Metal pressing

Having done some investigating courtesy of our friends at Google, it seems that pressing metal sheet into useful shapes always involves costly die-making and huge presses.

Is there any way to do it at home, with minimal equipment? I could fabricate form/die of wood and use a bottle jack for pressure, no? The pieces are not too big and the metal not too thick, under 1/8th inch.

Any suggestions welcome. The project is a fully enclosed chaincase for a motorcycle.

Ted

Reply to
Ted
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Greetings Ted, Look here:

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This web site explains how their presses work pressing shapes using polyurethane. You can certainly use a hard wood like maple and a bottle jack to press certain shapes. But it all depends on the metal, the metal thickness, depth of the shape, etc. The above web site should give you some ideas about what is possible. Also, the parts might be good candidates for hammer forming. With hammer forming the part is basically hammered to fit a form made from hard wood, aluminum, or steel. Google for hammer forming. ERS

Reply to
Eric R Snow

Several of them, as I understand. I know a guy who used to form stainless steel sheet of 14-16 ga in epoxy dies with a simple press. There are other ways as well. I gather there's an entire industry built around non-metallic metal-forming dies.

Good luck and let us know how it works.

--RC

"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells 'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets fly with a club. -- John W. Cambell Jr.

Reply to
rcook5

Ted -

Get some ideas here :

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Martin

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

Hi Ted, Does it have to be pressed? A lot of shapes can be made by hammerforming.

regards,

John

Reply to
john johnson

There's also explosive forming if you like making loud noises. Some very heavy plate is economically formed that way. M-80's for light work? Bugs

Reply to
Bugs

Thanks for your helpful responses. I'm intrigued by the hammerforming, although it sounds kinda noisy for close neighbors.

Ted

Reply to
Ted

--Talk to JW, the moderator over at stanleysteamers.com. He was making hulls for pop-pop boats with homemade tooling.

Reply to
steamer

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