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Bending aluminum
Best way to aneal aluminum is:
Use a black felt pen and mark a line on the back side of where you are going to heat. You can use propane or acetelene. When the felt pen mark dissapears the aluminum is the right temperature to douse in cold water. Almost all non-ferrus metals can be anealed this way. Heat them up, then drop into cold water. Not so with ferrus (iron containing) metals. The aluminum will work harden as you are bending it, thus it will regain its stiffness. This bending will not make the aluminum stronger, just make it stiff again and more difficult to bend.
Caution, you can heat aluminum hot enough with a propane toarch so as to melt it. The outside layer of aluminum rod is aluminum oxide and aluminum oxide melts at a higher temperature than aluminum. This means if you heat an aluminum rod with a toarch, the insides can become molten, with the outside still not. As soon as the outside melts, the whole issue drops on the floor.
Using a felt pen as a temperature marker ensures that you don't get the metal too hot.
Best way to aneal aluminum is:
Use a black felt pen and mark a line on the back side of where you are going to heat. You can use propane or acetelene. When the felt pen mark dissapears the aluminum is the right temperature to douse in cold water. Almost all non-ferrus metals can be anealed this way. Heat them up, then drop into cold water. Not so with ferrus (iron containing) metals. The aluminum will work harden as you are bending it, thus it will regain its stiffness. This bending will not make the aluminum stronger, just make it stiff again and more difficult to bend.
Caution, you can heat aluminum hot enough with a propane toarch so as to melt it. The outside layer of aluminum rod is aluminum oxide and aluminum oxide melts at a higher temperature than aluminum. This means if you heat an aluminum rod with a toarch, the insides can become molten, with the outside still not. As soon as the outside melts, the whole issue drops on the floor.
Using a felt pen as a temperature marker ensures that you don't get the metal too hot.
B
BOOTY MONSTER
Guest
i wound up using the closed end of a 1 inch wrench to bend it in little 1/8 inch bites and used the rounded back of a file to smooth out the little burrs from doing it . worked fine for the 5/8 solid .
i used my bro-in-laws old 8 ft industrial break on the thick sheet .
i used my bro-in-laws old 8 ft industrial break on the thick sheet .
I bought a nice tubing bender at Harbor Freight, that I use for bending 3/8" tubing for making driven elements on LFA Yagis. I think it cost under $6. Should work on solid rod, as well. I wish the handles were about 6" longer though.