Best way to bend Gargraves track into a kink free curve?

Gargraves has a YouTube video on curving thir track

A radius of 42" ( O-84), 84" diameter,  can be  hand-bent with Gargraves flex track.   Best to use a gauge or compass for a consistent uniform bend.   

Edit/Add:  As you bend a section of track, the inside rail will become longer than the other two rails.  You may have to cut the rails, to continue the bend with the next section of track. 

It can be done. It’s best to start with a fairly new piece of track or some spray such as WD 40. You need the rails to slide around pretty easily on a radius this tight. You could find a round template to bend it around or cut one out of wood. The wood doesn’t have to be the full 180 curve. Draw a line on the benchwork with a homemade compass and bend it to follow the line screwing it down as you go. With a tight radius you will need to do some rail trimming on the end.

If 036 will work. Ross sells it sectional. Close enough to the look of Gargraves.

I need OO track, not O gauge.  Not sure Ross does custom bent OO Gargraves track.   I would be started with brand new track, not used as that is very uncommon to find anyways.  I do wish Ross would make switches for the OO track that Gargraves sells, even if just by bespoke order.  I have tried, no dice.  AD

For tight bends like you're considering, you need a template of some kind to insure success.  Something as simple as your water heater might do the trick, or you can cut a template from plywood using a trammel to create a perfect arc of the correct radius.  Note that you need to make the template a bit smaller than the curve you want to end up with due to the spring-back when you release the pressure.

Sorry thought your OO Was a typo. Didn’t even know they made it. I’ve never tried this. If the flex track is 36” in length. It’s probably not going to bend in a complete 180 unless you go fairly tight. Could you solder the rails together to make a longer piece. There for eliminating the kink. The ties would have to move about pretty easily for this. If that’s a no go. I would probably bend the 180 as best I could. Then transition off the straight portions and maybe go with sort of an easement. A little easier to keep the joint smoother.

It’s hard to not have a slight kink if the rails are cut square on a curve. My layout is all Gargraves flex. . It’s a bit of work. After the track is bent. I would cut back the stagger in the rails a bit. But not square.  Slide the ties back and piece the track together. Slide the ties in place. Then grab the track with my fingers and push inward at the joint with my thumbs. If there was a kink it would come out.  You may have to squeeze the rails to get the ties started. With the rails staggered it will smooth out the joint. If the rails are off just a bit. With some screws holding the ties in place. You can tap on the rails with a block of wood and hammer to tighten up the joint. This worked for me. But my layout features curves 072 and up. Might not be as easy on a tight radius.

The ties in the OO flex, which is 36" long, do move somewhat easily.  The track uses the same rail as their S gauge track.  Yes I could solder the rail joints thru the curves, thats not a problem.   I can also stagger the rail joints prior to soldering them thru the curves to prevent kinking at the joints.  I am hoping to follow the 42" prebent curves I have so I have a nice double track mainline.  And yes, Gargraves offers both 2 and 3 rail OO track that works great for running your Lionel equipment on. They offer sectional curves in 42, 54 and 72 inch diameter, all with wood ties.  You can also wire the 3 rail track to run both 2 and 3 rail locomotives.  What we are lacking is matching switches and diamonds to go with this track.  If someone out there is able to custom build these items, it would be a great benefit to the OO folks that want to run(especially the 3 rail folks) their trains but want more than a basic loop.   

Used gargraves on my first layout, I made templates from some scrap plywood I had laying around.

FWIW if you are trying to match an existing curve and you already have several to work with use the existing curves as a template.  Flip the flex track or the existing curve upside down, your choice, and slowly match the curve by nesting one into the other.

Or you can start the curve with it marked out and you finish nails driven in enough to hold the track as you go.  Tack them every 6 or so ties to the outside of the rail, leave enough showing so they can be pulled later.   Once you have the curve set let it sit for a bit to avoid it springing out then use the fastening method of your choice and remove the nails.  I just used a combination of both to create a smooth curve that transitioned from about an 054 to an 042.  Worked quite well.