be about 5 inchs square and about 3/4 inch thick. Please keep in mind that looks are paramount for a model so slapping something together with a heater core is out of the question.
I would like to make the entire radiator out of stainless steel. I would like to make the fins out of SS stock about 35 thousands thick. This leads me to all kinds of questions. I need to run some tubes through the fins. How do I run the tubes through the fins and still maintain good thermal contact? I also need to maintain a uniform spacing on all the fins. Obviously drilling holes in the fins and sticking the tubes through the plate will not work. Should I drill an undersize hole and then press the tube through the fin? Is there some way to punch a hole in the fin such that it leave a consistant raised surface that would provide the fin to fin spacing??
I envision silver soldering the manafold to the tubes. How do I do this with tarnishing the fins? I suspect there is no way, so perhaps you can suggest how to attach a manafold to the tubes.
I need about 60 fins that are cut from sheet metal; I don't have a shear. I suspect my band saw with mutulate thin stock. I could use a slitting saw, but that seems very time consuming. I suppose I could gang some slitting saws on the horizonal mill and cut several at a time. After rough cutting the fins, I could sandwich them all together and mill them to make them all consistant but I need something reasonable to start with.
chuck