Hi

[Ken Hopperdietzel]

Hi guys,
Just learning how to do the picture thing on this site.cap.jpg

cap1.jpg

[Ken Hopperdietzel]

One last pic


[ATTACH]


[/ATTACH]

[Joe Hartson]

Ken, making that panel will teach you a lot about metal shaping. You will probably want to make it in several pieces. Depending on what tools you have will influence how you go about make it. Start by making a flexible shape pattern.

[Peter Tommasini]

Welcome to the site ken

Cheers Peter

[Ken Hopperdietzel]

Joe,

I thought a good start would be to line the panel with a slip lube and fill it with concrete and fiber glass mesh. Then when when concrete harden I would have a reverse mode of the piece I need. I thought I would shape the sheet metal so it would match the mode for the radius part. Then I would make a metal die that shape the extrusion towards the center of the cap. What do think of that. Is there a better way. I have many metal tools except the wheel, shrinker, expander, slapper.

Ken

[Joe Hartson]

There are lots of ways to produce shape in a panel. I have never tried what you suggest so I can't comment of that.

[Ken Hopperdietzel]

Any Advice on how some of the pros would do this piece. What tools would make it easy. I do not mind spending money on the right tools to do this. Please thoughts and ideas.

Ken

[Joe Hartson]

How many do you want to make of this panel? If it is one or two you do one thing if there are a lot you may want to do something else.

I would use an ewheel, shrinker/stretcher, hammer/slapper and dolly, bead roller with tipping wheels, welding equipment to make the panel. Would make a flexible shape pattern of the panel and then make a radius shape without the detail in the top center of the panel. That would be made as a separate piece and welded on. Except for that top detail the panel is pretty straight forward.

[Ken Hopperdietzel]

Hi Joe,
I would like to make about a 100 hundred of them. I am willing to spend the time to make the patterns however I do not know what a flexible pattern is. Would it be made out of cardboard? Maybe you could tell a list of steps that would make this learning expereince enjoyable. Like what should be the first step, then the second. I already have the metal. Should I beat the metal into a sand bag and get the general shape? should I make some dies? Just want to get off to right step. I realise there are many.

Thanks Ken

[Joe Hartson]

Ken, here is a link to show you what a Flexible Shape Pattern is and how to make one. http://www.allmetalshaping.com/showthread.php?t=110

If you are wanting to make 100 you need to develop a production forming set of dies and stamp them. This is very expensive to do and not something that we do often on this site. We mostly deal with making one or two identical item or a left hand and right hand panel.

Making a panel like that will be very time consuming if you do it by hand or very expensive if you have to make a set of die to stamp them. If you stamp them you need a very big expensive press.

What is the panel for, looks like an inner fender panel for something.