# Fender curve compressed back to desired width



## oimakoi (Sep 29, 2021)

I have these schwinn fenders that have their ends/tips (starting from the fender brace area) that are too wide. Maybe coz of previous owner/s spread the braces too far when uninstalling/installing or whatever..
    But anyway.., the fender brace area width measured a little over 3-1/2 inches as compared to my other very straight and decent fender which is about 3-5/16 inch. I don’t have access to an english wheel/fender roller or know any shops here that has one. So i put the fenders on a bench vice, compressed it a little over 3inch and then heat that area using a torch (butane torch) then let it cool down. It did hold its curve 😁




Please do comment on anything i did wrong or anything that i did not do. Or other ways to do it except for an english wheel 😅.
As i am here willing to learn more stuff. 

P.S. i forgot to take before and after pics 😏


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## Freqman1 (Sep 29, 2021)

I normally just use my hands to bend them back to shape. V/r Shawn


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Sep 29, 2021)

metal has a "memory" when it is stamped into a fender.  it does not take heat to put it back where it belongs ... as stated you can just bend them back with your hands.  as for fender rollers.. another overhyped expensive piece of equipment.


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## 1motime (Sep 29, 2021)

Smart way to deal with a common problem.  Did you have to squeeze a bit more that the width you wanted?  For spring back?  If you are experimenting a light mist of water after the heat can help.  Let it cool and loosen the vise.
Depends on how badly they were stretched.


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## the tinker (Sep 29, 2021)

Fender rollers. Not over hyped,  unless you don't know how to use it. Common problem when rolling fenders is the metal tends to expand and flatten out across the width when the sides are forced through the roller.  Especially at the edge where the lip of the fender is knurled over.  Same problem at the front edge. If a fender is badly bent on the sides, it's hard not to stretch the metal,  This problem can be eliminated, somewhat. I kept an assortment of fender "cut-offs."  4-6" sections of perfect fender sections carefully cut off of various makes of common fenders, with their folded over edges removed. These would be inserted into the fender that's being rolled, doubling the thickness of the fender and eliminating flattening the edges when passed through the die. They also serve as an accurate gauge.  I hope the readers can visualize this.  I sold my roller at Memory Lane last  week.  My first roller, I bought used many years ago, and before I used it I visited Wes Pinchot, "The Fender Doctor." It was Wes who showed me the trick of doubling up the fender.  Wes got the name, "Fender Doctor" from the late Larry Hurd, curator of Schwinn's Chicago museum. After straightening out a badly damaged fender for him. Larry said, "Wes, you really are a "Fender Doctor." The name stuck. Wes is now retired from fender rolling and so am I.  As Shawn Freqman said, just mold it in with your hands. Sometimes we forget, it's only a bike. Enjoy the hobby, I have.


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Sep 29, 2021)

the tinker said:


> Fender rollers. Not over hyped,  unless you don't know how to use it.  If a fender is badly bent on the sides, it's hard not to stretch the metal,  This problem can be eliminated, s......




stretching the metal is what rollers do unless they are somehow different than an English wheel.  you could actually make a fender from flat stock with an English wheel if you had the talent. I watched those Swedish English wheel salesmen to a demonstration, he was not making a bike fender but from what he did in a few seconds it was obvious he could if he wanted to.  

maybe overpriced would be a better thing to say. at least the ones I have seen.


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## the tinker (Sep 29, 2021)

I think I paid 150 for my first roller. That's cheap.  Rolled many fenders with it for a small fee. I've had many bikes and if I had paid someone to roll out the dents on each of them, as I did, it would have cost much more than that 150.  I sold another old roller at a swap a few years back for 150.  That one was set up to roll lightweight fenders as well as the wide balloon. It also had a "flat" roller that could perfectly straighten the top edge of a bent chain guard.  The one that I sold last week at Memory Lane, went for 200. A deal, as it was in excellent shape. I figure I've straightened at least 3-350 fenders, that otherwise would have been junk, and sold them all at swaps.  I had fun with it. I've seen those English wheels. Harbor Freight used to sell them. Totally different from the fender roller. Fender roller is better. We're not talking about making a new fender here..  With the fender roller, 3-4 passes and the typical dent is gone. Usually without  disturbing original paint. I always tape the die with one layer of electrical tape.. . . The bike manufactures of yesteryear  would never believe guys would be making such a fuss about their products 75- 100 years later.


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## oimakoi (Sep 29, 2021)

1motime said:


> Smart way to deal with a common problem.  Did you have to squeeze a bit more that the width you wanted?  For spring back?  If you are experimenting a light mist of water after the heat can help.  Let it cool and loosen the vise.
> Depends on how badly they were stretched.



Yes i did squeeze more, compensating for the spring back. I squeezed it about 3inches to get my desired width of 3-5/16inch. A couple of years back, this is how i did with the front deep fender of my monark also.


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## 1motime (Sep 29, 2021)

oimakoi said:


> Yes i did squeeze more, compensating for the spring back. I squeezed it about 3inches to get my desired width of 3-5/16inch. A couple of years back, this is how i did with the front deep fender of my monark also.



