Let's see some sheet metal shaping

Sweet

If I can help let me know.

I don't know if you guys know this but Metal Meets annual meet in Oblong IL is in Oct there taking registrations now.You will learn more then you could ever dream of there.

I have only been to a few of there regional meets and I have learned every time I attended.

Check it out if this is something your interested in.

http://metalmeet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11340

 

nice work,,,ive been wanting to attend some of the metal meets for a while now,,,,
now,,i will make SURE i do,,,,great post,,,,THESE are the kind of posts that rule,,,,,

 

I just love this stuff.Too cool.

 

Holy shit did Ron Covell sneak in here under an alias? Great work.

 

These are just old threads that I am copy pasting here.There seems to be some interest.

Let me first start off by telling you guys a little about the project. I purchased a Schwinn OCC bicycle for my son. I am just going to use some of the parts off of this bicycle to build him a custom bike.

The first project on the list is a new set of tins.The rear fender is too short and the wheel cut-out on the fender is too high.

I am still going to use the original fender as a pattern. I am just going to shape two exact halves of the fender,weld them together to get my desired length. To get the wheel opening where I want it,I will leave some extra material and cut it where I want it after the fender is shaped.

The first thing I will need is a Flexible Shaped Pattern.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Flexible shape Pattern

Here are the tools and the material's needed to make a flexible shape pattern.

{Tools}
Scissors
File
{Materials}
Roll of low stick tape
Roll of packing tape



Next I will apply the low stick tape on the fender. I apply the tape in a 45dg angle over the entire fender. Some people only over lap the low stick tape 1/8'',I over lap mine half the thickness of the tape.


When I'm applying the tape I start the tape in the center of the fender,then on both sides of the center I lay down the tape as flat as I can.



Doing it this way I can actually see the beginning of the radius of the fender. As soon as the tape starts to over lap is where the radius begins.





I use a file to trim the tape,This will leave a perfect cut line. I trim the tape after each layer of tape is applied.





Now in an opposite angle,I lay down a layer of packing tape in the same way that I applied the low stick tape.


Now I will put in some line up holes on the pattern and some reference lines for contour gauges.

The line up holes are for placement of the pattern on the new fender,ensuring I always place the pattern in the same place every time while shaping the new fender.

The reference lines are for my contour gauges,which I will need at the end of fitting my new fender to the pattern. This is to put the fender into it's proper arrangement.



I also make notes on the pattern to remind me of where I need to leave extra material.



Most people make there contour gauges with a shrinker stretcher.I don't have a shrinker stretcher,so I just used a contour gauge and a piece of 1/4'' plywood.




After pulling the pattern loose from the fender I needed to kill the tackiness of the tape. I just used some baby powder.


This pattern will give me all of the information needed to complete my project.

<!-- / message --><!-- attachments -->

 

not!

 

No pictures yet. Just drug them home. Been buisy working on the hemi, pickups, wreckers, and buying pickups...... I'll be starting before the weekend, I hope. Lots of intrest in metalshaping on the HAMB, and some very good metalwork posted. You may have some good response.

 

Your an inspiration to all. Keep up the good work. Please keep posting more info and pics. It helps us all learn more..

 

Jeff

Things move quick here don't they.Take some snap shots when you get a chance.

 

Here's some pictures of the fender after it was shaped.Still need to put a wired edge on it.That's something I have been practicing here lately.





I will also have to fab a new fender bracket and a strut to support the rear of the fender.

 

im watching and trying to look into the metal meet annual meet

I just find it funny the metal meet is in the city of OBLONG lol..

Hope im not the only one who thinks thats funny.

 

Last one...my matching fender well.



















I would like to keep this thread going but I have showed you guys everything.Someone give me some help and show me yours.

 

It is hard to work mig welds like that. Just be careful of cracks as mig welds are hard and can crack. Great work and once the tig thing works out you will be amazed how much easier it is.

I used a dolly with a grinded slot in the middle to help with hammering mig welds.

 

JH what kind/size steel are you using?

 

Great work John! I particularly like the bike fender.

John www.ghiaspecialties.com

 

You got that right mig vs tig.That was the reason I bought the tig welder.I guess I am going to have to chain my self to a chair and just practice.

Thats a slick idea with the dolly,that would take out one step during the welding process.Then at the end you could come back and grind it (being careful with the heat of course).

Great Idea Gotwood

 

I'm using 19g sheet metal it forms a lot easier then 18g.

Thanks John,I have read a lot of your threads that really have helped me along.

 

Thanks Tim seeing your fender on your web-site got me motivated to try one for my self.

Sorry for the late response I just seen that you replied.

 

Yeah....that bike fender rocks!

 

Your only seeing my end result on that bike fender.That fender kicked my but,it took three attempts to get it finished.The radius of a rear tire of a kids bike is so tight it needed a lot of shrinking.

I first tried it with stump shrinking(my choice of shrinking) that was taking to long.So I tried tuck shrinking on it and almost had it until I folded over a tuck and ruined the piece.I even took it to a friends house and used his pulmax and shrunk it with his thumb nail dies.At the end I ended up making a hammer form and that was how I got it.Well I guess it was four attempts.

stump shrinking attempt







The first attempt I tried to do it in one piece that didn't work so I tried it in two pieces.

Tuck shrinking attempt










I had it really close until I folded that tuck over on it's self.

Hammer form

 

I really appreciate seeing every step you've taken in making these items. The work speaks volumes, both as a final product and a work in progress.

I hope to take up basic metalshaping when I regain a stable income, so this is of great interest to me. Will be joining up over at metalmeet soon as can be.

Please keep posting examples everyone who has a project with sheetmetal going on!

 

great post keep it going.

 

The best part about sheet-metal shaping is you don't have to be rich to get started.It's more important that you just get started.It takes a lot of practice.

I started off with a purse filled with sand a baseball bat hammer and a slapper made from a old leaf spring and a stump.My English wheel was made from what ever scrap I could get my hands on.Truthfully those are the tools I used to shape that fender.








Not counting my welders I probably had 100 dollars worth of tools.It determination that will get er done.

 

what is that adjuster on you English wheel from?
Never seen one like that.

 

It was another scrap bin item.

It is off of a radial arm saw.It works really well and it has zero slop and there easy to come by.

 

Do you have a good source for the slide you used? I wouldn't know where to start looking in my area.

 

You lost me Jeff.Are you talking about the adjuster.

 

the metalmeet site is crazy cool! i have seen your posts of the fender. i'm a member and their is endless info their. lot of great car dudes there!

 

Nice work John!
I've seen your Pontiac on the MM site, but never realised that it was a coupe. Could you let me know how long the doors are when you next have a tape measure in hand?

Todd.

 

Yea Metal Meet is a great site.We bounce idea's off of each other and give and take advice.The same as you guy's do here,except we just talk about metal shaping.

That's what I am trying to do with this thread is have a place to talk about your sheet metal work on your hot rod.So if it's even just a question post it and hopefully some one will be able to answer it for you.I checked the member's list and you guys have some of the best metal shaperes here already.I'm just looking for another place to discuss it,the more I read and talk about it the more I learn.

I just checked my doors there 40 1/2''.I would like to know what the sedan doors measure.I want to enlarge my doors to shorten the 5th window up some.