Topic: Aluminum Bending

[srbakker]

To be clear, I'm asking for advice, not offering it. 

Specifically, I'm wondering how some of you guys turn out your cool little fab'd bits and pieces.  You know who you are - the ones who work patiently with a grinding wheel, dremel, drill, skilsaw and what not and still turn out those neat little aluminum and steel bits and pieces with just the basics.

I'm trying to make a little bracket to hang my new modern rec/reg on, and it requires putting a 90 degree bend in a piece of sheet aluminum.  The aluminum is 1/10" and I even built a cool little bending brake out of hardwood.  Unfortunately, the brake is no match for the aluminum - it's just too thick.  Any other thoughts out there?  I'll see if I can post up some pics later.

[azuredesign]

 Im probably not one of the patient, well organized and skilled folks you are directing your question towards and I dont have a bending brake, although Ive been eyeballing an inexpensive one at Harbor Freight.

Can you pad out the jaws of a vice and secure the piece of aluminum along the line you want to bend it on, and then use a piece of steel against the free part to help keep the free part from distorting as you bend using a hammer against the steel to gently persuade the Aluminum to bend?

[754]

If you make a hardwood Vblock, and die, and use a. 5 or 6 inch vise, you should be able to bend that easily. Probably can do .180 by 4inch wide with that.  Do not use a sharp nose radius, try to stay 2 or 3 times thickness of Material for the nose radius...to prevent cracking on hard aluminum.

[jamesb]

be careful like 754 said you can stress the aluminum, and later cause breaking and cracking from vibration. i know this for a fact.it did take 2 seasons of riding but it did fail.what i have used for what your wanting to make is buy a piece of 2" angle aluminum. then all you have to do is cut it down to size round the ends off of cut them to your specs. then you wont have to worry about stress breaks i learned my lesson i used a piece of 2" angle and it has yet to fail.lowes sells them in different lengths.or try a scrap yard or metal fab store.

[srbakker]

Hmm - a piece of pre angled aluminum might do the trick nicely.  I'll look into that - thanks!

[srbakker]

Heh.  I'm kind of embarassed that I didn't think of that.  Thanks.   

[754]

 If you get up here sometime, we could carve out a small piece from billet.. For a few beers maybe..
 I am a billet aluminum hoarder, might have something, that will make it easy..but..

 Hardwood block tooling is very common, in metal forming for short run parts..so whipping up the die blocks, wood be well worth trying out..

[srbakker]

Frank, as soon as riding season rolls around again, I'm coming out there with a whole damn case of beer.  And probably a bottle of rye or two.  Or whatever your poison is. 

[754]

 ..Lmao..hah..

[Xnavylfr]

Aluminum comes in different degrees of hardness and mixtures of metals!
What you have in your hand  is NOT PURE aluminum PURE aluminum stays soft and malliable.
The 3 TEMPERS of aluminum = 0,T-3,T-6
The 3 metals mixtures I've worked with for over 40 years are = 2024,6061,7075
The lower the numbers, the softer the metal,same goes for tempers.
To make an IDEAL bracket, you can use 2024 T-3 .063 or .071 and bend it with your box break and remember the thicker the metal the larger the bend RADIUS has to be or it will crack. Probably be easier for you to use some ANGLE.

My  experience come from AVIATION and the FIRST aircraft I worked on was a F9 Banshee ( LOOK IT UP)

Xnavylfr(CHUCK)

[srbakker]

My  experience come from AVIATION and the FIRST aircraft I worked on was a F9 Banshee ( LOOK IT UP)

No need.  That said, thanks for the advice.  Anyway - I made it easy on my self and bought some pre angled aluminum.  Worked like a charm.