rgoldner wrote in news:8242e9d1-81d0-4257-8834-
:

I have to put 35° bends in 1" X 1/8" aluminum. I tried a vice and
hammering the end of the bar that sticks out about 1". This looked
real bad and if I bent the aluminum too much and tried to straiten it
a little it broke. Obviously, I don't have a metal brake. Is there a
better way to do this? I have to make eight bends. I do have a CNC
mill and a lathe as well as tooling and other assorted equipment.

Thanks!

Well, it really depends on what alloy you're trying to work, but I learned
this trick from an old shopmaster I worked with years ago: You basically
anneal and bend as you go. You heat the bend area slowly with a torch,
checking it by pulling the torch away and rubbing the area with a small stick
of wood. When the wood chars by touching the aluminum, you're at the right
temperature. 35° is to far to go in one jump. Most alloys will work harden
and fracture before that. Heat, test with the wood, bend 10° or so, repeat.

As far as the tools to do it, almost any wide-jaw pliers or vise-grips will
work because when you hit that right temperature, the aluminum bends very
easily.

- Bruce