but position the wire so that the leg you are bending will clear the side of the vise.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/tunefish/6.jpg

You can make as many turns around the standing wire as you want by doing this.
Here is what it looks like with one wrap.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/tunefish/8.jpg


Next grab your pliers. You can drop for the expensive round nose grobet, but a needle nose will get the job done.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/tunefish/9.jpg

Make a bend in one end. This is where you would insert your hook for a spinnerbait. Close the loop and place the form in the mold.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/tunefish/11.jpg


Make a similar loop (a bit smaller maybe) for your swivel. Once you have it on go ahead and close it up to keep it from sliding.
(no picture)


Bottom bouncer is pretty much the same. Here is the "Z" bend you want to make in the form to keep the weight from sliding.
I over exaggerated it for the photo. You'll want to make it much smaller when you do this for real.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/tunefish/12.jpg

....Up to you where you apply the usage of beer. Not mandatory but is highly suggested.

CJ

I've got an old Jann's netcraft wire former that I've used for years, back when I bought it - it was only $10 bucks but it's up there now. I can make almost every bend needed with it - Netcraft Tackle Tool kit, fishing tackle wire bending and forming tool

This former only handles wire up to .031

The little blue bender will be okay for your spinner bait forms as this is what it was made for. Another former that alot of guys use is the Boggs Tackle Boggs Tacklemaker If your using heavy wire get the right size head

If you need any more info let me know