# Bending and cutting wire to the same size.



## Tony Bird (Jul 22, 2017)

Hi,

Recently I made six 16 mm scale Ffestiniog bug-box type coaches, these coaches have very little ground clearance so if they come off the track they can be dragged along on their underside.  This cannot be seen but the paint can be worn away and damp will enter the bodies.  I have had this problem with other stock and avoided the wear by having two brass wire rubbing strips under the body.  As I had to make twelve rubbing strips that were the same it was worth making a simple jig to create them.

The coaches.








The jigs made, aluminium channel was used because I have a lot of it, but almost any strip material could be used.  One of the strips will be the bending jig the other a drilling jig.  The holes which are drilled slightly larger than the wire  to be used are in the same position on both strips





One of the holes on the end of one of the strips is cut into.








A right angle bend is made in the wire to be used and put into the full hole of the jig which along with the wire is placed in a vice.  The wire is then bent into the open slot at the other end of the jig.








A number of the rubbing strips made.





Using the drilling jig; the first hole is drilled and a wire is placed in it to locate it while the other hole is drilled.





The rubbing wire fitted.





It will be noticed that the wire is slightly bent which is deliberate so they will spring into the holes.  The reason is that the holes in the two jigs are the same distance apart and because the wire has spring in it after bending its centres are slightly further apart than the jig.  If the wire was wanted to be straight a wire is bent up and used as a guide for the drilling jig.





If the bends at the end of the wire need to be the same length this can be achieved buy using a depth jig.  Which is basically a piece of metal with a slightly oversized hole drilled in it the thickness being the length desired.  The ends to be cut are cut too long and the excess removed with a saw or cutters, this done it is filled flush.









Regards Tony.


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## Herbiev (Jul 22, 2017)

Brilliantly design. Thanks for sharing


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