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Finger brake parts

TTMotorsports

Red Skull Member
Joined
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Lucerne Valley, CA
OK so I got a 48" finger brake at an estate sale. It's missing all the fingers. No idea on the brand or anything like that. What should I do to make this work as intended. Thanks.

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Tagjeep said:
Do you know the brand? Pexto?
Click to expand...

Like original post says No idea on the brand. I'll probably just make some sort of top jaw since I can't see spending 100's more on parts to make this tool work. Was hoping someone have a better idea or photos of how someone made their own top jaws thankselves
 
Looks like an import brand that would go by lots of mfg. names. My brake that I bought new from Enco in 2005ish looks just like that minus the black paint. It is crazy how much these have gone up in price and even what they want for the fingers. I paid around $400-500 including truck delivery for mine back then brand new.

Here are the fingers that look like what should work in your brake but $$$: MittlerBros link

I suggest maybe buying these to start - Sheet Metal Pan And Box Metal Brake Teeth/Fingers 3 Piece | eBay - and then making the rest yourself to match. (Measure your brake to be sure the ebay ones are the correct length) The tips should be flame hardened before using and I wouldn't bother countersinking the bolts in the fingers, I've never bent anything that far that would be touching the bolt heads of the fingers.
 
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I have to wonder what happened to the fingers? Used for something else? Somehow lost in a move? You said estate sale, did the children of the owner not know what that box of odd metal was and trash/recycle that but sell this? Why would they be stored separately?

In any case, I hope you got a blazing good deal on it because replacing the finger could cost you more than buying the whole assembly.
 
The fingers are probably in a box on the floor covered with other shit at the estate sale.
I bought a brake before and it was missing 2 fingers, I shopped it and wasn't having any luck so I sold it and bought a different brake that was complete.
 
A little research will get you some dimensions I'm sure...this is a chinese brake made in the millions and rebranded.

Probably I would start with a 48" pc of 1/2x 5" (subject to actual needs...might be 3/8x6...) solid CRS, drill and tap some holes, make some rear hold downs and grind, cut or mill a 45 degree? edge on it for starters.

If you layout your holes properly then you can cut them down into fingers just like the original.
 
I've seen the fingers on the little brakes like that all mangled on the ends from dumb people. They are super soft.

I'd get some flat bar and bevel the end. You could probably build a jig and get pretty close with an angle grinder instead of a beveler.
 
I have a brake that looks about like that.

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I would love to find fingers for it with a larger radius. 95% of what I do with it is bending 2024-T3 aluminum, which doesn't like tight radii. I have a couple of "shoes" I put over the fingers so it bends a bigger radius.
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Those Mittler Bros fingers look about right...but it feels like an $800 roll of the dice. I'll probably keep an eye on the used market for a bit.
 
A bucket edge probably already has the bevel you need.....

From there it's just slice and drill. Not that that's easy in those sorts of steels but sure sounds better than $800
 
Dethmachinefab said:
I've seen the fingers on the little brakes like that all mangled on the ends from dumb people. They are super soft.

I'd get some flat bar and bevel the end. You could probably build a jig and get pretty close with an angle grinder instead of a beveler.
Click to expand...
yup and the little clampy bits underneath are just heavy angle iron with one leg cut short

don't bother with the csink SHCS either, just use normal grade 8 bolts
 
YJLOPES said:
I would love to find fingers for it with a larger radius. 95% of what I do with it is bending 2024-T3 aluminum, which doesn't like tight radii. I have a couple of "shoes" I put over the fingers so it bends a bigger radius.

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Not sure if it helps or is different than what you are doing already, but here is a way to make the finger brake work with alternate radii on Youtube.
Click to expand...
 
FWIW, I just got off the phone with Mittler Bros.

Box & Pan Brake Fingers

Metal Working Tools & Metal Fabrication Equipment by Mittler Bros
www.mittlerbros.com www.mittlerbros.com

Their replacement fingers are 7 5/8" from top to bottom and 3/4" thick. From the top to the bolt centerline is 2 3/8". I'm going to go measure my brake and see if this will work for me.

My brake is a Connecticut (now Roper Whitney) U-422, 48" wide, 22 gauge mild steel capacity.
 
That's about what mine measures. Toying with the idea of making my own fingers. I just need 1 around 9" wide for my current production.

I would assume that plain old cold rolled 1018 steel would be adequate for this, or am I missing something?

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I would go buy another and modify this one for a radius bend that you think you might use....Or smaller so you can "bump" the tool for larger radii.
 
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