SHAPING AN ALUMINIUM TORUS.
Step 1: Material Prep
Start by grabbing a sheet of aluminium and using a compass/scribe, using a steel rule, just mark a line marking the width of the metal strip you wish to make into a Torus. Using a sheet cutter, line up where you wish to cut your material and using your body weight to cut away! File /sand off any sharp edges along the 4 sides you may come across.
Step 2: Lets get smashing!
Grab a cylinder template with a curve cut out of wood on it's curved edge and place it into a vice. We will be using the same nylon mallet as before. Place the material over the template, wrapping the material around the cylinder and leave the position you are about to hit within the circumference of the curve. Using the narrow side, smack material along the circumference of the curve. Make sure to hold down the material as you do this and use the wider side of the mallet to stretch the inside that buckles up turn the material and repeat until you reach both short edges of your aluminum strip. Watch out though! Don't hit too hard or you might cause tears within the aluminium.
(If you have tears within the bowl and away from the edges. Well tough luck friend! Start again!)
Step 3: Reverse Curve
Once you have finished the main curve, it's time to flip the edges into a reversed fashion. Sort of like Macca's golden arches just chubbier and less angular. We do this using a small planishing hammer and a curved Planishing stake that sort of looks like a sausage. (don't think sausage sizzle. wait till lunch) place the sides of the curve you created on the template onto the planishing stake and lightly tap with the hammer until the sides of the aluminium fold down towards the direction of the centre crest you created on the template. Repeat the action for both sides until it looks like a fender of sorts.
Step 5: Refinement
You may wish to refine the shape and smoothness of the torus with a series of Planishing stakes of the curved variety and those that are tear drop in shape and planishing hammers. Do be careful in smoothing the shape, not to muck up and undo your hard work thus far. If you are using annealed aluminium, it make be possible to just bend the aluminium over the planishing stakes to achieve smoother and more even curves. Or correct any warping you may have if you did not manage to hit your aluminium straight over the template.
Step 1: Material Prep
Start by grabbing a sheet of aluminium and using a compass/scribe, using a steel rule, just mark a line marking the width of the metal strip you wish to make into a Torus. Using a sheet cutter, line up where you wish to cut your material and using your body weight to cut away! File /sand off any sharp edges along the 4 sides you may come across.
Step 2: Lets get smashing!
Grab a cylinder template with a curve cut out of wood on it's curved edge and place it into a vice. We will be using the same nylon mallet as before. Place the material over the template, wrapping the material around the cylinder and leave the position you are about to hit within the circumference of the curve. Using the narrow side, smack material along the circumference of the curve. Make sure to hold down the material as you do this and use the wider side of the mallet to stretch the inside that buckles up turn the material and repeat until you reach both short edges of your aluminum strip. Watch out though! Don't hit too hard or you might cause tears within the aluminium.
(If you have tears within the bowl and away from the edges. Well tough luck friend! Start again!)
Step 3: Reverse Curve
Once you have finished the main curve, it's time to flip the edges into a reversed fashion. Sort of like Macca's golden arches just chubbier and less angular. We do this using a small planishing hammer and a curved Planishing stake that sort of looks like a sausage. (don't think sausage sizzle. wait till lunch) place the sides of the curve you created on the template onto the planishing stake and lightly tap with the hammer until the sides of the aluminium fold down towards the direction of the centre crest you created on the template. Repeat the action for both sides until it looks like a fender of sorts.
Step 5: Refinement
You may wish to refine the shape and smoothness of the torus with a series of Planishing stakes of the curved variety and those that are tear drop in shape and planishing hammers. Do be careful in smoothing the shape, not to muck up and undo your hard work thus far. If you are using annealed aluminium, it make be possible to just bend the aluminium over the planishing stakes to achieve smoother and more even curves. Or correct any warping you may have if you did not manage to hit your aluminium straight over the template.
Comments
Post a Comment