I want to bend a 3" long, 1/4" thick x 2" wide flat stock aluminum bar
to roughly a 7" radius "U" shape which will give me a 14" (ID) gap
between ends. I'm reading methods of bending aluminum and some say heat
while others say bend cold. Since it's not a tight bend, I would think
cold bending would be fine, but obviously uncertain. I'm also uncertain
if it's best to use 6061 aluminum or, as I read, a softer 5052 which is
easier to bend. The overall use will not reach the rated tensile and
yield strengths of either grade, therefore, the only issue is
price.....5052 is more expensive.

Anyone experienced with this type of work?

Thanks

On 6/21/2014 6:53 PM, Meanie wrote:
I want to bend a 3" long, 1/4" thick x 2" wide flat stock aluminum bar
to roughly a 7" radius "U" shape which will give me a 14" (ID) gap
between ends. I'm reading methods of bending aluminum and some say heat
while others say bend cold. Since it's not a tight bend, I would think
cold bending would be fine, but obviously uncertain. I'm also uncertain
if it's best to use 6061 aluminum or, as I read, a softer 5052 which is
easier to bend. The overall use will not reach the rated tensile and
yield strengths of either grade, therefore, the only issue is
price.....5052 is more expensive.

Anyone experienced with this type of work?

Thanks


I would bend 6061 cold. You will probably need to use something smaller
as the bending form as the material will have "spring back". It will
require some experimenting to discover where to clamp the piece and what
to use for the bending. I assume you meant 3' not 3" to end up with a
14" gap. 1/4" will require substantial force to create a smooth bend.

--


___________________________________

Keep the whole world singing . . .
Dan G
remove the seven

I would take that piece of stock to any place listed under "Wire & Wire Products" in your yellow pages phone directory. They bend steel wire up to 1/2 inch diameter right here in Winnipeg into various forms needed for different purposes. They also bend 1/2 inch steel rebar into circles and connect those circles by wiring them to straight pieces of rebar to make steel reinforcing for concrete fence post footings. See if the stuff they're bending has to be round. If not, they can probably bend your aluminum if you give the guy a $5 tip.

On Sat, 21 Jun 2014 20:01:05 -0500, DanG wrote:

On 6/21/2014 6:53 PM, Meanie wrote:
I want to bend a 3" long, 1/4" thick x 2" wide flat stock aluminum bar
to roughly a 7" radius "U" shape which will give me a 14" (ID) gap
between ends. I'm reading methods of bending aluminum and some say heat
while others say bend cold. Since it's not a tight bend, I would think
cold bending would be fine, but obviously uncertain. I'm also uncertain
if it's best to use 6061 aluminum or, as I read, a softer 5052 which is
easier to bend. The overall use will not reach the rated tensile and
yield strengths of either grade, therefore, the only issue is
price.....5052 is more expensive.

Anyone experienced with this type of work?

Thanks


I would bend 6061 cold. You will probably need to use something smaller
as the bending form as the material will have "spring back". It will
require some experimenting to discover where to clamp the piece and what
to use for the bending. I assume you meant 3' not 3" to end up with a
14" gap. 1/4" will require substantial force to create a smooth bend.
I would anneal the 6061 to T0 or close. T6 will be VERY hard to bend
and has a lot of spring-back. It ( annealed) will return to pretty
close to T6 in a short time after - and the OP says he does not need
anywhere close to the strength of 6061 anyway.

Meanie wrote:
I want to bend a 3" long, 1/4" thick x 2" wide flat stock aluminum bar to
roughly a 7" radius "U" shape which will give me a 14" (ID) gap between
ends. I'm reading methods of bending aluminum and some say heat while
others say bend cold. Since it's not a tight bend, I would think cold
bending would be fine, but obviously uncertain. I'm also uncertain if
it's best to use 6061 aluminum or, as I read, a softer 5052 which is
easier to bend. The overall use will not reach the rated tensile and
yield strengths of either grade, therefore, the only issue is
price.....5052 is more expensive.

Anyone experienced with this type of work?

Thanks

3€� long?

On Sun, 22 Jun 2014 03:29:45 +0200, nestork
wrote:


'Meanie[_4_ Wrote:
;3250830']I want to bend a 3" long, 1/4" thick x 2" wide flat stock
aluminum bar
to roughly a 7" radius "U" shape which will give me a 14" (ID) gap
between ends. I'm reading methods of bending aluminum and some say heat

while others say bend cold. Since it's not a tight bend, I would think
cold bending would be fine, but obviously uncertain. I'm also uncertain

if it's best to use 6061 aluminum or, as I read, a softer 5052 which is

easier to bend. The overall use will not reach the rated tensile and
yield strengths of either grade, therefore, the only issue is
price.....5052 is more expensive.

