Michael Maskalans <dml@tepidcola.com> wrote:
: jon@dakota-truck.net wrote:
:> Michael Maskalans <dml@tepidcola.com> wrote:
:>
:> : the only bent members on our car are the rear lower a-arms. everything
:> : else is cut, notched and welded. we couldn't get our bender to not kink
:> : the .035 wall. minimum spec for our die is .049 wall so that's not
:> : surprising.
:>
:>
:> I suppose that would be a way to go. Would look more angular
:> and involve more welding, but as long as it works... :-) (Well,
:> I suppose you could pie the inside radius to make a bend, but that
:> sounds too much like work.) ;-)
:>
:>
: we tried that, it doesn't work too well and requires too much patience.
I can imagine. :-) Have you ever tried the "fill the pipe with sand"
method? I haven't, only because even if it did work great, it still
seems like a hassle... (You've also got to make sure to dry the
sand out first or the steam pressure on the inside can basically turn
it into a pipe bomb when you heat it for bending.) :-(
:> I saw a book once that showed how to make a casting furnace out of
:> a 5 gallon pail, and you can scale it up or down to whatever size
:> parts you need it for. Seems like the easiest way to make the
:> dies might be to build a mold and cast 'em, then polish the contact
:> surfaces smooth?
: that doesn't sound like a bad idea. Don't know how much I'd trust cast
: dies though - I think stockers are forged and I've heard of them
: breaking....
Upon closer inspection, I just discovered that the foundry in question
was for aluminum, brass and pot metal; so much for that idea. :-) Yeah,
speaking of dies, I have seen references to "billet" dies; must be these
are being CNC machined (as if the forged dies weren't expensive enough...)
--
-Jon-
.-- Jon Steiger --- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com --.
| '70 Barracuda, '90 Dakota Convertible, '92 Ram 4x4, '96 Dakota |
| '96 Intruder, '96 Kolb FireFly, '99 Cherokee, '01 Ram 3500 |
`----------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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