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Tech Month~~Home made metal shaping tools

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by jhnarial, Dec 27, 2008.

  1. scootermcrad
    Joined: Sep 20, 2005
    Posts: 12,382

    scootermcrad
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    HOLY COW!!! Everytime I say "this is the best thread ever" I run across another one... soooo... THIS IS THE BEST THREAD EVER!!!

    The cool thing about what's presented here is that it shows how much fun metalshaping can be without going out and spening a buzillion dollars on the metalshaping tools!

    Fabulous! Makes me want to go shape some metal and definitely some grand ideas here! We need more threads like this!!
     
  2. jhnarial
    Joined: Mar 18, 2007
    Posts: 410

    jhnarial
    Member
    from MISSOURI

    They are filled with sand and I am not sure how thick the plastic is.If it did work you would be at a disadvantage with depth of the hammer.You will be hitting the handle before you know it.I do use a dead blow hammer for smoothing panels.

    Here is the hammer I use for shaping now and I love it.

    20080524_1.JPG

    I walked into a harbor freight store once.I wasn't impressed at all,plus with so many American company's closing there doors due to competitive pricing I refuse to buy anything from stores like harbor freight.
     
  3. Dyce
    Joined: Sep 12, 2006
    Posts: 1,973

    Dyce
    Member

    I don't think I posted this on the HAMB yet. This is a vice grip I converted into a spreader. I use it like you would a porta-power.

    [​IMG]
     
    rytang likes this.
  4. jhnarial
    Joined: Mar 18, 2007
    Posts: 410

    jhnarial
    Member
    from MISSOURI

    Here is two more easy tools to build that are very handy.


    I have been needing a tipping wheel.I was trying to think how I wanted to build the frame and what I was going to use for the adjuster.After thinking about it for a while,I thought the easiest bet would be to make some new cradles and use my English Wheel frame.

    I went to the hardware store and searched for things that would work.

    [​IMG]

    I was looking for a large washer for the tipping wheel.I found one and I was still looking,when I found this pulley.It looked like it would work perfect if I cut off one of the sides.

    [​IMG]

    The shaft with bearing is a Gauge wheel bearing off of a International Harvester.


    [​IMG][​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]<!-- / message --><!-- attachments -->


    Another must have tool is a contour gauge,here's mine.


    <!-- / message -->[​IMG]
    [​IMG]<!-- / message --><!-- attachments --><!-- attachments -->

    <!-- / message --><!-- attachments -->
     
  5. bkap
    Joined: Dec 2, 2007
    Posts: 119

    bkap
    Member

    It may be just me, but I'm not seeing any images with your post.
     
  6. tdoty
    Joined: Jun 21, 2006
    Posts: 821

    tdoty
    Member

    Here it is again, with pics this time:

    Hey John, you can't hotlink to attachments from Metalmeet.........I know, I've tried. Even on MM they show as links or red Xs.

    Tim D.
     
  7. bkap
    Joined: Dec 2, 2007
    Posts: 119

    bkap
    Member

    Cool. Thanks.
     
  8. jhnarial
    Joined: Mar 18, 2007
    Posts: 410

    jhnarial
    Member
    from MISSOURI

  9. mink
    Joined: Oct 4, 2007
    Posts: 1,331

    mink
    Member
    from CT

    When your shrinking a disc in to a bowl using a stump, how thin does the sheetmetal become compared to the original thickness ?
     
  10. tdoty
    Joined: Jun 21, 2006
    Posts: 821

    tdoty
    Member

    Mink, if you are indeed shrinking, the metal gets thicker instead of thinner.

    Shrinking puts more metal into the same area.

    Stetching moves metal out of the area.

    Hope that makes sense.

    Tim D.
     
  11. jhnarial
    Joined: Mar 18, 2007
    Posts: 410

    jhnarial
    Member
    from MISSOURI

    Mink Tim already explained it.

    I try to do more shrinking and less stretching,It will be thinner at the peak of the radius but not much if if you shrink the edges all the way down.How much thinner I'm not sure with out putting a gauge on it.

    I have tried to shape a bowl with more stretching then shrinking and the peak ended up as thin as a piece of tin foil.

