This shouldn't be too difficult, I would turn you cowl former out of something hard, steel ideally but brass would probably do. Make sure the front curved section is well polished. Now wrap your annealed sheet around it, then turn the edge over the curved section using a burnishing tool. This can be as simple as the curved back of a teaspoon. You are looking to turn the edge over a little at a time. So you work your way around the circumference with the tool pressing firmly along the circumference, not directly in towards the centre, and gradually turning it over as you go. With practice you will be able to accomplish quite a sharp curve without creases. If it starts to harden and become more difficult to work, then anneal it again. Once you have it all the way any creases can be rubbed out using the tool, you will need to press pretty hard. If necessary finish up with a small hammer. the technique is similar to what you were trying to achieve by spinning, but the material is far too thin for that. Finally use some fine wet and dry wrapped round something flat, a cutting tool shank is good. Rub it down completely smooth, trim to size and polish. This is very similar to the method I use for reshaping damaged bezels and case backs on pocket watches. I would think you might have to try a couple before you get the feel for it, but once you do it's quite straightforward.
Shaping beer can aluminum
- Thread starter Kittyhawk
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And AES is spot on, would be much easier in pure aluminium. If you go the drink can route you will probably have to anneal it several times as you progress.
TheTiddles
Established Member
Alloy is a much used term, I’m struggling to think of any metal used that isn’t an alloy to some degree except for some high purity platings.
Pure aluminium is funny stuff, you’re unlikely to come across it outside a lab as it’s utterly useless, very soft compared to even the softest available alloys like the 1000 grades which have only a tiny quantity of other elements in, but are still up to 10 times stronger than pure.
Pure aluminium is funny stuff, you’re unlikely to come across it outside a lab as it’s utterly useless, very soft compared to even the softest available alloys like the 1000 grades which have only a tiny quantity of other elements in, but are still up to 10 times stronger than pure.
Here's another idea. These storage pots come in all sorts of sizes and depths, If you can find one a suitable size just cut the bottom off. They have already done most of the work for you, should be very simple to reshape the end to the curvature you want. Loads on e bay.
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Wildman
Established Member
used litho plates readily available from any high street jobbing print works.
RichardG
If at first you don’t succeed have a cup of tea.
Not sure if there’s anything to be learnt from this Aluminium Model Truck build, not watched it myself.
Fascinating thread for two reasons. Firstly, my Father got his pilot's licence in late 1917, and flew Camels for real. As afficionados will know, their rotary engine meant that turns one way were almost instantaneous, while in the opposite direction, took miles to execute.
Secondly, have what is a metal spinning problem; trying to make a stainless steel jug to replace the all too frangible glass one on our filter coffee machine. Starting with a SS teapot of approximately the right size, but it needs the base to be reduced in diameter. Looks like it was spun originally, but it's laughed at my attempts on the Mystro. If anyone has (useful!) comments on this, would be useful.
Secondly, have what is a metal spinning problem; trying to make a stainless steel jug to replace the all too frangible glass one on our filter coffee machine. Starting with a SS teapot of approximately the right size, but it needs the base to be reduced in diameter. Looks like it was spun originally, but it's laughed at my attempts on the Mystro. If anyone has (useful!) comments on this, would be useful.
Very much doubt your teapot would have been spun, more likely produced on a press, and the top rolled inwards in a separate operation. In any case really hard to reshape something like that, especially in stainless, sorry but I suspect you are wasting your time. I recall at the Raleigh works being shown the machine that made the body for the alloy bicycle pumps they were using at the time. The guy loaded a slug about the size of a £2 coin, and about 1/2 inch thick in the machine, pressed a button and whump out came a thin walled aluminium tube about a foot long. Some serious pressure at work there.
In a word, yes, that's what I'd concluded!
That's a good shout, they are very soft.
AES
Established Member
But depending on the size of cowling he needs, quite small (might need 2, meaning another join = another unwanted complication).
Bale
Established Member
Instead of turning a wooden plug and covering it with aluminium, can you not turn the whole thing out of aluminium?
Pete
Pete
Kittyhawk
Established Member
After two fruitless days beating up beer cans, was ready to give the aluminium away in favour of some Tamiya Aluminium enamel paint which I would have to order online.
Gavlar, you are a genius!
The depth is exactly right and the tealight bases are about a mm bigger in diameter than the wooden cowlings. 2 minutes to turn up a couple more plugs that are a snug fit. Can't wait to see the little job concluded now!
that had occurred to me as an obvious solution, I assume there is some particular reason for doing it this way. Anyway looks like the tealight idea has cracked it.
Kittyhawk
Established Member
The reasons are I don't have any aluminium round bar to turn 35mm diameter out of, our local engineering shop has no offcuts or anything else suitable and if I had to buy round bar from the big city it comes in 6 metre lengths. And I don't think my little home made lathe would cut it.
Good that you've got it sorted.
For a future project you might consider casting. As a youngster in the 60s I recall us going out in the country with my father to salvage some aluminium pistons out of a discarded car engine, which were then melted down and cast into skegs for the waterskis he was building, so he could attempt to drown us kids out waterskiing (5 kids, he was probably desperate
)
For a future project you might consider casting. As a youngster in the 60s I recall us going out in the country with my father to salvage some aluminium pistons out of a discarded car engine, which were then melted down and cast into skegs for the waterskis he was building, so he could attempt to drown us kids out waterskiing (5 kids, he was probably desperate
)
AES
Established Member
Great that the tealight was big enough. Ideal solution. @Kittyhawk, PM follows asap.
Don't know where you are but there are loads of people on e bay who will sell lengths of 100mm or so in various diameters, just search aluminium round bar.
Another idea is you could possibly use small fir tree clips to make engine cylinders to fit inside the cowl.
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