Bead rolling by hand.

If a bead roller is not available, is it possible to form a 6" long bead by hand? Bead would be about 1/2" diameter in a patch panel. I'm thinking of trying to form it over a piece of pipe.

 

Is this part going to show, is the panel/bead curved?


You can form it over a piece of tubing then fold the bottoms back in a brake if its not curved.

 

Yes, you can do this by hand with wooden buck and a hunk of pipe, but judging from your other posts, it sounds like you are ready to head down to Harbour Frieght and pick a elcheapo bead roller.

The HF bead rollers go for about 119 bucks or so....as soon as you get it home, perform the MANDITORY HF Bead Roller Reinforcement Update. Hit the search button for details. Then you are off to the races. You will use the hell out of it once you own it, I swear.

Good luck, -Abone.

 

If you can make a buck things like that are pretty easy to hammer into the panel. Could be as simple as routering a groove into a wood block. Show us what your doing

 

This was done all by hand. No bead roller, no brake, no shrinker/stretcher.

I used a hunk of old plywood with the outside perimeter of the stamping cut out and radiused. I used a 4" wide masons chisel with the sharp edge rounded off slightly to knock the line in the recess and stretch the metal into a depression. the curved corner was done with a set of punched welded together to twist the metal and make puckers. The long curve was done by stacking corregated cardboard, thunping down in a long trough with a pipe and BFH then using a home made hammer to slowly bump the curve into the panel. I also used my 4" chisel to form the long sharp line as it was not straight and could not have been done in a brake anyway. Same method. Lay the panel on corregated cardboard and bump in the crease.

 

Nice work

 

I hate to sound stupid, but, what's a wooden buck?
I would like to form the bead in an oversized piece of sheet metal, line the bead up, then trim the patch panel to fit. Photo will give you an idea of what I am trying to do.

 

C'mon man, you know. A wooden buck!

 

just find some thin wall tubing same size ,slice it down the middle you now have 2 1/2 round pcs

 

Search for the thread on flow forming and watch the videos

 

32v, you suggest thin wall tubing. You aren't suggesting the electrical conduit type, are you? I didn't think that stuff could be welded.

 

Here is a method that worked for me. Upper guide lines up with lower die by a couple of hinged arms. Sheet metal goes between arms and hammer a forming block into the lower die creating a bead. Longer beads can be made by moving along the length of the bead. Guide and die can be made of hard or soft materials depending on one time or repeated use. Hydraulic press can be used instead of a hammer.

Doug.



Results look crude but care will improve the looks.



Look ma no machine tools.