The metal below was a banding strap in its former life. It is magnetic but slightly rusted at spots, so probably galvanized steel?
On the left you can see that I have started to shape the metal. However, this is not going as easily as I had hoped.
How can I shape the metal (using hand tools) to more closely resemble the bracket below?
Specifically, I need help forming the loop. I believe I can handle the rest.
BTW, this will be for holding tools to my garage wall, so I hope the question is appropriate here!
Edit:// Also wanted to say that the end result does not need to be so refined as the example I provided. I will be satisfied with something resembling a capital Omega.
Edit #2:// I have been shaping this over a pipe to get the shape on the left. Should I try using a smaller pipe to bend over? I thought I should use something larger, but now I am thinking probably not…
Best Answer
Here is a link to a hand-bending jig. Basically you need two or more pins to hold the metal and you either use the metal itself (with the pins held in a vise or table-top) or a handle attached to the pins (with the metal held in a vise) to bend the metal.
What I'm saying in my comment is that the item you pictured is not made of bent metal, it's made by welding a short section of pipe to a steel plate. A bent tool holder does not logically have the same form to achieve the same function, and trying to make it "look like that" will make the job much harder than it needs to be.
Some more options: One. Another. Scroll down a bit in the last link (a newsletter for blacksmiths) and there's a "how to use" section.
Sorry for the link-heavy answer, I'm not up to drawing the pictures and trying to explain in more detail right now. Someone else can take a stab at that.