I need to bend and/or re-bend some curves on my railroad redo. The tool I own is the Aristocraft dual rail bender. I’ve never done any rail bending/re-bending. I’m looking for some advice and/or suggestions on using this particular rail bender. What has your experience been? What tips or tricks have you learned with this tool?
Thanks.
-Kevin.
Make sure that you remove ALL screws that attach the rails to the tie strips. I've found that works better. I haven't found that I've been able to use the Aristo double rail bender over rail joiners.
You may also need to cut some of the plastic strips beneath the rails (between ties) to help allow the tie strips to flex Into the wider curve. Be sure to only cut them on one side to keep the tie spacing set.
I commented on the other thread on the same question
Great information. Thanks guys. I’ve heard (or read) that the Aristocraft rail bender might benefit from some shimming- perhaps to help with clearance issues. Any truth to that?
-Kevin.
dieseldude . said:
Great information. Thanks guys. I’ve heard (or read) that the Aristocraft rail bender might benefit from some shimming- perhaps to help with clearance issues. Any truth to that?
-Kevin.
That could help. I don’t know how you would go about it, though.
On some of them, the bolt heads hit the rails, I think Marty ground the bolt heads down a bit… If I remember correctly, Aristo recommended some shims of cardboard under the nylon sliders.
I like Marty’s way better.
Greg
Thanks again for the additional info. While searching for information about Marty’s fix, I found more great info (including Marty’s fix) over here…
From what I’ve read, it looks feasible that curves can be made right in place. It also looks like Marty’s fix or shimming are definitely a necessity.
-Kevin.
Not everyone had the same problem, so a simple physical inspection to see if the rail head contacts the bolt heads is in order.
Greg
A brief update on the Aristo Dual Rail Bender:
What an awesome tool!
As I noted earlier, the main idea is to re-bend some 9 foot curves into some 20 foot and larger curves. I began laying track this week and it didn’t take long to reach the first curve. Being a rail bending virgin, I was a bit apprehensive about bending rail for the first time. I did some minor experimenting/practicing in the shop with a couple of 9 foot curves joined together with Hillman style clamps (they were actually not “Hillman” brand, but purchased from an eBay vendor). Other than a bit of shimming with some cardboard (to clear the tie plates), the tool worked great right out of the box. I use Aristo US ties, so the shim was necessary. Rumor has it that the Aristo Euro (narrow gauge) ties do not need the shim. In any case, the shim was easy to make and install (some thin cardboard from a small notepad did the trick). It does make me wonder why Aristo didn’t just use a slightly thicker plastic slide plate. No big deal. I thought about using Marty’s fix or even hitting the hardware store to look for bolts with smaller heads, but the shim fix only took a few seconds and I was off and running.
I only paid $70 for the tool when Aristo was going out of business. It was worth every penny! Easy to set up, easy to use, great results. What more could you ask for? Best $70 investment I made.
-Kevin.