Anyone experienced with this type of work?

Thanks

I would take that piece of stock to any place listed under "Wire & Wire
Products" in your yellow pages phone directory. They bend steel wire up
to 1/2 inch diameter right here in Winnipeg into various forms needed
for different purposes. They also bend 1/2 inch steel rebar into
circles and connect those circles by wiring them to straight pieces of
rebar to make steel reinforcing for concrete fence post footings. See
if the stuff they're bending has to be round. If not, they can probably
bend your aluminum if you give the guy a $5 tip.
You definitely won't bend plate or bar stock with a re-bar bender

wrote:

I would anneal the 6061 to T0 or close. T6 will be VERY hard to bend
and has a lot of spring-back. It ( annealed) will return to pretty
close to T6 in a short time after - and the OP says he does not need
anywhere close to the strength of 6061 anyway.

A long time ago I was working on one of my little scheme and acquired a
length of 6061 T6 stock under the mistaken impression it would be easy to
work. 3003 might work but I don't know how it's priced compared to 6061.

easier to bend. The overall use will not reach the rated tensile and
yield strengths of either grade, therefore, the only issue is
price.....5052 is more expensive.

Anyone experienced with this type of work?

Thanks

There is usenet group rec crafts metalworking. The folks
there know this kind of thing. Sadly, I don't get RCM
on my computer.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On Saturday, June 21, 2014 9:46:19 PM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
Meanie wrote:

I want to bend a 3" long, 1/4" thick x 2" wide flat stock aluminum bar to

roughly a 7" radius "U" shape which will give me a 14" (ID) gap between

ends. I'm reading methods of bending aluminum and some say heat while

others say bend cold. Since it's not a tight bend, I would think cold

bending would be fine, but obviously uncertain. I'm also uncertain if

it's best to use 6061 aluminum or, as I read, a softer 5052 which is

easier to bend. The overall use will not reach the rated tensile and

yield strengths of either grade, therefore, the only issue is

price.....5052 is more expensive.



Anyone experienced with this type of work?



Thanks



3" long?

It probably goes with the 3" nipple in the other thread.

On Sat, 21 Jun 2014 18:01:05 -0700, DanG wrote:

...snip....

I would bend 6061 cold. You will probably need to use something smaller
as the bending form as the material will have "spring back". It will
require some experimenting to discover where to clamp the piece and what
to use for the bending. I assume you meant 3' not 3" to end up with a
14" gap. 1/4" will require substantial force to create a smooth bend.


also, watch the 'grain' we had quite a few the workshop bent along the
wrong direction, they all cracked over time. Envision a wood grain, you
get the idea.

On Sat, 21 Jun 2014 22:58:41 -0600, rbowman
wrote:

wrote:

I would anneal the 6061 to T0 or close. T6 will be VERY hard to bend
and has a lot of spring-back. It ( annealed) will return to pretty
close to T6 in a short time after - and the OP says he does not need
anywhere close to the strength of 6061 anyway.

A long time ago I was working on one of my little scheme and acquired a
length of 6061 T6 stock under the mistaken impression it would be easy to
work. 3003 might work but I don't know how it's priced compared to 6061.
6061 in T0 configuration bends like butter (well, not quite, but
easier than CRS) In T6, it makes CRS look soft.

On Sun, 22 Jun 2014 07:17:20 -0700, RobertMacy
wrote:

On Sat, 21 Jun 2014 18:01:05 -0700, DanG wrote:

...snip....

I would bend 6061 cold. You will probably need to use something smaller
as the bending form as the material will have "spring back". It will
require some experimenting to discover where to clamp the piece and what
to use for the bending. I assume you meant 3' not 3" to end up with a
14" gap. 1/4" will require substantial force to create a smooth bend.


also, watch the 'grain' we had quite a few the workshop bent along the
wrong direction, they all cracked over time. Envision a wood grain, you
get the idea.
The peice described would definitely allow the bend he wants to make
"with the grain" unless it was sawed off the wrong side of a piece of
plate - - -

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message ...
easier to bend. The overall use will not reach the rated tensile and
yield strengths of either grade, therefore, the only issue is
price.....5052 is more expensive.

Anyone experienced with this type of work?

Thanks

There is usenet group rec crafts metalworking. The folks
there know this kind of thing. Sadly, I don't get RCM
on my computer.

Looks like he followed your suggestion.