How Would You Put Ridges In Steel?

[agent_zed]

was musing over the thought of what i'd do if i replaced the floor pan in the 2b in the future and was thinking it would be ultra cool to put re-enforcing grooves in the steel like a production car. I don't know the proper term but they seem to do it on American Hotrod quite often to strengthen the panels.

 

They have a massive hammer action machine for it but i wondered if it could be done with a H shaped wheel and another wheel shaped to run into the H with a gap the thickness of the sheet? Bit of RSJ to make a C shape to hold it and a handle to wind. Would that work? Could you put say a 1inch ridge 1/4inch deep?

[maccavvy]

you mean a bead roller .??

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22-METZ-SWAGER-ROTARY-METAL-STEEL-TOOL-JENNY-BEAD-ROLLER-OUTIL-WERKZEUG-/271829706561

Edited April 7, 2015 by maccavvy

[Stewart]

They are called swages

[Dean Roberts]

Sorry I'm blonde (bald, but blonde), how does it make the steel stronger?

I thought that compressing the steel would stretch it and make it weaker.

[mower man]

It stiffens floppy sheet thats why its done on tin tops on the floor and flitch panels general metal bashers do it all the time mick

Edited April 8, 2015 by mower man

[Dean Roberts]

Thank you for the enlightenment....

 

Aaaaahhh....Now I see.

I doesn't physically make the steel stronger, but stiffens the panels to stop flexing.

 

Hence the wobble board and the strange sounds that came from Rolf Harris in the past (or was that something else)

[agent_zed]

cool thanks knew there would be a name just didn't know what it was

 

Is it relatively easy to put ridges in .7 steel?

[ibrooks]

Easy-ish...... The amount of force required isn't massive in comparison to what can be achieved with a screw adjuster but bear in mind the lever advantage over the depth of the throat on that type of machine and at the closed end it's fairly massive. What tends to actually happen is that the frame distorts sideways. There are many people who have bought machines just like the one in the link and then beefed up the frame to prevent this so some quick searching with your favourite search engine should get details.

 

The next problem is that it becomes a 2 man (OK person) job. You need to manhandle the sheet of steel (which is usually fairly large and floppy at this stage) so that the bead follows the desired line. You also need to set the desired tension on the rollers - and then re-set it at the end of the pass as you'll want to take at least two passes and more likely three or four. Then you need to turn the handle to drive the rollers - whilst guiding that floppy sheet of steel in the right direction. Usually your arms aren't long enough.

 

Talking of manhandling the steel - you want to keep it flat as it goes through or you'll find the bead "sets" the curve into it.

 

Iain

[fry61]

Built a bead roller for all the beads in the bonnet, scuttle & nose of Florin --- but they were all near an edge --- how far in from edge of panel do yours need to be?

[chris n]

For a swage in a small panel I use a section of 10mm round bar welded to a 8mm plate placed over an open vice

jaws then I tap the bar into the panel with a copper hide hammer.

 

For lager panels I use to blocks of wood with the panel on top all clamped to the workbench with G clamps, then using a 12mm round bar and a heavy hammer form the swage. After you have made the swage dress round the area with a panel hammer and heel dolly.

[agent_zed]

hahaah cool i like that approach. If in doubt get a big hammer

 

I guess similar to what you've done you could easily make 2 lengths of 2x4 with a groove in each (1 to hold the round bar and 1 to accept the dent and a locating pin each end to align the grooves and just place the sheet between the 2 and give it a whallop.

 

don't actually have anything in mind to make at the moment but i enjoy knowing how i would do it before i get to it

[Darren2010]

You could always buy a press Brske!! Brake! Press Brake...

Edited April 9, 2015 by Darren2010

[colivent]

or take the panel to metal fabricator

[agent_zed]

or take the panel to metal fabricator

 

where's the fun in that