Bending Bar

[Grant Bowie]

I was asked to post a photo of my simple bending bar. Here it is.

It is 800 mm top to toe and the bend at the end is 45mm wide so that you can use it to bend a trunk or branch up to about 40mm. The more raffia you use the less able you will be to get the hook around the branch or trunk.

You must pad or protect the bark where you place the bar! Otherwise it will probably slip and gouge out some bark.

If the branch or trunk is bigger than 45 mm you can just fix the other end of the bar to the part you want to bend and tie it on with wire, preferably copper.

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It will basically just give you a bit more leverage on the portion you are trying to bend.

Grant

[aaron_tas]

hi grant

nice bar did you make it yourself

[Grant Bowie]

G'Day mate,

Hope your getting some wet weather down there. It's dry as toast here.

The bar was made by a blacksmith when I lived at Yerrinbool(near Bowral Sthn Highlands of NSW for those who are interstate). He did ornamental gates as well. I then bought some clear plastic tubing of the correct size, dropped the plastic in boiled water to expand and soften it up so that it could slip onto and around the bend of the crook of the bar.

It was modelled on a smaller version that was made almost 25 years ago. It has proved very useful over the years especially if you are working on something by yourself. You can hold it in place under your armpit when you need both your habds free.

Grant

[Steven]

G'day Grant,
The Bowie Bender™ looks like a very handy accessory for the bonsai tool box.
Can you please further explain how to control the bending? Would I be stretching the friendship to ask for a picture or 2 of it in use?
Regards,
Steven

[aaron_tas]

Hope your getting some wet weather down there. It's dry as toast here.

it's pretty toasty in this state too

although i think launceston is a bit more toasty than hobart

[stymie]

The addition of a peg where I've painted one might be even better. If the peg could be adjusted up and down the bar - better still.

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[Grant Bowie]

G'day Grant,
The Bowie Bender™ looks like a very handy accessory for the bonsai tool box.
Can you please further explain how to control the bending? Would I be stretching the friendship to ask for a picture or 2 of it in use?
Regards,
Steven

Hi Steven,

Shall do. I can't find any photos of me using it as I am usually on the operating end of it but I will do some photos and an explanation of its use.

Grant

[Grant Bowie]

Hi,Here is a brief description of the use and uses of the simple bending bar I use.
Firstly it is just a quick on and quick off accessory; no clamping, screwing etc. It just slides sideways over the branch or trunk you wish to bend and it will only bend upto around 40 to 45 mm in thickness. It will increase an existing bend easily with just the extra leverage it gives you. If you are starting from arrow straight material or reversing a bend you will need someone to hold the tree and you may need to have one hand where the bar is in contact with the tree annd the other on the end of the bar.

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As you can see it will just hang correctly under its own weight. If the area to bend is properly padded with raffia or just with a makeshift piece of rubber the bar will not slip, rotate or gouge bark out of the area. The root system must be firm under its own weight as the bar will push the tree over if the roots are wobbly(use another method) or get someone to hold the tree.

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You then just apply pressure or weight to the end of the bar and it bends very easily. You can sometimes work by yourself and still bend quickly by doing the bend then hold the bar firm under your arm pit while you tighten up guy wires or whatever. You can also hold the portion of trunk above where you are bending to steady the bar.

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Here is the tree wrapped in raffia with 8 mm aluminium wire around it before the bending took place. Fig 3 Before Restyling in Feb 2008.JPG

The actual bending was over in 60 seconds or less as the bar was just slipped onto the trunk, weight applied with someone helping hold the tree and pot and it was bent 90 degrees in the one smooth operation. You can see the foliage at 90 degrees to its original plane. Fig 4 Upper Trunk Wrapped in Raffia and Bent 90%.JPG

Of course there are big limitations to its use if the pot gets in the way or the branch is too heavy etc. You can then use plan B.
I hope that helps. Please feel free to ask any other questions or make one or get one made for yourself.
Grant

[Pup]

G,day guys. I have been reading this with interest, I was very interested in Grants Bending Bar. Very simple but effective design with one draw back that Grant pointed out, bigger branches or trunk you need two people.
With mine you need two bars equally simple to make or get made,. Then you can do it on your own, now fellas. here they are.

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These are used in a similar way to Grants slip on slip of. Where you want the bend you place the longest bar the put the small one in position and Bend.
Pup

[Grant Bowie]

Hi Pup,

When you can you should show it in use and post the photos.

Grant

[Steven]

Thanks Grant for the excellent demo! That Juniper sure looks better after a session with The Bowie Bender™.

Pup, yours look good too and I would also like to see them in action if you don't mind. I think my dentist has a couple of tools that look like those

Regards,
Steven

[Pup]

It appears when I tried to upload the pictures of these bars I use as Grant. Asked me too they wont upload so, I thought a new post might work.

The material being used is a air layered branch of a Shimpaku. It is 2cm 20mms ( 3/4 inch ) plus wire and furniture webbing in stead of raffia.

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These bending bar's will allow up to 4cm 4 mms ( 1-1/2 inches on your own if the pot is firm ) and of course if you are a big strong person.
After that we use winding jacks. Pup

[Pup]

I forgot to show you a pic of the tree in question as it is now. After some tweaking and a few years it should be a passable tree.

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As you can see a large bend was in order. No strain to me just tie the pot to the bench. Very firmly

[Grant Bowie]

Hi Pup,

The two bars working together works well and you can do without a second person most of the time. I usually get Don from Hay to do all the hard work like raffia and wiring and then just do the bend and take all the glory.

Anyhow you got some good movement in the trunk which is very important to the rest of the life of the tree as a bonsai.

Grant

[Pup]

The current issue of Bonsai Focus 120 Pages 22--27 have an article called. Bend it. It features the various methods of bending, using bending aids.
It has the bending bar I use, plus it has the purpose made screw jack. It also shows how theyare used. Plus other methods used for bending larger branches and trunks. Pup