Jay Mojave wrote:

Hello All: Neat ng here with all the questions and answers on metal
working.

I have a project coming up where I have to bend some 6061 T6 .18"
thick plate. The bend radius can be 1/2 inch, or even larger.

You will do best to anneal the material first. Heat the bend area with
a propane torch
until it causes oil to smoke. Then plunge it into cold water. The
material will
be AMAZINGLY soft for a day or so. I had cut an instrument panel out
on my mill, with a lot of detail, and then realized this was some stuff
that absolutely
would not take any bending at all. I heated and quenched it, and it
bent very well.

Jon