How To Shrink Aluminum Sheet Metal

Then remove the tool and move it over so the fork will roll the metal over the other side of the fork by twisting the metal the other direction.

How to shrink aluminum sheet metal.

Get used to this idea and your abilities will grow. Heat up a quarter sized spot on. Fit an appropriate tip between size 000 or 2 to an. Slide on a pair or leather work gloves safety glasses and a dust mask to protect your skin eyes and lungs.

Heat to blue only and shrink that much. You could do it with a hammer as well and a groove in a piece of wood. Hot shrinking is the legendary shrinking method of simply heating up and dashing water for a quick chill. Could also add some shape around the holes with offset roller or hammer form.

This is where the tuck shrinking fork from a few weeks back comes into play. Do not over heat the steel. Put it in a bead roller and put a small bead though the middle to take up the stack and add some shape. Then twist the handle of the tool to twist the metal around one side of the fork.

Why not just heat it and gently hammer the swell down. Get an idea of how much heat it takes to cherry the metal and how hard you need to strike it to smooth it down. Flat metal warps easy. Start by inserting the fork into the edge of the sheet metal at the desired depth of the shrink you want to make.

Place your aluminum sheet onto a work surface. If you have access to a bead roller roll yourself a bead and shrink it. How to shrink aluminum step 1.