I have messed with radio control models for years and I have worked in
machine shops for over 30 years so Im familiar with aluminum 6061 T6.

Several years back I needed a landing gear for a plane and I knew that
making it outta the T6 that if I put my bends in it that it want hold
that shape. It will flatten back out if you press on it.

But I found a guy in SC that took my bent T6 piece and he did
something to make it like a car spring. It not only held its shape
when loaded it would go back to its original shape. I mean it was
strong.

Now what did he do? Did he just raise the T factor higher?
Was it a chemical process or just a way of doing it in a oven?

Dennis

I know when we were making real landing gear for planes, the aluminum was
heat treated afterwards, then packed in dry ice and shipped to the hard
coaters. That stuff was tough. We had to scrap one because the heat
treaters warped it and we didn't find out till it went thought the whole
process. When we were cutting it on a large, about 1/2 way though the cut
the thing sprung shut on the blade and stopped the saw! We were amazed and
alarmed at the same time! Wow.
Russ





please visit
www.professorwiz.com for cnc forums.
"Mach 1" wrote in message
...
I have messed with radio control models for years and I have worked in
machine shops for over 30 years so Im familiar with aluminum 6061 T6.

Several years back I needed a landing gear for a plane and I knew that
making it outta the T6 that if I put my bends in it that it want hold
that shape. It will flatten back out if you press on it.

But I found a guy in SC that took my bent T6 piece and he did
something to make it like a car spring. It not only held its shape
when loaded it would go back to its original shape. I mean it was
strong.

Now what did he do? Did he just raise the T factor higher?
Was it a chemical process or just a way of doing it in a oven?

Dennis

Talk to the people at Grove Aviation in El Cajon Ca. They are at the
airport there (Gillespie Field)and just make landing gears

"Mach 1" wrote in message
...
I have messed with radio control models for years
and I have worked in
machine shops for over 30 years so Im familiar
with aluminum 6061 T6.

Several years back I needed a landing gear for a
plane and I knew that
making it outta the T6 that if I put my bends in
it that it want hold
that shape. It will flatten back out if you
press on it.

But I found a guy in SC that took my bent T6
piece and he did
something to make it like a car spring. It not
only held its shape
when loaded it would go back to its original
shape. I mean it was
strong.

Now what did he do? Did he just raise the T
factor higher?
Was it a chemical process or just a way of doing
it in a oven?

Dennis


I think the process is called "precipitation
hardening"or "age hardening". I recall it vaguely
from my metallurgy 101 classes of about 40 years
ago. The process involves heating to dissolve some
sort of alloying material, then sudden cooling.
The material stays machineable if kept cold. After
machining , it is "aged" at a higher
temperature,and the alloying material precipitates
at the grain boundaries,forming a much tougher and
harder material.

On the other hand, I may have got it all wrong.
Hell, some days I can't even remember what I had
for breakfast!

Tom Miller wrote:
"Mach 1" wrote in message
...

I have messed with radio control models for years
and I have worked in
machine shops for over 30 years so Im familiar
with aluminum 6061 T6.

Several years back I needed a landing gear for a
plane and I knew that
making it outta the T6 that if I put my bends in
it that it want hold
that shape. It will flatten back out if you
press on it.

But I found a guy in SC that took my bent T6
piece and he did
something to make it like a car spring. It not
only held its shape
when loaded it would go back to its original
shape. I mean it was
strong.

Now what did he do? Did he just raise the T
factor higher?
Was it a chemical process or just a way of doing
it in a oven?

Dennis



I think the process is called "precipitation
hardening"or "age hardening". I recall it vaguely
from my metallurgy 101 classes of about 40 years
ago. The process involves heating to dissolve some
sort of alloying material, then sudden cooling.
The material stays machineable if kept cold. After
machining , it is "aged" at a higher
temperature,and the alloying material precipitates
at the grain boundaries,forming a much tougher and
harder material.

On the other hand, I may have got it all wrong.
Hell, some days I can't even remember what I had
for breakfast!


Then there are the aluminum rivets that must be chilled till you use them.

Don Stauffer wrote:

Then there are the aluminum rivets that must be chilled till you use them.

Yeah, but the reason that they are kept cold is because they have been
annealed, and they naturally age harden back to a state where they
cannot be driven/bucked.

Officially, for certified use, there is a heat treat schedule to
follow, as well as limits to the times in and out of the freezer IIRC.
For home use, sooting them with the oxy acet torch then heating them
until the soot burns off serves pretty well, though the purists may
shudder.

Cheers
Trevor Jones

Do you have anyway of maybe getting a phone number.
Im way out here in N.C.

Oh, I just found this. Could this be it?
http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dpw/airports/gillespie.htm


Thanks




On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 20:00:50 -0800, (daniel
peterman) wrote:

Talk to the people at Grove Aviation in El Cajon Ca. They are at the
airport there (Gillespie Field)and just make landing gears

Trevor Jones wrote:
Don Stauffer wrote:


Then there are the aluminum rivets that must be chilled till you use them.


Yeah, but the reason that they are kept cold is because they have been
annealed, and they naturally age harden back to a state where they
cannot be driven/bucked.

Officially, for certified use, there is a heat treat schedule to
follow, as well as limits to the times in and out of the freezer IIRC.
For home use, sooting them with the oxy acet torch then heating them
until the soot burns off serves pretty well, though the purists may
shudder.

Cheers
Trevor Jones

That is what I meant- I should have said must be KEPT chilled till you
use them.

But the thing is I had a piece of 6061 T6 done and it was like a car
leaf spring.





On Mon, 26 Dec 2005 01:11:57 GMT, Gene Kearns
wrote:

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 17:16:02 -0500, Mach 1
wrote:

I have messed with radio control models for years and I have worked in
machine shops for over 30 years so Im familiar with aluminum 6061 T6.

Several years back I needed a landing gear for a plane and I knew that
making it outta the T6 that if I put my bends in it that it want hold
that shape. It will flatten back out if you press on it.

But I found a guy in SC that took my bent T6 piece and he did
something to make it like a car spring. It not only held its shape
when loaded it would go back to its original shape. I mean it was
strong.

Now what did he do? Did he just raise the T factor higher?
Was it a chemical process or just a way of doing it in a oven?

Dennis


If you *must* use aluminum... go with 2024 or 7075. It will have to be
heat treated to achieve the properties you desire. Try Carolina
Commercial Heat Treating... if they are still around...