How to make a DIY acrylic bender (Cheap & easy)

If you're interested in following me further, feel free to check out my gaming channel: / @lamentersgaol
In this video I make a acrylic bending tool, super useful for getting professional looking bends on plexiglass pieces. This thing is really easy to make and super useful for PC modding, which is what I mostly do. If you have any questions I didn't answer in the video go ahead and ask in the comments and I'll find you an answer!
Bit-techs KZbin channel: / @bittech1
List of tools and materials used in the video (amazon affiliate links):
- MDF (or any kind of board) should be found locally, I got mine at home depot. I used two 2'x2' square boards.
- Wood screws also found locally, must have flat tops.
- Aluminum u-channel also found locally, half inch square works best
- Nichrome wire: amzn.to/2ADJ3oN
- Variable power supply: amzn.to/2AAue6n
- Dremel rotary tool: amzn.to/2Ocxsk0
- Dremel cutting discs: amzn.to/2OgZLxx
- Cheap drill: amzn.to/2JqdbGH
- 1/8" drill bit: amzn.to/2OgxtDk
- Screw driver bits: amzn.to/2qhCPEO
- Step drill bit: amzn.to/2yJGsbl
- Tension spring: amzn.to/2RsmPM1
- Hinges: amzn.to/2PuaadZ
- L square: amzn.to/2yCAJUI
- Jigsaw: amzn.to/2RmCWdV
If you want to order something from V1tech.com, use my discount code! You get 10% off your order, and I get a small commission from the referral. Just enter "dietecmods" at checkout for them sweet savings! www.v1tech.com...
My socials! If you want to see updates between videos, this is how
/ dietecmods
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Discord chat: / discord
For business inquiries: [e-mail]

[@bittech1]

Thanks for the shout out! Loved the video, really handy tutorial, especially given how overpriced acrylic bending wires tend to be.

[@SonIQBukucuIlberOrtayli]

I love your videos bro like Dietec...

[@richstanton1425]

bit-tech Fair Play Alex, hope you are well. Much love Rich Scooby Thailand. Great vid Dietec as just making one myself.

[@SR60119]

Retired physics teacher here, and this is an outstanding little device! Perfect for building my squirrel feeders and keep the birds out at the same time! Great job lad.

[@finndann6686]

"When it is bendable - just bend it" Wiser words have never been uttered

[@awatts5928]

Very helpful. For others watching, suggest you pre-drill holes if you use MDP as it can split if your screws are close to the edge to the board.

[@9mmhobbes]

this is pretty cool! one thing I'd add is a protractor though, hot glued or something on the side, with a screw or nail to show at what angle you've bent.

[@Orcanian66]

Great video. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@bartacus3521]

Simple, clear, easy instructions, with links to all the needed stuff. Awesome! Well done!

[@craigbarnett3351]

outstanding work. no extra yakking. just the facts and tips presented clearly and completely. ty

[@DIYTech21]

A nice simple but very helpful tool for modders. A perfect tutorial

[@tjkoker]

Is the voltage AC or DC? What thickness of Nichrome wire do you use - .032, .036, .040? Thanks. .032 Nichrome is no longer available on Amazon. FYI.

[@davidsamuels6734]

Thank you for this video.. I'm DEFINITELY making myself a bender in the near future.

[@PaganWizard]

I just stumbled across your video while looking up acrylic bender, and I really like your design a lot. You mentioned looking up Bit-tech's KZbin channel, saying it wasn't going to be small for very long, but he hasn't uploaded anything for 9 months. He's not going to grow without uploading.

[@patrickperry6945]

Been looking for a power supply like that for ages. Nobody, including Google, seemed to know what I was talking about. I thought those things stopped being made. Thanks. Liked your video. Bender is a bit crude. But, what the heck, it gets the job done. Bottom line.

[@PaulanthonyBridge-kt4eg]

I myself use a car/mc battery charger at minimium current setting (3 amps/12 volts) meaning about 80watts on the nichrome wire. Works great.

[@1tzelG_]

finally a bender maked by a PC Modder. cool.

