Bendable Curtain Pole or Made-to-Measure Bay Pole? How Each One Works Round a Bay

A bendable curtain pole is a pole or rod you shape by hand to follow the line of your bay, and it is often where the search begins for an awkward bay window. For a bay you want to live with for years there is another route, a made-to-measure forged pole with the bends set at our Suffolk forge to your own measurements. We’ll follow the curtain rings round the corners of each and look at why a forged pole costs more. When you are ready, our bay window curtain poles made to measure are all in one place.

What Is a Bendable Curtain Pole, and How Does It Work in a Bay?

A bendable curtain pole is a flexible rod or track that you bend by hand to follow the shape of your bay, or a set of straight lengths joined at the corners with bend connectors. Either way, it is shaped on the day to fit your window.

Whether you search for a bendy curtain pole, a flexible curtain pole or a bent curtain pole, it is the same family of hand-bent rods and kits with corner elbows, and rings, hooks or gliders hang the curtain from either.

A bendable bay window curtain pole can be a sensible choice for a smaller or simpler bay, for lighter curtains, or for a home you expect to move on from soon. A bow or round window that curves in one continuous sweep is a different job, and our curved bay window curtain pole is made to follow that line.

Where Rings Can Catch on a Bendable Bay Window Curtain Pole

Curtain rings travel the whole length of the pole, so every joint and every bracket is a place where they can catch, and the sharper the angle at a corner, the more likely that becomes. On a bendable bay window curtain pole, four things tend to cause it.

Real bays rarely have matching corners, particularly in an older house, so bending a pole by hand means matching each angle on the day, and a few degrees out at one corner shows all the way along the run.

Then there is the path the rings travel, since a hand-bent rod can develop a flat spot or a slight kink where it has been pushed too far, while the joint in a bay window curtain pole kit can leave a small step between one length and the next, and either is enough to set rings catching at the corners.

Brackets are the next hurdle, since closed rings and C rings alike have to get past every bracket in turn, which is fiddly when you are leaning over a sofa to close the curtains. Drawing just the front section is the habit customers most often describe from an earlier kit, which is a shame on a winter evening, as Historic Environment Scotland says heavy, lined curtains can reduce heat loss through a traditional sash window by 14%.

Last of all there is sag, since a long span carrying heavy curtains can dip in the middle without a centre support, and a bendy curtain rail, designed to flex, relies on its brackets to hold that weight in line. A pole made for your own window works differently.

How a Made-to-Measure Bay Pole Runs Round the Corners

A made-to-measure bay pole is shaped at our Suffolk forge to the measurements of your own bay, and its passing brackets and passing rings are made as a pair, so your curtains slide past every support and run all the way round the window.

Passing brackets are brackets designed for curtain rings to travel over, and passing rings are the rings made to cross them. Each of our passing rings is forged from 4mm round rod into a C shape with a smaller circle for hanging the curtain, and the gap in the ring lets it slide over the top of the passing bracket while it keeps hold of the curtain. You need a passing ring wherever your curtain passes a passing bracket, and they come in Matt Black Paint or Natural Beeswax for 16mm, 20mm and 25mm poles. Our video on how passing rings work shows a ring sliding over the bracket, and on our passing rings page one customer singled them out, “Especially by the passing rings which work brilliantly.”

Alongside the wall lengths, we ask for the diagonals across your bay so we can make a single, accurate pole, plus two more measurements if you would like the ends to wrap back to the wall as returns. Our guide on how to measure a bay window for a curtain pole walks you through each one, and we guarantee the fit on all our ironwork, bay poles included, when your measurements are accurate. As another customer wrote, “Amazing how well it fit in a relatively complicated bay window.”

You may have read that iron would snap if shaped round a bay, but wrought iron is heated and hammered into shape by hand, so it bends under stress where cast iron cracks, as our guide to wrought iron versus cast iron explains.

What Goes Into a Made-to-Measure Bay Pole, and Why It Costs More Than a Kit

A made-to-measure bay pole costs more than a bay window curtain pole kit because you are paying for solid iron bar shaped by hand at our forge to your own bay, handcrafted brackets and finials, a finish applied by hand, and a lifetime guarantee as standard.

The pole itself is solid wrought iron bar rather than a hollow tube, and when a bay pole comes out of its packaging, the weight of that bar is usually the first thing people remark on. Each end carries a finial such as the Cannonball, our best-selling classic, or the Ram’s Horn.

You can choose Natural Beeswax, a finish in soft gun metal grey, or the clean, uniform black of Matt Black Paint. Look closely at either and you will see the hammer marks left by the forging, which give every pole its own character, and the iron itself is a planet-friendly, recyclable metal.

You fit a pole like this once and keep it, because forged iron lasts well beyond the curtains it holds, and one customer described their rings as “Refreshingly heavy, they are mini works of art and fit perfectly to our poles.”

Which One Suits Your Bay?

For a simple bay or a short-term fix, a bendable curtain pole kit can do the job well. For a period or awkward bay you plan to live with, where your curtains need to run all the way round, we recommend a made-to-measure forged pole.

The same finial and finish can then carry on through every other window in the house with our bespoke curtain poles or our curtain pole kits, so a pole from our bay window curtain poles made to measure can start a matching set.

Getting Your Bay Pole Made

Pick the shape that matches yours on our bay window curtain poles made to measure page and have a read of our post on what to think about before ordering a bespoke pole. Then follow our guide on how to measure a bay window for a curtain pole, and we can check your measurements with you before forging begins, hopping on a video call if you would like a hand.

Not long ago a pole for a cottage bay began with nothing more than a few phone photos and a pencil sketch, and a quick call took care of the rest, so if none of the shapes looks like your bay, send your photos to sales@madebytheforge.co.uk or call us on 01473 487118 and we will work out the right pole together. When your pole arrives, our videos on how to install a 2 bend bay window pole and how to install a curved bay window pole show Richard fixing the brackets and mounting the pole with some help.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Bendable Curtain Poles Work in a Bay Window?

Yes, a bendable curtain pole or flexible curtain rod works well in a simpler bay with lighter curtains, though how accurately it follows your corners and how smoothly the rings pass depends on its joints and brackets. For a bay you want to enjoy for years, choose made to measure.

Why Do Curtain Rings Stick at the Corners of a Bay Window Pole?

Rings stick because they have to pass every joint and bracket on the run, and sharper angles and awkward supports give them more places to catch. Passing brackets and passing rings are made to work together, so each ring slides over the bracket and carries on round the corner.

Why Is My Curtain Pole Bending in the Middle?

A curtain pole bends in the middle when a long span carries heavy curtains without enough support, and the weight slowly pulls the centre down. Adding a centre bracket is the usual fix, and on a bay pole it keeps the front run straight and true.

Our post on heavy blackout curtains covers the weightier fabrics.

Can You Bend a Curtain Pole Yourself?

A bendable curtain pole kit is made for you to shape by hand. Our bay poles arrive already shaped to the measurements of your bay, with every bend set at the forge, so all that is left for you is fixing the brackets and lifting the pole into place.

Is a Made-to-Measure Bay Pole Worth the Extra Cost?

Yes, we believe it is. Your pole is shaped to your own bay, its passing rings glide past the brackets at every corner, and it is forged from solid iron and guaranteed for life, so you fit it once and enjoy it long after the curtains have changed.