    Good question


    More shrinking less streching....Allways better
     
  12. tdoty
    Joined: Jun 21, 2006
    Posts: 821

    tdoty
    Member

    However, stretching is a LOT easier than shrinking! I've stretched a bowl to the point that the center was a bit under .020" thick. I started with 18ga, about .047" thick. You could still turn the bowl over and stand on it. No shrinking involved.

    For straight-forward bowls, I don't think it really matters much. When it comes to auto panels, well, it's partly preference. I generally use a combination approach - shrink some, stetch some.

    On the other hand, sometimes I'll stretch a whole lot more than I shrink. A lot of people overthink shrinking, imho. You can usually get around shrinking by stretching the opposite area. I've had panels that would have required a lot of shrinking, but I could pop them in the wheel and crank up the pressure to stretch the shape in really quickly.

    A lot of the "name" metalshapers apparently do a whole lot more stretching than shrinking. The Two Rons (Fournier and Covell) seem to only mention shrinking with the little Lancaster-style shrinkers. Same with John Glover.

    Fay Butler and JJ seem to do more of the work by shrinking with thumbnail dies in a power hammer.

    I guess a lot of it has to do with your skills, available equipment and what you are comfortable with. One thing rings true though, learn the basic techniques by hand first - it'll tell you a lot more of what's going on (and what is going to happen) than using power tools! Power tools are awesome, but learning to do it by hand helps you understand what the machine is doing. Besides, power tools tend to be noisy!

    Grab some metal and a hammer and give it a shot! Find a stump and get a hammer and dolly set. The worst that can happen is you might learn something! There is a lot more information about metalshaping now than ever in the past, so you can get answers to whatever problems you run across.

    Tim D.
     
  13. haroldd1963
    Joined: Oct 15, 2007
    Posts: 1,154

    haroldd1963
    Member
    from Peru, IL

  14. Dyce
    Joined: Sep 12, 2006
    Posts: 1,973

    Dyce
    Member

    A good place to get bearings like this is water pumps. They are the same style, except they have a stem on both ends. Plus the flange you bolt the pulley to can come in handy. I saved a few from pumps that leaked, but still had good bearings.
    Jeff
     
  15. Made this recently because the end with the wedge side was busted off. I substitued an old sledge hammer head I had laying around. Heated the anvil until it was purple then welded it on. Let it sit over night to cool down naturally, then surfaced the top. The anvil is a 150lb. -Weeks
    [​IMG]
     
  16. ssgkennedy
    Joined: Nov 6, 2008
    Posts: 16

    ssgkennedy
    Member

    I was driving around rural Wisconsin and found a Mennonite sawmill, so I inquired about scrap stumps and got a kick out of watching a 16 year old kid with a handsaw hack this thing off for me. 15 bucks for 150 pounds of Oak.
    Behold the Stump!
    [​IMG]
    I used the skillsaw, chisel and grind method. Although my dish isn't 8" its close.
    [​IMG]
    My first metal shaping.
    [​IMG]
    I spent five minutes with a rubber mallet just whacking with no particular idea in mind. Watching the folds in the edge shrink as I pounded them.
    [​IMG]
    What do you guys do to quiet it down? I had all the neighbor dogs barking by the third hit. Maybe the right tools will help me not make so much noise. And finish the insulation. Hopefully I can sneak off for a few minutes again tomorrow and try some more.
     
  17. rodknocker
    Joined: Jan 31, 2006
    Posts: 2,265

    rodknocker

    That sound is music, and shouldn't be muted.
     
  18. jhnarial
    Joined: Mar 18, 2007
    Posts: 410

    jhnarial
    Member
    from MISSOURI

    It's loud no matter how you do it.I try not to start until after 9:00am stop at 11:00 start again at 3:00 and finish at 5:00 pm.I find quieter things to do on the off times(Like grinding:D)I'm sure I make the best neighbor.

    Nice stump by the way.You will need a heavier hammer even if you use a ball pein hammer to start off with.Start off by trying to shape a bowl.This will give you the basic concept of shrinking.You can use the hammer you were using to smooth out the bowl when you are done.Rotate it around the dish of your stump hitting it with your rubber mallet as you go.
     
  19. maddog
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 695

    maddog
    Member
    from So Cal

    Yep, bigger hammer and lots of noise. Use ear plugs, I do.
     
