1418779 A description according to fig1 to 3 a steel shaft 10 having a circular cross sectional area is guided through a forming device 12 in this process the shaft 10 is advanced along its shaft axis 10 39 in the direction of the arrow iii in fig1 while simultaneously being rotated around said axis and being bent into a direction 10 34 which direction subtends an angle u03b1 with the original direction of the shaft axis 10 39 the forming device 12 comprises three bending rollers 14 16 18 which are rotatably arranged on axes 14 39 16 39 and 18 39 respectively parallel to each other and at right angles to the shaft axis 10 39 the bending roller 14 has a ring groove 14 34 with a groove cross section in the shape of a circular arc fitting the shape of the cross section of the shaft 10 according to fig1 to 3 the second bending roller 16 also has a ring groove 16 34 but with a cross section in the shape of an elliptical arc thus corresponding to a diagonal cut through the shaft 10 the ring groove 16 34 is displaced by a distance a in relation to the ring groove 14 34 or alternatively when not displaced as indicated in dash dotted lines in the drawings of fig2 and 3 it is about 2 u00d7 a wider than ring groove 14 34 the shaft 10 is guided within the ring grooves 14 34 and 16 34 in such a manner that it cannot shift along the axis 14 34 and 16 34 respectively of the bending rollers 14 and 16.