I need to make a tight 90 bend in a small ( DL envelope ) bit of 1.5mm stainless sheet.
No access to a folding table which would be ideal. Its random but its a transfer ramp off a conveyor belt onto a circular holding table. The bottles currently march down the belt and hit the ramp that was designed by Steve Wonder and they catch, then fall over. Blocking the exit and causing the conveyor to back up. It really annoys me so the current POS is going and a new ramp is going to be fabricated in my garage.
Tools available. Hammers , Grindrs , Vice , Molegrips , Adjustables and Mapgas
My thinking is grind out a thin line at the correct place for the fold . Clamp in vice . Apply some heat then fold manually. This will inevitably radius the corner so it might need dressing with a lump hammer to tighten the radius.Â
Any better solutions / advice / tips would be most welcome. I should have enough material for 2 attempts if the first effort is worser then Steves.
I think you will make a right old mess with your plan.
Just buy a brake?Â
Depending on which axis you want to fold the metal along - there are metal folding attachments that go in the jaws of a vice
For 1.5mm, even in stainless, yours is probably the way I'd tackle it.Â
Cut and weld
I'd find a local fabricator next week and get them to do it in exchange for biscuits. You get a proper job and get your weekend back.
If you have enough material for two attempts, you have enough material for many attempts so long as your attempts aren't full size.
I wouldn’t overthink it. Two pieces of wood in a vice, preferably one of them nice sharp cornered hardwood. Tighten the vice nice and hard with the material dead level. Hit the steel with a rawhide hammer or use a block of wood and a lump hammer. Straighten any imperfections by putting back in vice and clamping hard.
That thickness of stainless should bend well, a good source of stainless steel is Screwfix - door - finger and kick plates!
Mail it to Uri Geller?
As wheelsonfire1.
Don't try to bend it all with one hit. Start close to where you want the bend.
Shut it the top of a classic volvo boot doorÂ
Tools available. Hammers , Grindrs , Vice , Molegrips , Adjustables and Mapgas
You missed out hairdryer.
Hairdryer is less harsh than a blowlamp, and wont discolour the metal
I take it you are bending it along it's longer side? Which is wider than the vice?
I would probably use a couple of bits of timber to clamp the workpiece into at the fold location (even if it means screwing those bits together, then clamp that timber in the vice. Or use something like a Black & Decker Workmate as your vice.
This will give you one continuous edge to create the fold along.
with 1.5mm stainless, you can probably then just pull it most of the way by hand and then finish the last bit off with some gentle hammer taps.
I've done this sort of thing before with better than expected results. Does it have to be stainless? Aluminum is much easier to fold. I was worried it would crack on the outside of a sharp 90deg bend, but it hasn't done.
The fold is on the narrow side and is narrower than my Vice jaws . Thinking of trying to fing something triangular to make a sharp pivot point so the initial bend starts off with a tight radiusÂ
Be even better if I could get something above and below on the other side as wellÂ
Tools available. Hammers , Grindrs , Vice , Molegrips , Adjustables and Mapgas
You'd be better off on Bendr maybe?
Be even better if I could get something above and below on the other side as wellÂ
You def need both parts - the inny and the outy. The triangular bit on it own isn't going to do anything. Doesn't really need to be triangular - just an edge. If you look at the one I linked to its a thin edge thats doing the work. Â A bit of t-section pressing into a bit of channel maybe
You missed out hairdryer.
🤣
Yeah, increasing the temperature of a bit of steel by 40 degrees is going to make all the different in the world.
I'd be popping it in the vice, maybe lined with ply or some other sacrificial bit of wood (possibly soaked in water first), then finding a bit of steel flat scrap to clamp to the bit of steel above the vice to act as a heat sink to attempt to make your heated strip as narrow as possible. Then I'd be heating it up along the edge of the vice with the mapgas....or the hairdryer if you want to ask it if it's going anywhere nice on its holidays (then heating it up with the mapgas!). Then twonk it with a mallet or a hammer via a bit of wood if you have no choice.
The fold is on the narrow side and is narrower than my Vice jaws . Thinking of trying to fing something triangular to make a sharp pivot point so the initial bend starts off with a tight radiusÂ
Be even better if I could get something above and below on the other side as wellÂ
With twchnical descriptions like that i don't know why you are asking for help 🤣
