A different kind of metal forming

1. 3003 is better than 1100, forming will work-harden 3003, but 1100 is dead soft and doesn't work-harden as much as any of the alloys.
2. .060 is way too thick, consider .032 - .040 with appropriate bracing and reinforcement.
3. A wheel can shape and planish, shaping with a hammer designed for planishing is an exercise in frustration. It's also much easier to screw up with power....................DAMHIKT

Check out metalshapers.org for lots of helpful info, and tinmantech.com, Ron Covell's site, and Williams Lowbuck Tools site for tool info.

Bob

• Everything I know comes from common sense and from "Ultimate Sheet Metal Fabrication" by Timothy Remus. I haven't actually done this, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I suggest you get a copy of the book - it's published by "Wolfgang Publications, PO Box 10, Scandia, MN,

• Ron Covell sells books & videos, and gives classes. He advertises in the back pages of the more custom- and DIY-oriented rodding magazines. I think he also sells stand-up English wheels, when you get tired of your little one.

• I can't imagine using a hand-held English wheel -- those suckers are _big_, and I think they're big for a reason.

• As "bob" mentioned (probably from experience), power tools can get you into trouble quick. I'd suggest learning how to do it by hand first, then turn on the power. In fact, I'd suggest that before you go to an air planishing hammer you use a hand planishing hammer to get to know the process.

• 0.063 would be appropriate for really soft aluminum. The book I mention insists that you want to stick with dead soft aluminum and aluminum-killed steel -- these will make your work easy (and it's what I'll start with to learn), but they bend easily and will not be as durable as harder materials.

• If you use aluminum that work hardens, learn to anneal it. My dad used to do body work in aluminum and brass, and he would anneal sheet metal by smoking it up with an acetylene-only flame, then adjusting for a neutral flame and playing the middle part of the flame (2-3" from the tip) over the metal until the soot is gone.

Check out:

cheers T.Alan

No expert on using power tools, but 3003 is VERY easy to form by hand, even! You should have no trouble forming .060" as desired, I just don't know if that is thick enough to handle the vibration and wind loads plus occasional bumps, etc.

Jon

Thanks guys. The bike is rated to 140 MPH so the wind load could be heavy, in spite of the fact that it will never go that fast with me riding it. I have looked at some of the Tin Man's "article" pages, a restoration shop I used to work for hired Kent to do all of our body work. He is the best metal man I have seen. His pages state that aluminum bodywork ranged from .050 to .090 with .063 being the standard. I can't post pics of my hand-held wheel yet, I sent some parts out last week with some car parts to be nickle plated. Imagine the frame as being the circle a 6 footer like me can form with his arms. The tool was probably intended for on-car repair, but held in a vise should be able to do some good. It's going to be a month or so before I begin, I'm just trying to learn what I can beforehand, and not buy the wrong stuff. It looks like 3003 will be it, 1100 would require a long trip or major shipping costs.

They are sized according to part requirements. Recently in the UK a couple of small English Wheels came up on ebay that were intended for making prosthetic limbs. They were maybe 18" long and 6" high, that was overall, the working opening was smaller.