Bending Thick Metal

[Beltzington]

Hi All -

After two seasons finally got around to removing my LX6 RC tail mount to try and straighten the wheel bracket (bought it that way.) Short story is after several minutes of heat via gas blow torch (no cutting air) I burned some paint but no way the bracket would budge. Heated the metal to cherry red where the flame was but seemed cool to quickley by the time I tried to straighten the metal. I do have several other gas tips but have never installed them or know how they should be used.

Options are:

Figure out what I am doing wrong

Leave it be and remount, I have used it for three seasons but it makes the RC jump when changing directions and I believe puts undo strain on the 3-point

Take it to someone who knows what there doing and hope they have better luck then I.

Spend $200 for a Deere replacement wheel bracket and pay someone to weld it back on.

Picture should clarify my problem. TIA

 

[Craig Clayton]

Depending upon your skills and tools, I would cut it off with a mini grinder and weld a new piece of steel back in its place.
It must have taken quite a hit for it to be bent so bad.

At our plant we had a brand new 4000 LBS manual pump truck that a contractor used to lift something on one fork. This bent the lower SOLID LIFT ARM. I asked if I could have it for scrap. I used the mini grinder to remove the WELDED arm. I only made a minor error when I had to heat a bushing end and slightly distorted the 1" bushing.
I fixed the bush ,rewelded the arm ,and leveled the forks.

Its action is as smooth as new.

Craig Clayton

 

[gwdixon]

I had the same thing to fix on a neighbor's Bush Hog.

The O/A cutting tip really poor for general heating and is designed to do far different things. Try a rosebud tip. Here is one from Harbor Freight.

Oxygen/Acetylene Heating Tip #6

It really goes through the fuel but also really puts out the heat. Use a hammer to beat the frame straight once it gets cherry red over a large area.

It looks like you'll need to do it to both sides.

 

[tcreeley]

You may want more heat than cherry red. That really is not very hot and cools quickly. Shoot for an orange heat to yellow heat if you want to bend it. Figure out your hammer strokes or bends before you heat it. If it was me- and I don't care much for torches as a source of heat, I'd use a coal forge for blacksmithing. It can easily heat the area an anvil is great to work on. If you use the torch watch out for too rapid cooling- can make the steel brittle or crack. Good luck.
Cutting and re-welding is not a bad idea like someone mentioned.

 

[Hollow]

I had the same problem using a cheap torch set, I stepped up and bought a Harris MOD85 torch and the difference is like night and day. It would take a 4lb hammer beating as hard as I could to make a good sharp bend in 2," 1/4" flat iron with a full minute of heating, with the Harris about 15 seconds and two whacks with the same hammer and it's bent 90 degrees.

 

[Beltzington]

Appreciate your replies. I do not have an electric welder so I am limited on refabing the mount.

I do not have a Rosebud but do have a Smith 13-3 special duty tip. Would this work or should I buy a rosebud.

Can't get much better then my Smith OA setup so I do not think it is the equipment could certainly be the operator.

 

[k0ua]

Please be sure your acetylene tank is large enough to support a large rosebuds draw rate. Remember the 1/7 rule. (some now say 1/10 rule) to not draw more than 1/7 of your tanks total cubic foot capacity in one hour.

James K0UA

 

[ridger]

buy a rosebud

 

[yomax4]

Buy a Propane Rose Bud and hook your Acetylene Regulator to your Gas Grill tank and not worry about the 1/7 rule. I will get the job done if you cant cut and replace.:thumbsup:

 

[JB4310]

Never needed a rose bud, I have one but never needed it, and I've bent all kinds of very heavy pieces of steel up to 1 inch and over. Trick is the flame set up, less oxygen than cutting flame, you don't want the multiple small cones, just one longer cone. so you don't start blowing molten metal. No need to increase the line pressure either.

Orange hot metal bends like wet clay.

Just looked at the picture, for that small area why would a rosebud be needed??
OP will need a large vise to hold the part, never do it with that nylon strap on a ply wood table, can't manipulate thick steel like that But with all the leverage available there it would be easy to pull that back. IMO of course.