On Wed, 26 Jan 2005 23:30:52 GMT, Ted
wrote:

Having done some investigating courtesy of our friends at Google, it
seems that pressing metal sheet into useful shapes always involves
costly die-making and huge presses.

Is there any way to do it at home, with minimal equipment?

Several of them, as I understand. I know a guy who used to form
stainless steel sheet of 14-16 ga in epoxy dies with a simple press.
There are other ways as well. I gather there's an entire industry
built around non-metallic metal-forming dies.

I could fabricate form/die of wood and use a bottle jack for pressure, no? The
pieces are not too big and the metal not too thick, under 1/8th inch.

Any suggestions welcome. The project is a fully enclosed chaincase for
a motorcycle.

Ted

Good luck and let us know how it works.

--RC

"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells
'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets
fly with a club.
-- John W. Cambell Jr.