Archive through March 06, 2007

[gcoleman]

Kraig, I hate to be a pain... sooo thanks a TON and sorry to bother you... I have the cardboard templates made to the look I prefer, but now all I need is the steel, which brings me to this, how can you bend steel if you dont have a press/brake??

 

[kmcconaughey]

Glen, you make a brake! Somewhere I have scans of some old plans that were in a magazine. I'll try to find them but they are likely on a backup CD buried in my basement somewhere and I may not find it for weeks. Do a web search for plans to build a brake. They are out there, some are free some are available for a small fee. Or you could buy a simple brake that mounts in a bench vise.

Brake Plans

Brake

 

[thoffman]

Darren "S",
THe 12 won't "Bolt right in".

 

[kweaver]

But those brakes wont bend anything over the thickness of tin foil. To brake metal thick enough to make good fenders will require more than you can easily do with hand power. You'd be better off finding a fab shop with a brake and let them do it.

 

[gcoleman]

Thanks again Kraig, I have to thank Merk for this beautiful custom, here goes (was a 149 or a QL (at least it has a AQS engine in it...) also)

 

[dfrisk]

KEN - I agree. To get a nice radiused bend like those You need some specialized tooling and some tonnage.

 

[dsterley]

Thanks Tom it didnt look like it was the same
looks like its time for a rebuild

 

[kmcconaughey]

Glen, I have to agree with KENtucky on this one, I probably shouldn't have even posted that info.

KENtucky, I knew I should have consulted with you. I have used a brake similar to the one from Northern Tool but I used it on 0.063" aluminum and it worked fine. I think the plans that I have scans of are for a heavier duty brake, sure wish I knew exactly where they are. I guess you owe me one of these:

 

[kweaver]

The pee wee plans could be used if you upgrade with heavier metal and increase the leverage but it'll take some re-drafting to do it but all brakes are basically the same.
When I use to build utility trailers I used 11ga. metal for the fenders 'cause I think a fender should support your weight. I'd take the metal on a 40 mile round trip just to get it bent.

 

[dfrisk]

KEN - The fenders I made for the 72 I bent on a 20-ton "H" frame press at work one Saturday. I made My own dies from heavy wall pipe reinforced with angle iron and some 3" channel iron I had. Same as You....11 ga HR putting a 60 deg. bend with a radius across about 9" of metal. I had plenty of capacisty left in the press but the dies were getting "IFFY" Glen is going to be bending over two feet!
KRAIG - You have pic's of one of Dan's presses?

 

[kweaver]

Dennis - my home made H press will only bend 2x2 solid

 

[kmcconaughey]

Dan's Shop

Too bad the links to the video clips are dead. Good thing I still have the videos.

 

[kweaver]

Dan's "The 100 ton cylinder will have a bore of just over 5" and the hydraulic pressue will be 10,000 psi, the same as what I am using now. The new press will have an Enerpac electric pump as opposed to the air powered pump."

That's what I have except I'm using air over with 10k psi until I get around to plumbing in my 110v unit.

 

[dfrisk]

KEN - Those ENERPAC units are made about 20-22 miles from My house....I've interviewed there TWICE for a purchasing job but no success. You wouldn't believe what a little place it is. Company I used to work for had air powered 10K pump and LOTS of 100-T cylinders....Took a lot of force to disassemble scrap metal shredding rotors! Imagine a 59C shredder only the rotor weighs 68,000# and is tied to a 7000 hp elec. motor.

 

[tcbusch]

Glen Smith,
You might want to look into hardening your blade edge. I plan on making one sometime soon and I plan on hardening the edge. I use this stuff.

 

[kweaver]

Terry - You ever read on the can how much depth of hardness you get with that ? It's about as thick as putting on gold leaf and about as usefull unless you use high carbon steel. Get some T1 steel if you want to make a cutting edge that'll last.

 

[aschumacher]

Wow. I remember that stuff from high school metal shop, and that was a looong time ago.

 

[kweaver]

Anybody look under the porch today and see where Digger's hiding ?

 

[gcoleman]

We still have a can o that stuff in my shop class, the original from back when the school opened in 1972... about 20 years before my time, looks like rouge now, but Mr.Plater won't throw it away, sentimental value I guess. How do you suspect Brad got those nice radiuses (I know that's not right...)??? Metal work is new to me, wood is alot easier to work with, plus I'm more used to it... I do have a good size brake at school, I wonder if teach will let me use it after school.

 

[mdomenic]

Been working on the 100 engine today, it's .010 over and in excellent shape. Should have it ready to paint next week.