Cicero wrote:

On Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:37:38 +0000, Doki wrote:


I dropped an aluminium pan on the floor the other day. Despite being made of
3 or 4mm thick alloy, it's now got a flatspot on the rim (The rims' not
flanged like a normal pan, which why it probably bent so easily). It's also
teflon coated, so getting really abusive with it isn't going to work well.
Has anyone got any ideas on how to straigten it out so I can get the lid on
it again? Other than dent the lid to fit .


==================================
Cut a piece of 4" x 1"(or to suit)wood to the correct inner profile of the
pan. Place the profiled piece of wood inside the rim and use a large
G-clamp to pull the rim into shape against the wooden profile. Protect the
outer rim from damage by the G-clamp with a small wood offcut. I think
you'll need all three hands to do this.

Cic.

I don't think that will work, as the aluminium has to be pushed further
than its desired return point.

Try this method if you can get access to a vice.

Put the above mentioned piece of wood in the vice underneath the jaws of
the vice and use a soft faced hammer to work the flat out by holding the
pan so that the wood only contacts with the lip of the pan. This angle
should only be slight to the side of the pan and then use only a light
tapping, just below the bottom of the flat, until the pan side comes
back to shape. If the flat is deep, you should take care to make the
lower part of the flat come out just after you take out some of the rim
flat. Take care, as once the metal gets stretched, it will not return to
its original shape.

Or

get your hands on a small bag of sand and make sure that it is damp.
Get someone to hold the pan down on the sandbag and use the wood
mentioned above inside the pan and lightly tap it round the rim.

Both ways I have suggested may not remove all the depth of the flat, but
it should allow you to put a lid on it after working the aluminium.

Aluminium pans start life as a flat piece of metal and are spun, using
machine something like a short bed lathe and by using a tool to shape
it, or more likely, they are now pressed. It follows that the aluminium
is quite soft, so mind how you go with the tapping. Aluminium that is
soft, only gets strength from shape.

HTH

Dave