Thread: aluminium panel beating q

Ally is easy to work with, as long as you remember to take it SLOW. A little bit at a time.

If possible, clamp a block of wood each side of where you want to bend, and do a bit at a time across the whole section you are bending using a panel hammer or some pliers.

Originally Posted by isuzurover

Ally is easy to work with, as long as you remember to take it SLOW. A little bit at a time.

If possible, clamp a block of wood each side of where you want to bend, and do a bit at a time across the whole section you are bending using a panel hammer or some pliers.

Also ... buy a NYLON hammer and a block of Nylon

I have one that is called ..... THOR .... It has a Nylon tip one end and a Rubber tip on the other end // Size is of a small panel hammer

ABSOLUTE ripper to have .... You can whack panel & paint with out damaging the parts (with common sense of course)

I use it to hit ... bolt threads / Panels / Terminals / motor parts ... always in my tool box ...

Mike

Best way to do this cooter is like isuzurover said tho use 2 peices of ply and cut them to the required radius one for each side of the ally both of them the same then clamp them on and using a nylon hammer ONLY as steel will strecth the ally too much slowly bring it around dont go at it with pliers ..

Tho for the best result it would be best to aneal (soften) the ally this is done by heating with oxy to do so you will need the paint removed ...
Using the accetalean flame so it makes soot cover the area you need to work with soot then set the flame to neutral like normal for brazing then gently heat the ally untill the soot burns off then let cool naturaly this tells you that the ally is now soft and can be worked easyer and it will stay that way untill its reheated the same way and quenched with a wet rag tho that isnt realy needed as it can sometimes distort the ally unless its supported like when you bend it ...

Good luck and if ya need any assistance give me a holler as sheet metal is right up my ally

Originally Posted by lokka

Tho for the best result it would be best to aneal (soften) the ally this is done by heating with oxy to do so you will need the paint removed ...
Using the accetalean flame so it makes soot cover the area you need to work with soot then set the flame to neutral like normal for brazing then gently heat the ally untill the soot burns off then let cool naturaly this tells you that the ally is now soft and can be worked easyer and it will stay that way untill its reheated the same way and quenched with a wet rag tho that isnt realy needed as it can sometimes distort the ally unless its supported like when you bend it ...

Good luck and if ya need any assistance give me a holler as sheet metal is right up my ally

Umm - not quite. Letting ally cool slowly will harden it. Cooling it quickly will soften/anneal it. It is the opposite of steel in that regard.

Originally Posted by isuzurover

Umm - not quite. Letting ally cool slowly will harden it. Cooling it quickly will soften/anneal it. It is the opposite of steel in that regard.

Yep you are right i knew it was either way i just mixed it up tho softening it will make it work much beta

Hay cooter why not fit some rangie fiber glass flares to the disco they dont need the edge turned up

This is the simplest way to fold a flange around a curved edge.

Start with a piece of solid steel round bar about 4”-5” long. The diameter isn’t important, but in this case it can be up to 1” in diameter. Cut a slot across the end of the bar with a hacksaw. This cut should be as deep as the flange is to be wide. You may need to use two hacksaw blades in the saw together to get a wide enough slot to fit easily over the edge of the material. Dome the end of the bar very slightly, similar to a hammer face, and remove any sharp corners. You can also use the corner of a file to ‘soften’ the opening of the slot.

The tool is used in a similar way to a pair of pliers, except the opening is fixed. To use it, simply slide it over the edge of the material and bend in the desired direction. Start gently as it will take several goes to get it to 90 degrees. Move the tool along the edge of the guard gradually working the edge up working from one end to the other and back again.

It is very important that all edges are smooth, both on the tool and the edge of the guard. Use some sandpaper to smooth the edge of the guard. Because you are stretching the aluminium, any imperfections along the edge have the potential start to a tear.

To finish off, use a hammer and dolly. The hammer will need to have a round face as you are working the inside of a concave face. The shape of the hammer face will also assist to stretch the material. A soft hammer as suggested above is not really suitable as it will not assist with the stretch. To minimize paint damage, use a couple of layers of masking tape over the face of the hammer. This is enough to help protect the paint, but still give the required impact.

I use this method all the time (with a few other finishing techniques). Below are some pics of my Datto and the flares I made for it prior to welding them on and finishing. It probably isn’t clear, but the edges are folded twice; the first fold brings the edge vertical, the second takes it under towards the wheel. Very similar to the original factory edge. These are steel, but the principle is the same with aluminium, just easier to work.

Originally Posted by isuzurover

Umm - not quite. Letting ally cool slowly will harden it. Cooling it quickly will soften/anneal it. It is the opposite of steel in that regard.

No, actually Lokka had it right. Aluminium is no different to other metals only the temperature is critical. In any case, annealing is really impractical and unecessary in this situation.


Paul