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A stepped aluminium mandrel carrying forty diameters – from half a millimetre to twenty, in half-millimetre steps. Wire or a photo-etched strip is wrapped around the matching step and comes off as an exact circle, repeated identically on the tenth piece as on the first. That is the whole idea: a simple tool that does one thing, but does it precisely. It is used for rings on straps and harness, for eyes and shackles, for bending curved photo-etch parts and for forming small tubes. The body is anodised aluminium, so it is light and will not corrode.
Specifications
| Code | AK9072 |
| Type | forming mandrel |
| Material | anodised aluminium |
| Size | 170 mm, diameters 0.5 – 20 mm |
| Pack | 1 pc |
| Weight | 0.067 kg |
What it is for
- Forming wire rings for straps and harness
- Bending curved photo-etched parts
- Forming small tubes and collars
- Repeatable diameters across a batch
What to pair it with
Bent parts are fixed with cyanoacrylate, whose excess comes off with Eraser Cleaner, and held by the AK9127 metal clips. Fine finishing of putty around the joint is the job of the AK9052 sculpting burnishers, and cutting happens on the A4 mat.
Frequently asked questions
Can brass and photo-etch be bent on it?
Yes, that is what it is primarily for. A brass strip wraps around a step under finger pressure or gentle pressure from a soft jaw; harder material is better annealed first or it will crack at the bend.
Why anodised aluminium?
It is light, it does not rust, and the anodised layer is harder than bare aluminium so the mandrel does not scuff easily. It also leaves none of the dark marks on brass that steel does.
How does the finished ring come off?
It slides towards the thinner end. That is why the mandrel is stepped rather than tapered – the ring keeps the exact diameter of the step it was formed on and comes off without distortion.