Which steel bends easily?

[LWaali]

Can we have more info? There are hundreds if not thousands.. how durable does it need to be? Will other metals be touching it (corrosion factor)? Does it need to be conductive? What is the normal temperature will it be exposed to? How are you bending it (pliers, pipe tools, sheet metal benders...?)

[Olle]

Originally Posted by LWaali

Can we have more info? There are hundreds if not thousands.. how durable does it need to be? Will other metals be touching it (corrosion factor)? Does it need to be conductive? What is the normal temperature will it be exposed to? How are you bending it (pliers, pipe tools, sheet metal benders...?)

This is a lanyard loop for a pistol, it's a rectangular shape made out of 3mm rod and with 3mm radii. The strength is not critical, but it needs to bend easily and cleanly, and it needs a fairly nice surface so it can be blued without excessive prep. The tolerances are not extremely critical, maybe within 5/1000 or so.

I'm using a die do form it cold, and I can't really heat it. I have already tried to anneal the drill rod, it did make some difference but not much. I think something like 1018 cold finish round would work, but I can't find it in metric dimensions.

[G.T.]

Drill rod is too hard...I have some 10 series 3MM rod, it will work great for your lanyard loop... send me your address, (send to: gctomeks@msn.com ) and I'll send you a small length.. all I have left is some short pieces .1177" to .1180" dia. ... Some is cold rolled, some is drawn wire, so it, the wire, will have a slight surface hardening, not an issue for your radius... it's as close as your ever going to get! Believe me, I've chased this dog to death!......best to you, til...lat'r...GT ...

[Olle]

Originally Posted by G.T.

Drill rod is too hard...I have some 10 series 3MM rod, it will work great for your lanyard loop... send me your address, (send to: gctomeks@msn.com ) and I'll send you a small length.. all I have left is some short pieces .1177" to .1180" dia. ... Some is cold rolled, some is drawn wire, so it, the wire, will have a slight surface hardening, not an issue for your radius... it's as close as your ever going to get! Believe me, I've chased this dog to death!......best to you, til...lat'r...GT ...

You have mail.

The drill rod is hard alright, hard, springy and everything else that makes it difficult to bend.

The cut length is about 1 1/4" so I don't need much, if I get enough for 2-3 attempts I'll be more than happy. This might save a lot of research so your help is greatly appreciated!