Technical I want to “pour” a hammer form, how ? What?

I’ve got a good quarter panel (rare and expensive) and I need to make copies of it. Lots of copies.
I’m thinking if I flip it over, fill it up , and pop off the good quarter panel I’ll have a good mold to panel beat more. It’s got to be strong and hammer resistant.

Thought about vacuum forming a copy too
Idk what my best options or products would be for longevity.
The overall weight isn’t a big issue as long as it’s under #1000 lbs. I’d like to keep the budget under couple thousand.

Appreciate any leads to info
Thanks.

 

Is fiberglass out of the question? HRP

 

Can you post a pic of the panel in question, please?

 

It’s not, but I don’t think FG would hold up to the hammering or flow forming as a backup.

 

I think the concern with fiberglass would be wanting to use it as a hammer form.

 

Sorry that’s classified,

 

I’ve recently heard about “polymorp” and similar products mostly for crafts. Anyone play with that?
Thought about a 3d scan and print but it’s BIG

Then irrc SAR made some molds out of some goofy material too. What was that?

 

Iirc there is some pourable metal based material suitable for pressing panels but it has a fairly modest lifespan, unlike proper dies. This stuff sounds exactly what 32v is looking for, but can I remember what it's called or where I've heard it being used? Can I heck! Will ponder, but at least there's some confirmation that it's doable.

Chris

 

Make a fiber class mold of it. Then use that to mold a pour of your metal of choice. You could even do both sides to make a stamping if you have access to a big enough press

 

I've been watching YouTube videos from a place in the UK named Retropower. Among their projects they're building a couple Ford Escorts, and they fabricated some hammer forms for making steel fender flares. They used "solid high density epoxy tooling board", whatever that is. There are some pictures on their website, or you could look through the videos on their YouTube channel. (Yes, the cars there are off topic for this board, I'm just pointing at the method they used which would be universal for any car.) https://retropower.co.uk/2022/03/07/project-one-mk1-escort-bdg-restomod/

 

Depending on the intricacy of the panel, the line, curves, etc, why not have a skilled woodworker make a hammer form out of MDF. Or better yet, certainly there are CNC type routers out there that could do that easily. Once the file is built, it is eternal. Maybe you are just looking to do it all yourself. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

I could carve it out of wood, I’ve made others from wood before and they are good for 2 maybe 3 copies.
I already tried MDF for this one, get 1 good part and the mdf details goes away.
That’s why I’m looking for something more substantial

 

Do I remember right, that you printed off a crossover pipe or for an intake or something using a local college's resources several yrs ago? Or am I dreaming? If that was you, what about going that route to get the file made, then find someone with a woodworking CNC router?

 

Would metal to metal body filler hold up for this?

 

You may have to experiment, there are a number of newer epoxy and polymer products out there that may work.

 

Agreed, mdf is very malleable; you need something that is able to absorb that shock and spring back to shape (or not be deformed in the first place).
An epoxy bonded material (maybe like solid kevlar paneling) would likely do well to repeatedly operate as a good buck for modest gauge steel.

Something like that has the advantage to can be screwed to a workbench or such to prevent it from deforming or shifting as you work the piece. Also the metal can be attached to it to prevent it from shifting.

Phil

 

That was me, and this is too big for that facility.

 

That’s a commitment there !

 

I'm impressed it can do that without tearing the metal.

 

P.M.'d you.

 

That’s why Anthony is still swinging a hammer on his wife’s 56.

 

Back when I was in aerospace we used to use “dental cement” for temporary casting and filling. I don’t recall the product name. That stuff was tough. You could conceivably form sheet metal over it. If your mold needs sharp edges I think they would be prone to chipping away if abused but it is repairable.

 

Why not contact one of the companies that does the sheet forming in @anthony myrick video and get a quote for making a "production run" for you? Might be cheaper in the long run than trying to do it yourself.

 

And lose the market.

 

I just tossed that out there.
Tooling for a stamping is crazy high.
I bet this is cheaper but probably still very expensive

 

I think you should tell your wife that you need one of these machines to make replacement panels for her 56 Chevy........and then moonlight parts for Hambers.........


OR

Tell the school where you teach that this is "the new thing" in autobody parts and get them to buy a machine so you can teach students about the new technology...........

 

How about a 'composite' form? There are some pretty tough 'reinforced' concrete mixes out there (using such as epoxy binders), use that as a 'base'. Then when pouring, embed steel 'edges' into the form for the raised details to prevent chipping. You may have to start with a fiberglass mold to get a mold to pour into. It may make a difference also if the form is a 'inny' or 'outy' form, i.e. are you forming over it or into it.

 

90 minutes for a single Figur produced hood vs 240 hoods per hour with a traditional automotive metal press. Good for prototyping or one-off deals, but not ready for prime time in the manufacturing business.