how do you bend cotter pins?

[77rr2x4s]

What is you technique do you use on bending your cotter pins like on the ball joints and tie rods? Just curious how you do it. I bend them multiple ways. How do you bend yours?

[aspen79]

Guess i always bend them so they look all nice and purty. The long "leg", I bend over the end of the stud and sort of tap it flat against the end and the short leg, I bend the other way slightly.

[Rattle Trap]

I split them open to wrap around each side of the stud. But I notice they didn't have time for that at the factory and original suspension components were always knocked over to just the convenient side for a hammer strike. Same at other factories. I've done that job, and we did it the same. Knocked to one side. Missing one automatically got an operator thrown out for the day on the first offense. I never missed one in just over a year on that job. Unlike the person who was racking up discipline days off which led to my being stuck with that job. Been too long since I saw an original wheel bearing cotter pin to remember how those were done, but I also split those on my own work.

[Mopars1]

On wheel bearing pins I turn the long side up the end of the spindle and cut the short one off at the bottom of the nut ring. On ball joints, tie rod ends etc. I usually bend them split to one side and the opposite side.