Hand Forming Aluminum Sheet

How can you go about shaping metal with hand tools alone.

Hand forming aluminum sheet. Place the material. To get a primer on basic metal shaping we headed over to walden speed in pomona. Cut the material to size allowing about 1 4 inch excess material for trim and drill holes for alignment pins. Locate and drill holes for alignment pins.

Some are quite malleable and others so hard and springy as to challenge attempts to work them. But can be used on anything you might be working with that requires something built out of aluminum sheet. Hand forming sheet aluminum requires a knowledge of the characteristics of this metal in the many alloys in which it is available. Follow along as i demonstrate how you can begin shaping metal with hand tools only.

This reduces the possibility of the material cracking at the edges during the forming. Some are heat treatable and some are not. Is there any good recommendation for a basic set of hand tools for getting into metal shaping. Resistance to corrosion varies.

Eventually i d like to tackle a new tank and fenders but obviously to start i d just want to. It didn t take long to realize that he s a master of the art of hand forming sheet aluminum into things ranging from parts for antique automobiles and modern racing car bodies to airplane cowlings fairings and wheel pants.