Hello All, first time blogger. My name is Doyle Carver. I searched the new Google blog search engine and didn't find anything about my interests so I came over to Blogger to start it up.
I make hand rebar benders. But that's not all I make or what I started making in the first place. It all began when I was a teenager in Longview, Texas. I worked for a concrete culvert company. My job was to weld the cages that are inserted in the molds to reinforce the cement. I began to play with the waste steel pieces and build flowers and stuff out of them. It was the late 60's after all. I gave the little art works to my girlfriend.
Fast forward 30 years later.
I own a mechanic shop now. One of my customers complained that he was having trouble making steel rings for an application. I thought I could modify a tire cutting machine into a ring roller and told him I would try it. IT Worked! I made a bunch of rings for the guy and then he never came back. I still had the ring roller though and began to play with it. I made a big fish with expanded metal scales and a washer for an eye. Pretty crude but I had positive feedback from my buddies. I began to make more and better fish. At this time I make a 3 dimensional jumping black bass that is wall mounted. I actually built one for a friend that holds chalk for a pool table. I made dorado or mahi mahi, redfish, trout and then even made a lizard. The steel I am using is 3/8 and 1/2 solid rod. I roll it and then stretch it out, beat it, heat it, and bend it into shape. I call it wrought iron sculpture. Photos can be seen on my site, www.fishiron.com .
My next door neighbor is in the steel install business for swimming pools. He showed me a hickey bar and asked if I could make one. I thought I could and with much trial and error came up with a very tough and usable tool. A hickey bar is a hand rebar bender. The guys around here use them in pairs to freebend rebar. I have been shipping them all over the place and sell them on Ebay also.
I also make little western horseshoe sculptures. I will later detail how to make a horseshoe cowboy if anyone is interested. Till later, dc