Bending brass angle

To finish off a boat boiler I want to use brass angle as trim . How do I bend the angle?, the radius is around 6 inches, Yet to buy the angle, size will be a round 12 -18 mm thickness unknown.

Normally i'd say you could use a decent bench vice with the appropriate forming block but considering its so big you're going to need to roll the radius with a heavy duty roller, or you could make a forming block out of a decent sized piece of wood and use a hammer with a wooden dolly to hammer it into shape.

Michael W

Presumably something like this **LINK** I would be very surprised if you could roll to a 300mm diameter what is effectively 12mm by 1.5mm edge on. Where is the compressed metal on the inner radius going to go?

Rod

Roll the piece in 2 halves. One part will be a flat rolled flat & the other part being a flat rolled on edge. Then join the 2 pieces together to form the "L". I did this in my joinery works years ago with some 4mm polished stainless steel . I had to make a 1000mm circle as a surround to a viewing area They were welded then polished. Looked great

As sam says bend a strip to the radius, stand it vertically on a sheet and solder the two. Did the couple of angles above the axle below like that

Thanks for the link Rod, but something like 1/32 rather than 1/16 would be bettter. I like the ideal of joining two pieces together.

GHT makes some helpful comments in his article/chapter on Workshop Bending Rolls.

I got his books, time for a read.

hi michael,

there are a few other alternatives.

one is to roll a ring of brass square and silver solder together then soft solder to a false face plate and turn down to angle.

second buy a loco smokebox ring casting of suitable size from Blackgates or Reeves etc, and ditto above.

cheers,

julian

I'd second Julian's methods, I can't see you bending brass angle that thin.

Ian S C

How would you bend the flat bit properly??

If you split the angle into its two flat pieces one part is easy peasy but the facing part would need to be forged into a curve IMO, then the two parts brazed/welded

It is only a 300 diameter & 12-18 wide so one could cut that from 6-8 pieces of flat brass

Ady you don't bend the flat piece, just cut out the approx shape, rest the rolled piece on it and solder, file/linish the external corner then run round with teh odd leg calliper to mark teh width of the flat leg and file.

Not sure how easy it would be to roll a ring from 3/4" square brass if you did it Julians way unless you had substantial rollers, I've done it with 5/16" and that was tricky enough.

Edited By JasonB on 15/02/2016 13:24:11

I can imagine this brass work as a strap around wooden cladding on your boiler, would it be possible to make a flat ring of brass sheet, and spin, or pein the brass over to form the angle.

Ian S C

Just out of interest (me education.. since I;ve not done this sort of thing) Isn't this the sort of thing they use an English wheel for in bodywork? Or how about a V collar and v groove in a bending roll and start with flat strip, create the V with curve on the angle and then beat it into submission?

Grooved bending rolls would be the way to do it, same principal as rolling Tee section, you would not do it with an English wheel

Would a shrinker/stretcher work in brass angle? As seen here **LINK**

<Homer> "Is there nothing the Woodward Fab Shrinker Stretcher can't do? </Homer>

Neil

I have access to a CPS20 ring rolling machine in Lincoln. Should be able to do this without a problem. Where are you?

Martin

I have bent 4mm*25mm steel to follow the path of handrail wreaths that i used to make in my joinery business.

I did it by getting a pipe bender & putting the flat on edge in a suitable round former. I then cut some hardwood dowel centrally down the middle & placed the steel flat in between the 2 halves. Then the round followers think they are bending pipe & with a bit of a push i used to get circles of about 400mm albeit ramped to match the rising curve of the handrails