If it works than it works!  Good tip for common problem


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## oimakoi (Sep 29, 2021)

I did try to bend and massage them with my hands.. but it always sprung back to its wide state. Maybe i did not try harder or did it wrong… i was afraid that it would make a crease/crimp like i did on a test aftermarket chrome fender with the same problem.  😅


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## Goldenrod (Sep 29, 2021)

the tinker said:


> Fender rollers. Not over hyped,  unless you don't know how to use it. Common problem when rolling fenders is the metal tends to expand and flatten out across the width when the sides are forced through the roller.  Especially at the edge where the lip of the fender is knurled over.  Same problem at the front edge. If a fender is badly bent on the sides, it's hard not to stretch the metal,  This problem can be eliminated, somewhat. I kept an assortment of fender "cut-offs."  4-6" sections of perfect fender sections carefully cut off of various makes of common fenders, with their folded over edges removed. These would be inserted into the fender that's being rolled, doubling the thickness of the fender and eliminating flattening the edges when passed through the die. They also serve as an accurate gauge.  I hope the readers can visualize this.  I sold my roller at Memory Lane last  week.  My first roller, I bought used many years ago, and before I used it I visited Wes Pinchot, "The Fender Doctor." It was Wes who showed me the trick of doubling up the fender.  Wes got the name, "Fender Doctor" from the late Larry Hurd, curator of Schwinn's Chicago museum. After straightening out a badly damaged fender for him. Larry said, "Wes, you really are a "Fender Doctor." The name stuck. Wes is now retired from fender rolling and so am I.  As Shawn Freqman said, just mold it in with your hands. Sometimes we forget, it's only a bike. Enjoy the hobby, I have.



Can I use this in our Whizzer newsletter? I will quoit you.


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## the tinker (Sep 30, 2021)

Goldenrod. . . Yes.  The fender rollers I have owned were specifically made for Whizzer fenders.


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## biker (Sep 30, 2021)

Here's one online.


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Sep 30, 2021)

is that listing over? "bicycle fender roller" gets zero results in ebay search


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## biker (Sep 30, 2021)

49autocycledeluxe said:


> is that listing over? "bicycle fender roller" gets zero results in ebay search



Looks like it sold already. Price seems ok. If you click on SOLD it pops up there. Here are some pics of it from the listing. Looks sturdy enough. What do you guys think? Someone had one on eBay last year I think for $800 wowsa. It sat for a long long time. I wonder why the tinker didn't list his on here, I would have bought it? I bought this one.


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## the tinker (Sep 30, 2021)

Been reading these comments on fender roller prices. I was in a local bike shop one day and I noticed the owner had the same fender roller as mine [ like the one pictured above.]  He had it chained and locked to a workbench in the back of his shop. I thought that was strange. Why keep it chained up in your own place?  I told him I had one just like it, and asked him why , in his own shop, would he keep it chained to a metal workbench? His answer was," They're expensive and hard to come by." Then, with a smile on his face , he told me the story of how he got it. [  I have to preface this story by saying I've know this fellow for a long time. Went to high school with him in the 60's. ]  When another local bicycle shop's owner died, he went over to see his wife. She was selling everything. The shop had been in business for many years and the owner had very little in savings and the wife was facing hard times. This was the type of bicycle shop everyone that's on the CABE would love to get in. . . . old. Lots of stuff from the 50's and 60's, forgotten about, tucked away here and there. After listening to her tale of woe, he told her he'd buy some stuff from her. He bragged to me about how he got the fender roller, the same one pictured above. . . for $5.00. She didn't have a clue what it was. He cleaned her out of NOS parts too. He saw the expression on my face when he said he only paid her five bucks.  He explained that she should have done some research before selling her late husbands stuff.   Maybe. . .. .


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## AndyA (Sep 30, 2021)

Freqman1 said:


> I normally just use my hands to bend them back to shape. V/r Shawn


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Sep 30, 2021)

biker said:


> Looks like it sold already. Price seems ok. If you click on SOLD it pops up there. Here are some pics of it from the listing. Looks sturdy enough. What do you guys think? Someone had one on eBay last year I think for $800 wowsa. It sat for a long long time. I wonder why the tinker didn't list his on here, I would have bought it? I bought this one.



wonder what the wheels cost? I could make the rest for free. looks homemade to me.


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## biker (Sep 30, 2021)

Looks similar to others I have seen online. I like the idea of the wheel with tire instead of the lever arm to rotate the roller. Does it look like the outside profile of the big roller should be more rounded to match the fender you are rolling as the photo with the gentleman looks like the fender is kinda flattened out and maybe thats why people are saying they have to bend the fenders together afterward?


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## WES PINCHOT (Sep 30, 2021)

THAT LOOKS LIKE AL BLUM!
HE MENTORED THE FENDER DOCTOR!


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## Goldenrod (Sep 30, 2021)

the tinker said:


> Goldenrod. . . Yes.  The fender rollers I have owned were specifically made for Whizzer fenders.



THANKS.


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## biker (Oct 1, 2021)

Roller at MLC too bad.


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## Freqman1 (Oct 4, 2021)

biker said:


> Roller at MLC too bad.
> 
> View attachment 1488007



You should have been there it went fast along with the rest of that stuff.


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