Bending aluminum plate

[Kevin B.]

I dunno if this is thin plate or thick sheet, actually, it's about 2.5mm. I dunno what specific alloy it is, it's just some stuff I had laying around, but I want to put a 90 degree bend in about 26 inches of it, and I don't want it to crack.

I'm going to bend it around a piece of hitch steel to put a little radius in it, what else can I do? Should I try to heat it at all? Would perforating/scoring along the bend line make it worse or better? What's the best practice here?

 

[dutchman]

I'd probably try a little bit of heat where you want the bend to be, but I don't really know what I'm talking about.

Is your hitch steel long enough to make the full bend?

 

[4x4_Welder]

Regular sheet, plate starts at 1/4" / 7mm.
I don't think you will get a decent bend using that method for that width. Perforating or scoring it will make it crack. Depending on the alloy, heating it can make it crack as well.
You might be able to get a sheet metal company to bend it to your specs for minimal cost.

 

[bryson]

Kingdon Sheet Metal is who I'd call.

Kingdon Sheet Metal - Contact Us

 

[Kevin B.]

You might be able to get a sheet metal company to bend it to your specs for minimal cost.

Kingdon Sheet Metal is who I'd call.

Kingdon Sheet Metal - Contact Us

Eh, I'm not that hung up on it. I'll give it a crank and if it cracks I'll go buy a piece of stainless.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[Jesser04]

Kingdon is a good place to do business

 

[Kevin B.]

If it's booty fab but it works is it still booty fab?



Yes, yes it is. It is, in fact, the bootiest of fabs. But it worked.

 

[I Lean]

If it works, it's no longer booty.

Whatcha makin?

 

[Kevin B.]

If it works, it's no longer booty.

Whatcha makin?

I dunno, this is pretty booty even for me.

If this works, it's going to be a stove shelf inside the tailgate of the behemoth.

 

[frieed]

if you needed a square corner we could have cut it and re-welded. I know this guy with a welder