  20. ssgkennedy
    Joined: Nov 6, 2008
    Posts: 16

    ssgkennedy
    Member

    Not terribly concerned with the noise for myself, but I have a city lot. There were a half dozen dogs barking as I pounded. Last thing I want is angry neighbors. I think I'll try to seal off the garage a little better before I really get after it, and then break it up throughout the day. Earplugs are a must, you only get one set of ears.
     
  21. Rooney00
    Joined: Dec 2, 2006
    Posts: 312

    Rooney00
    Member

    This is a terrific thread. Cant wait to try some of these out.
     
  22. crapshoot
    Joined: Apr 25, 2005
    Posts: 690

    crapshoot
    Member

    made this a little while back, the frame anyways, from 1/2 sheet and cut up on a plasma table and welded her together. now i need to make a new planishing hammer as i broke my el chepo one. and going have to try that log trick, awesome thread
     

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  23. Milhouse
    Joined: Feb 12, 2007
    Posts: 55

    Milhouse
    Member
    from RI

    Amazing thread, thanks for all of the information and tips!

    One thing I haven't been able to figure out though is how you're able to use a 8" diameter bowl to create bowls/fenders that have a larger curve than that. How are you able to fit the larger pieces into the bowl? Wouldn't the metal rest on the upper edges of the bowl and be distorted with each hit? What am I missing?
     
  24. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 24,523

    Roothawg
    Member

    I'd build one if there were any trees here.
     
  25. maddog
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 695

    maddog
    Member
    from So Cal


    Thats funny.

    If you really wanted one, you could glue 4x4's or 2x4's together with some wood glue and clamps untill you had a big enough chunk. Use the end grain to beat on.

    I saw an entire machine shop floor made like this. 4x4's about 2' long standing on end. All the machines were on this huge floor (no vibration)
    And when I say huge I mean huge machine shop. It was on a navy base that was closing.

    It will last a long time.
     
  26. jhnarial
    Joined: Mar 18, 2007
    Posts: 410

    jhnarial
    Member
    from MISSOURI


    You don't lay it in the dish of the stump,you lay it on top of the dish.Drive your hammer blow into the side of the dish.This will cause a tuck(fold in the metal).Starting from the outside working in the area needing to be shrunk.



    sh 001.jpg

    sh 002.jpg

    sh 005.jpg

    Good question.
     
  27. great post. Keep them coming.
     
  28. jhnarial
    Joined: Mar 18, 2007
    Posts: 410

    jhnarial
    Member
    from MISSOURI


    I had a hard time finding a stump.My first stump I made myself like maddog mentioned.I was a trim carpenter for years.I use to cut off the bottoms of knewl posts.I took the bottoms and glued them together chucked it up in my wood lathe to put in the dish.If you don't have a wood lathe you could still do it with a skill saw and a chisel.

    It works great and still use it.I take it if I'm going to someone else's shop.

    20071117_1.JPG

    If you don't fill like messing with it you could by a tuck puck.Not sure of the web address but if you look up tuck puck on you tube you should be able to find it.Plus watch a good video on how to stump shrink,that's were I learned how to do it.

    Here I found the link

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEgnRNcn7BQ
     
  29. ssgkennedy
    Joined: Nov 6, 2008
    Posts: 16

    ssgkennedy
    Member

    Well, I guess I should have paid more attention to what you had written. Seems like I was doing alot of stretching on my piece. I just couldn't get it to go the way I wanted. Watching a video and looking back at what you have shown it makes sense that I was stretching the inside and it made tucks on the outside. Not shrinking, dang. I will go back and try the methods i see now.

    I was using a piece of aluminum and it seemed to kink at the tucks. Instead of pounding out, it would crack. I tried and tried, but I did this to three blanks. Doh. Was this the aluminum? Was this my lack of skills? Combination? I have no idea what kind of aluminum it is. Any advice would be great. This week I will be going to get some steel to work with see if that and some sort of plan will help me in my bowling.

    I built a new hammer from a fallen branch, can't beat free and it sure beats the rubber mallet i was trying with. First one broke after a couple hits, so I found a nicer chunk, slightly smaller and rebuilt it.
     
  30. bkap
    Joined: Dec 2, 2007
    Posts: 119

    bkap
    Member

    This is all very informative. Thanks for all the tips and guidance.
     

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