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#Post#: 9085--------------------------------------------------
Shaping Aluminium Sheet - Hints & Tips Wanted
By: Max Venturi Date: July 15, 2023, 8:25 am
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I want to create a new body for my 'kart based on a 1930 Alfa
Romeo P2 (see photo). This will involve shaping sheet aluminium
into smooth curves which is something I have never tried before.
I don't have any specialist equipment (rollers or English wheel)
so I'd welcome any DIY hints and tips on how to do this.
Also, is there any DIY way of pressing out louvers?
Thanks in advance.
#Post#: 9090--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shaping Aluminium Sheet - Hints & Tips Wanted
By: Mark Under Date: July 15, 2023, 3:29 pm
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It’s surprisingly easy to shape by hand using anything you can
find as formers to bend it against. I used a 6 inch plastic
soil pipe plus some angle iron clamped to the bench.
For the bonnet I ended up making a wooden former to bend it
around by hand.
It’s also best to make sure you buy half hard aluminium which
works much more easily than other types, Aalco in Southampton
stock it.
#Post#: 9092--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shaping Aluminium Sheet - Hints & Tips Wanted
By: dunworkin Date: July 15, 2023, 4:27 pm
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Ive beaten ally to death on a stump and planished it till my
wrist ached [ no innuendo Thankyou ] and got a half decent
result on smallish pieces, maybe 10" max. It was only when I
built a E wheel from an eBay kit that I could a) save a lot of
time b) Get a better finish c) form much bigger pieces.
To do a ally body cycle kart size I strongly recommend an
English wheel, you'll find a TiG welder useful too, both need
loads of practice.
I never could afford a TiG and sold my E wheel and made my
Maserati body from grp, takes time and patience more than the
skills I could never quite master.
Hope I don't sound negative, I really admire ally body work and
would love to reproduce my Maserati in polished ally, one day,
maybe ! Good luck.
#Post#: 9094--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shaping Aluminium Sheet - Hints & Tips Wanted
By: StefanN Date: July 15, 2023, 5:57 pm
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[quote author=Max Venturi link=topic=1147.msg9085#msg9085
date=1689427542]
Also, is there any DIY way of pressing out louvers?
[/quote]
I did some of my louvres like this:
HTML https://cyclekartsgb.createaforum.com/build-journals/bugatti-type-37-build/msg811/#msg811
Nick Brown and Mark Underdown have both made louvres cutting
presses. I’ve also cut up and set in pre-made louvre panels
(normally intended) domestic ventilation).
#Post#: 9096--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shaping Aluminium Sheet - Hints & Tips Wanted
By: Moogie38 Date: July 16, 2023, 2:25 am
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Like you i have no specialised equipment for forming my Vale
aluminium body but I did make up these pipes to form the panels
around.
It turned out to be very useful and much easier than forming it
over a gas cylinder.
[attach=1]
#Post#: 9097--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shaping Aluminium Sheet - Hints & Tips Wanted
By: Max Venturi Date: July 16, 2023, 3:48 am
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Some great ideas guys - please keep them coming.
#Post#: 9104--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shaping Aluminium Sheet - Hints & Tips Wanted
By: kon8000 Date: July 17, 2023, 4:01 am
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For louvers, I like the cheap alu panels you get for heating
ducts. Either to bond in place (I'm going to use GRP for the
body) or to do like Peter has done with his Austin 7, and make
silicone moulds of them and then resin copies. The silicone is
bendy, so allows you to make curved ones, but is more of a
decorative feature, as making slits to get air through them is a
bit harder.
I'll probably end up doing a half-n-half of the 2 concepts: a
very thin layer of GRP on the alu panel, and then remove the
panel and reinforce with more glass on the inside.
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