Part 1 of 3.
How to strengthen thin sheet metal.
That is they essentially allow a thin part to behave like a.
To create bends you can utilize a body hammer dolly or a metal brake.
This also gives a nice finished look to an edge of a panel.
Preparing to bend sheet metal with a vise.
Beads or flared holes in the sheet metal add material in planes that are aligned with an axis in which the part would otherwise be weak.
Learn how to bend sheet metal so you can complete home and hobby projects easily without using a sheet metal brake.
Bending sheet metal by hand is a manageable task if the piece of sheet metal is small and thin enough to handle.
Try rivets or brazing.
How to bend sheet metal without a brake.
Another way of strengthening the sheet metal is by punching holes and slots.
Rolling sheet metal edges with wire strengthens the panel in two ways that ordinary sheet metal bending doesn t.
When spot welding for instance each spot weld causes the sheet to expand 360 degrees around the weld.
To setup the punch first drill a pilot hole into a piece of sheet metal with a step drill bit.
In addition to strengthening sheet metal panel this method helps in enhancing the finish of the panel edges.
Place the die over the draw stud before inserting the stud through the pilot hole.
The punch is then.
One is that by metal being folded over itself it has doubled in thickness.
Welding sheet metal isn t always the ideal way to join sheet especially thin or non ferrous sheet.
Heat causes metal to expand and warp if you re not careful.
Now fold the edge of the metal over the metal wire.
The metal in the areas where holes and slots are punched gets stretched and become more tensile which gives more structural rigidity to the sheet metal.