[Closed] Bending Aluminium sheet - what do I need to know?

I bent some thin alu sheet recently to screw onto the corner of our bin cupboard, as the cats have decided it made an ideal scratching post.

I ended up clamping the sheet in a workmate & using a long piece of wood to evenly bend it. It was easy to do & surprisingly neat.

So in your case, clamp the 5cm edge & bend the remaining material over.

It might be a bit trickier in the vice given you want to bend the long edge, but if you use a couple of decent sized bits of timber it should be OK. You could always cut the timber longer than the metal & screw it together at each end to clamp the sheet.

I'd do it as you describe.

1) Find two pieces of something with a good sharp edge that's longer than your bend will be.
2) Clamp them either side of the bend with the 'good sharp edge' aligned to the bend.
3) Clamp them tight! Either in your Vice or with some G-Clamps.
4) Bend along the edge of your 'something' by hand or with a small Hammer until happy :o)

NOTE; Don't hit your Aluminium hard with the Hammer or it will mark

As said vice grip along the length (entire) you want to do (use vice in middle and clamp along the rest) Once clamped securely start with mallet and work along length using full passes until you get to your desired angle (i.e say 10 degrees per pass)

I ended up clamping the sheet in a workmate

Ha, perfect!!!!

Forgotten that I've got a Workmate as well - that'll do!

Once clamped securely start with mallet and work along length using full passes until you get to your desired angle (i.e say 10 degrees per pass)

Excellent. I'll do that.

Is it worth warming the sheet before bending?

Unless you get it bloody hot, I don't think heating will make much difference.

I don't reckon you'll need to mallet it, for 1.2mm sheet you'll have enough leverage to do it by hand. I'd not bother heating it either for a single 30 degree bend, and the heat you'd have to put in it to make any difference might discolour it. edit - as stumpy said!

Have you got a scrap piece you can try it on first?

As above...
It shouldn't affect your bend as it is shallow angle, but most rolled Aluminium sheet has a grain in the direction of the roll, usually reasonably obvious. If you are making a sharp 90 degree bend always try and bend perpendicular to the grain to help prevent fracture.

Theres a simple bending jig here(YT) Doesnt seem to elaborate, and once you've made it its yours forever more.

I don't think you'll need a mallet, just clamp the 5cm and push the sheet to the required angle. I'd work along it 5º at a time rather than the whole 30º at once. How sharp a bend do you need? It depends what grade of alloy you have but a bend radius of 3 times the thickness is reasonable. Aluminium alloy work hardens, so where it's bent, it's stronger, and that will probably limit the tightness of the bend automatically - but bear in mind that also it means it's hard to bend back if you get it wrong.

I don’t reckon you’ll need to mallet it, for 1.2mm sheet you’ll have enough leverage to do it by hand.

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Sorted...... you were right - just did it by hand.
The idea is to fit it to a rendered wall where rainwater is running down [from a valley of sorts] - the water will run onto the sheet and drip off away from the wall.
hopefully!
(I've purposefully bent the ends slightly more so that the water runs towards the middle more)

The first thing you need to know is I very much doubt you have a sheet of aluminium but an aluminium alloy.
The second thing ... is what are the characteristics of that alloy.

You probably have 6061 if it wasn't specified (probably most common)
Depending on size and angle I usually use a vice/workmate/wooden jig... a lot depends on accuracy and length vs width...

My projector screen has 2 90 deg clamps I just bent in a vice.. but they are only 3-4cm tick and 5-6cm long.
A led panel holder that is 250 x 150 x 10mm came out much more haphazard being incrementally using molegrips and vice hand hammer (15mm is more like 12-16 mm) but as its for working under the van its not that important.

The first thing you need to know is I very much doubt you have a sheet of aluminium but an aluminium alloy.

Point taken.
Yes it's an alloy - 1050 to be exact.

Ooh ooh... from O level metal work, you can anneal aluminium by heating it to 350° soap blackens at this temperature so rub some soap on the metal... I'm 50 and have never needed this information so why has my brain retained it?...

.... for exactly that post?!