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? 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

--
Ted Bennett
Portland, OR

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? 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
Greetings Ted,
Look he www.bonnydoonengineering.com/
This web site explains how their presses work pressing shapes using
polyurethane. You can certainly use a hard wood like maple and a
bottle jack to press certain shapes. But it all depends on the metal,
the metal thickness, depth of the shape, etc. The above web site
should give you some ideas about what is possible. Also, the parts
might be good candidates for hammer forming. With hammer forming the
part is basically hammered to fit a form made from hard wood,
aluminum, or steel. Google for hammer forming.
ERS

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.

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? 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

Ted -

Get some ideas here :

http://www.bonnydoonengineering.com/

Martin

--
Martin Eastburn, Barbara Eastburn
@ home at Lion's Lair with our computer
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

"Ted" wrote in message
...
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? 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

--
Ted Bennett
Portland, OR

Hi Ted,
Does it have to be pressed? A lot of shapes can be made by
hammerforming.

http://allshops.org/cgi-bin/community/communityalbums.cgi?action=openalbum&albumid=99801 15616558

regards,

John

There's also explosive forming if you like making loud noises. Some
very heavy plate is economically formed that way. M-80's for light
work?
Bugs

Thanks for your helpful responses. I'm intrigued by the hammerforming,
although it sounds kinda noisy for close neighbors.

Ted

--
Ted Bennett
Portland, OR

--Talk to JW, the moderator over at stanleysteamers.com. He was
making hulls for pop-pop boats with homemade tooling.

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Heartily sick of
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : "oldies" stations!
http://www.nmpproducts.com/intro.htm
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---