The Medway Handyman wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
If I bend a piece of 1" x 1/8" ms flat into an 'L' shape, how do I
make it stay that shape & not bend back when a load is applied?

Would I heat it to 'red', bend it, then quench it in water/oil? Or
bend it cold, heat it, quench it?

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

I was thinking more of a bracket like this
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/11529/...5mm-Pack-of-10

They pretty much stay in shape under light loads. Are they just bent?



The term "light" is obviously a relative one. Just grab a piece of the flat and
see how much force it takes to bend it. If the effort is much less than the
load you plan to put on it, no problems. If you are thinking about a gradual
sagging (creep), don't worry. As long as you stay within the elastic limit the
bracket will bend a bit then stay put. Just don't go into the plastic range.

In any case, it's easy enough to fabricate a much stronger triangulated bracket.