Bending Aluminium

[Anorak]

Hello!

I want to bend a 2mm sheet of aluminium to a 90 dergee angle so I can make spring mount for my Gelande. Due to lack of serious man strength Im not able to bend it by hand andt I had no luck with beating it to shape with in a vice. One part broke, the other not looking nice. Seems the metal is too brittle and cracks before It reaches 90deg. Is the any point in heating the metal first? How can I make a straight bend?

If there are threads on this matter plese guide me to the right place. I'v serched but not found what I was looking for.

Terje

[wings_of_fire]

It all depends on the metallurgy of the aluminium metal.
Various alloying elements are added to get the desired properties.You will have to check with your sheet supplier to get the right aluminium.
I doubt heating will help in your case. If possible make it out of stainless or mild steel.

http://www.esabna.com/us/en/educatio...o-aluminum.cfm

[Anorak]

Thanks for the quick answer. I had a feeling aluminium was hard to work and the sheet i have is hard and brittle. Wellwel. I'll find some steel.

Terje

[Eric0424]

You can buy aluminum angle that's already 90°. There may be some local suppliers near you, the McMaster-Carr link is just to give you an idea of what's available.

McMaster-Carr

[travis c.]

Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, OSH, all sell angle aluminum.

Edit: Or whatever hardware stores you have in Norway.

[Anorak]

Thanks, angled aluminium I have not thought of, great tip

I'll find a scrapheap or maybe there is some in the basement.

Thanks again

Terje

[DrewHammer]

If you're still having trouble with it try annealing your aluminum. You can do this with a low temp flame evenly across your bend angle (or the sheet if you're doing a lot of bends).

All aluminum sheet I've come across has at least some form of temper to it which makes it much harder to bend, especially without cracking. Annealing will soften the aluminum and allow you to get this done.

Don't bend aluminum while it's hot, it will increase the chance of it cracking while forming.