givemethebighammer
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| posted on 18/12/03 at 08:45 PM |
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Bending 4mm sheet steel
Need to put a 90 degree bend in some 4mm thick sheet steel for some engine mounts I have designed. Is this best done hot or cold. If hot will a normal
gas blow torch heat the metal enough. Failing this I have a carbon arc torch somewhere I could use.
thanks
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Hugh Paterson
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| posted on 18/12/03 at 08:51 PM |
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If you can get it red with a blow torch it will bend easy, though at 4mm thick it should bend easy anyway. An alternative I use on heavy gauge steel
is to gouge a line a couple of mill thick along the length of the bend with a cutting disc on the grinder, fold along the trench, then fillit weld the
inside edge. Done right strong as hell
Shug.
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givemethebighammer
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| posted on 18/12/03 at 09:02 PM |
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Thanks Shug, not thought of that one. I know that 4mm will bend reasonably easily cold, just wondered if it would make a stronger bend if I did it hot
? With the angle grinder method in mind I may even try using 5mm stuff. May seem overkill but I want strong engine mounts.
[Edited on 18/12/03 by givemethebighammer]
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andyps
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| posted on 18/12/03 at 11:25 PM |
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Just use the big hammer!
Seriously - done hot and then cooled rapidly with cold water will help to harden the metal. I don't know if this is desirable for engine mounts
however.
Andy
An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less
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MikeR
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| posted on 18/12/03 at 11:33 PM |
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With welding the slower the metal cools the stronger the weld - when I was doing my training course we could quench all examination welds except for
the butt weld. This was the most difficult weld to make strongly so any assistance was greatfully accepted - even if it did mean hanging around for 5
minutes!
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Simon
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| posted on 19/12/03 at 09:50 AM |
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My R V8 mounts are the old Range Rover items (approx 5mm thick) just cut and shut to fit. So long as the welds are deep, you could do the same.
The Rover SD1 items are made from (IIRC) about 2mm.
ATB
Simon
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