[@stumask]

Fantastic, going to make me one, thinking off incorperating the power supply into the unit, also add in a bend stop so you can set the angle you want to stop at, your an inspiration

[@tihzho]

Just make a fixture to clamp the bent plastic at the angle you want until it cools

[@Hako_exe]

I didn't know I needed this until today.... Thank you

[@Tech215Studios]

I just got a Cricut Maker about a month ago and it's been so friggin awesome!!! Def makes my Mods easier and look so much more professional for mods for my channel!!! We're saving up for a house, we anticipate closing around this time next year, but I can not wait till we do. I'm going to build a giant shed sectioned off into 3 sections. My Studio/Editing Workstation - Work Area for all my Tools/An Area to paint - and an area for other stuff like lawn mowers and general storage. I can not wait!!!! Dude when are you going to start posting videos again??? We miss you man!!!! You've been such a huuuge inspiration to me for modding and starting a channel!!

[@electronron1]

I use a 24 volt transformer with a light dimmer on the input side of the transformer to regulate the temperature of the nichrome for a hot wire cutter, I'm sure this would work for this application as well. The light dimmer is the type used in place of a wall switch and is made for incandescent lights, they may be harder to find since everything is going LED these days but worth looking into. I'm using a 500VA buck-boost transformer which is overkill but I've seen where other's have used a common door bell transformer.

[@MarownIOM]

I like the light dimmer idea. I was thinking of using an old laptop power supply. I should have something about right in my hord of old parts.

[@akun10years10]

This may be a cheaper solution

[@Dancopymus]

It could be a shower dimmer.

[@migzt.v7503]

Thank You bro,, i amazed your vedeo tutorial here,, i got a New knowledge In You! for how to bend The doors acrylic bender im whatching in Philippines! 😁

[@frankjames4743]

Thank you for a fantastic tutorial video.

[@gemunujayasinghe618]

Excellent video with useful information and very well explanation . Sir , thank you so much for sharing your knowledge . Greetings from Sri Lanka .

[@rsmetal1214]

This is cool stuff. This is a better way of bending acrylic than what I do. thanks for sharing

[@richardbertrand8895]

Very Nice Set-Up and Easy To Make.

[@charlieringor4187]

Thank you so much for this!

[@nigelcaddick7113]

Thank you for the Vid! I have now built a similar machine but minus the extra baseboard, I just used a 3" ply strip and 4 small ply squares, 2 on each side. I also bought the recommended springs but found them way overpowered and strong, so I used a much softer spring from an Aldi box of assorted springs and it works fine, thank you again :)

[@rontaylor6407]

What is the thickest acrylic you have successfully bent with this? I'm looking to bend 1/4" plexi.

[@oncledan8509]

Hi ! This is the most explanatory video I saw describing an inexpensive Acrylic Bender jig, and I thank you for it. I was looking several Acrylic bending tools on Amazon and they are all well overpriced for what they do. I then decided to surf on KZbin and .. Voilà! One tip, however, that can dimiduish this wire bender's cost a lot. You don't need a regulated DC Supply. In fact, you don't need DC at all. You could use a cheap transformer with the appropriate ratings, of course. Hope this helps. Thanks again for this video and good luck for the rest. Have a nice day!

[@robertsilkycampbell9683]

Can yo9u send me a link to what you are referring too? I am not a techie.

[@Dancopymus]

Hello, do you mean a "raw" transformer, I mean, without rectifying? How many volts and amperage? Thanks

[@daniellachance8778]

@@Dancopymus Hi, Dan. This circuit does not require specific AC or DC voltage. However, I used a 12V DC @ 5A adaptor I took from Amazon. I then experimented on the amount of NiChrome wire to use, until it became a nice red color. Mind you, too red is like not enough. Id needs not to be too hot, otherwise it’ll melt the surface as the center of the sheet would be still « cold ».

[@Dancopymus]

@@daniellachance8778 Hi my namesake, thank you very much. So can I use a PC Power Supply?

[@daniellachance8778]

@@Dancopymus hi again! Of course .. as long as it can supply the necessary current to make the wire glow red. Check before, or do like I did, experiment 😂

[@offcenter007]

much tx. been looking all over for a decent perspex diy bender

[@peterg902]

Thanks for the video. Seems easy enough - however, not having experience with electrical circuits, what about potential for electric shock. I have heard it doesn't take too many amps to hurt and or result in much worse. 10amps seems high. Could you comment please?

