26-11-2017, 05:26 PM
I couldn't find a local supply of 3000 series ali so it was 5251 or 1050 and the pure ali 1050 sheet is so soft that it loses shape as soon as you tighten down a bolt on it.
For the benefit of anyone else trying to do this, most commercial grades of ali that are soft/weak are 1050 pure ali which doesn't corrode too easily but is not strong. 3003 is better and can hold shape quite well but is hard to find. 5251 is used for making structural things like boxes, water containers etc and is much harder to form, even after regular annealing. The benefit is that it holds shape very well. My contoured dashboard is 1050 and my door skins are 5251.
Those pliers look like a better bet than what I've been using. Always handy to see how other people do these jobs (Isn't Youtube great!!!) and what tools they utilise. I've got a couple of polished Crown Green Bowling balls, a tow hitch and a Cobbler's Last as some of my forming tools.
For the benefit of anyone else trying to do this, most commercial grades of ali that are soft/weak are 1050 pure ali which doesn't corrode too easily but is not strong. 3003 is better and can hold shape quite well but is hard to find. 5251 is used for making structural things like boxes, water containers etc and is much harder to form, even after regular annealing. The benefit is that it holds shape very well. My contoured dashboard is 1050 and my door skins are 5251.
Those pliers look like a better bet than what I've been using. Always handy to see how other people do these jobs (Isn't Youtube great!!!) and what tools they utilise. I've got a couple of polished Crown Green Bowling balls, a tow hitch and a Cobbler's Last as some of my forming tools.