Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi all, I had a local sign company that I do a lot of the bending for their signs that arc or are a circle. They brought me two ten foot pieces of 1 1/2 square tubing and two 10 ft pieces of 2X2X1/8 aluminum angles to bend in the arc. The square tube was going to be the the bases for two sign panels and the aluminum was to be bent to match the square and then hold down the sign panels to the square tube. I have an Eagle CP-40H pyramid bender with the angle iron tooling. I bent the two square tubes with no problems. I set the machine up with the dies and accessories to bend the aluminum angle arc, leg in. Knowing the angle would try to warp as I bent it I set the rollers to counteract this. Boy, that aluminum did not like getting bent like that. Really tried to get squirrelly. But worse, after I finally got the machine putting enough pressure to keep most of the warping away and bent it, the aluminum angle split up close to the inside angle. Both of these did this. How aggravating. I texted the sign guy and told him and he said bummer, but to make two angles out of steel. Had to go through the same setup and experimenting to get the steel angle to not warp. Has anybody else had this kind of trouble with aluminum splitting and trouble bending angle iron into an arc? What a pain. Tom

got any pictures

Might help find a answer

I will try to snap a couple of photos before they come after the stuff.

If you have a torch, you can anneal the aluminum to make it roll much easier. I've also had some luck rolling aluminum angle by putting a piece of square tube the same inside size into it and putting them both through the rollers. It helps to keep everything square, but it was also much harder to roll.

A picture is worth a 1000 words

Or, bend square stock and then cut the angle from it.

The alloy will makle a great deal of difference.

6063 will bend any damn way you want it. 6061 will absolutely not.

Just an example.

Steve S

Here are the pieces I had. The aluminum did not have any markings or colored ends on it. I do not know a way to tell if aluminum is 6061 or 6063

Here is how the aluminum cracked while bending, darn it.

Here is my other project. I am restoring this for my sister. A rust bucket. Was supposed to be done last year. Oh well.

Nice saw horses

I am gonna need to make me a pair

The heavier, the better