[@doggeboi2619]

Great tutorial! Built mine a few days ago, but I finaly got my power supply delivered today. I'm thinking about making a psu shroud, wish me luck! :D

[@taffythegreat1986]

I wish I knew this decades ago 😂👍👍

[@ekotete]

nice DIY tools .. thanks for your sharing

[@Omega-yg1yw]

My new favorite DIY video

[@57Jimmy]

Thanks for this! Takes the fear out of it for me!👍

[@RonInAVan]

Cool build 👍🏻 I’m going to build one soon. Thanks for the video.

[@dignitas1980]

Great video! Is it okay to use a power source with : 180 watt, 12 V and 15 amps? It`s too "heavy" for the wire?

[@shadowr2d2]

Awesomeness hands down.

[@Hernandez9699]

YES! Thank You! I was searching just for something like this to make some cool panels for my Yamaha xsr 700!

[@user-th7gd7ge4p]

and for my Yamaha psr e373!

[@jamesallen6007]

Nice video. Straight forward and simple. Thanks.

[@angelvaca9232]

which one do you think is better to use of these: .Thermoforming (Infrared Heating) .spiral carbon heating element -carbon fiber infrared heating tube -Nichrome 80-50' - 20 Gauge Resistance Wire -heat radiator

[@roypatawaran]

up to what thickness of acrylic does this work on? Thanks!

[@urbannpa]

Thanks...Straight to the point.

[@DesignAlign]

Nice, simple and practical

[@Electronics61]

Great Project. Thanks. Also Subscribed to your Channel.

[@Mus4ina]

Ты молодец! Продолжай и дальше нас радовать своим видео! Спасибо!

[@timbebimbe]

Just what i was searching for! Great idea & great video. Thx a lot!

[@SoAnswerAway]

Thank you for this video. Now I can start bending. :)

[@spectrive9739]

Fantastic build, and quality music. Thank you good sir!

[@matthewmatthew5123]

VERY EASY & GOOD JOB

[@seminolerick6845]

How kewl is this ! Probably wouldn’t hurt to keep a co2 extinguisher handy (NOT water, lol)

[@raziel3726]

Where are your 2019 videos you are a Great Modder that was a Brilliant Tutorial Thanks!!

[@DIYTechTube]

One just went up :P

[@_desertwalker_]

That was brilliant. Thank you for doing this.

[@MarvinResper]

Thanks for the information

[@dilipthakkar4595]

Thanks for sharing your hobby

[@johndaniel9820]

Can you help in warming Azek PVC without buying a heating blanket (too expensive). I have to slightly bend a few 18" x 8ft (or less) pieces to fit a semi-circular Portico. Neena

[@dmuzikentertainment7976]

thank you so much EMINEM for tutorial.

[@Rakinn]

Can't wait for you to mod something with this bender

[@MrDuneTwo]

Great video! You are really making it look easy. I hope you will upload more vids soon.

[@Cfbrolley1320]

Awesome video dude, absolutely love all the DIY tutorials you do!

[@lvd2001]

wow so simple and effective

[@kitsandham7001]

Thank you

[@Arek_R.]

Any ideas how to control the bend radius so I can get it exactly what it is as per fusion 360 design? I think I would need to be able to adjust the gap/area where the heat is applied.

[@Wythaneye]

You could use a protractor on each side, stood up vertically. Use a metal one that has the center cut out so you can insert a screw/nut to lock in the angle on each side. Then when you bend, the MDF stops on the screw and can't go any father then your locked angle.

[@mestari33]

Great video! I'm going to make one!

[@CraftyLittleLady]

Thank you! This is super helpful!

[@forza74456]

beautiful work

[@opcom64]

looks like can use cheap computer power supply :) .. cool tips. nice!

[@ravebrave8866]

well done langodi mama

[@richgould224]

I can see if I needed to make a bunch of 90° bends, but how can you do a larger radius of a bend, say like around a 3" pvc pipe?

[@EvilPiggy101]

Subbed, I watched your stuff for a while now... love your stuff. Keep up a good work! Is so nice to watch!

[@Dancopymus]

Excellent! Can a 12V and 12A computer power supply be used? Congratulations and thank you!

[@1800ceiling]

Thank you. Very Helpful.

[@Sbregher]

Great video! Very useful info! Thanks much!

[@tonysanfilippo1101]

Do you think the Variable power supply would heat this wire at 40 inches in length? I don't know Ohm's Law that well. LOL I need to heat some vinyl up to about 250 deg. surface temp. I was using a heat gun, but I have to run it up and down the 40 inches, this could heat more evenly.

[@fvheel]

I have a 0,8 mm nicromwire and a powersupply of 30V, 5A max. I can not get the wire hot enough. Everytime the voltage drops when powering up the powersupply. I did try 24V at 3A, 12V at 5A but everytime the voltage drops and the wire does warm up but not hot. What do i do wrong? What is the recomended setting for a 0,8 mm nicromwire on this powersupply?

[@BillyTzENDURO]

pretty cool build, definitely worth it if you work a lot with acrylic, I guess I stick to a heat gun tho for the 2 bends I wanna make..

[@gravitydefyer3722]

Great video! Can this DIY bender be used for ABS plastic as well?

[@mcchitech9772]

Thank you. Very informative

[@shadowr2d2]

Have you ever worked. On a Copper, & or Stainless Steal water 💦 Cooling PC. I’m interested in this. Looking to build a Black, & Copper water cooling gaming rig. Love your channel. I always learn something new.

[@annaritarobiola5420]

Ottimo attrezzo ti chiedo solo a che potenza metti lo strumento per riscaldare il filo. Grazie

[@Paul.Douglas]

Ok, that's freakin' slick!

[@dwalden74]

Great video! Your wire won’t short out if it touches the U channel, unless the U channel is touching something that is grounded. I’m making a bender now based on your video. Thank you!

[@Hyperlooper]

The channel could become energized though, and if you happen to brush up against it and provide a less resistive path to ground...... zippity zappity

[@DaveBuildsThings]

@@Hyperlooper It's 12Vdc. You'd have as much of a chance at getting a zippity zappity from this power supply as you would touching the positive and negative terminals on a car battey. Your internal resistance is too high. AC on the otherhand is a different story.

[@suneilnevgi8386]

Wonderful ... keep making more 😀👍👍

[@starscream8956]

Brilliant video, going to make my own 1:8 scale display cases as they are expensive.

[@fvheel]

I did try all kind of voltage/amperages but every time the voltage or amperage drops and the wire is not getting hot enough. Someone did 24V, 3A with a 0,8 mm wire. When i try that the voltage drops to 5V. Someone did 9V, 6A. My voltage drops to 5V. At 9V, 5A my apms drop to 3,5A. I have a Korad KA3005P bench-powersupply (30V, 5A max). I have a wire of 0.8 mm. Must i use a different wire? What am i doing wrong?

[@swinksstuff]

awesome video - learnt alot, thanks

[@TheJerseyBiker]

Thank you for this video... this is a task I will complete to make some prototype projects!! Thank you 😊

[@osmanharmankaya9777]

Teşekkürler

[@sgafaroff]

Amazing!

[@Possessed-Idiot]

Fantastic, Thanks,

[@Diypics]

You are brilliant!

[@swarooptanmay1]

thanks alot this is really nice. can you tell till what thickness this can work will it work for 8mm thick cast acrylic

[@PaulanthonyBridge-kt4eg]

It can work any thickness depending on nichrome-wire current.

[@badmotherhumper]

How thick of acrylic can you bend with this gauge wire, Will it soften 8mm?

[@MarownIOM]

Could you try your power supply at 12v / 5amp and let me know how long it takes to heat plexiglass enough to bend?

[@someguyfromthenetherlands394]

I am gonna build this for in my workshop! Thanks for the tutorial!

[@jackiej6233]

You've a buncha really resourceful tricks, thanks for sharing this'll help alot.

[@RethinkingGendentity]

I am looking for a solution to fold 5 mm corrigated plastic. (AKA Clorolast, Corflute or Fluteboard). Can you recommend any adaptions for folding this 5 mm thick corrugated plastic board?

[@laurencefeeney1661]

U.K. Items quite a bit more espensive here i.e. 30 ft wire costs more than your 50ft. I have a power supply rated at 8.5A continuous 130vA Max. Will this work?

[@fatihkarabas1934]

Hello, You used 30 V-10A power supply, Can we use 15V-2A power supply? if yes, what differs between them?

[@Kosmoski99]

Thanks, building one this weekend

[@KevinBesnier]

This looks really useful! Much more elegant than heat gun ;)