Is 20 ton enough?

[handirifle]

I have a project I am working on that needs some metal bent. What I am doing is taking a piece of 3/8" 2x2 angle, and with cutoff tool, slicing one end length ways about 1.5" so I can fold that end in and basically cap off the end of the angle. I want to bend it like this to preserve some strength, as opposed to just welding in a piece. My welder is only a 110v mig so not sure I want to trust the strength. This way I have one end still attached and one seam welded.

So I was wondering if you think 20 ton is enough to bend 3/8 to a sharp 90 deg?

I mention 20 ton cause Harbor Freight has a nice sale on that size, and it's a good price for me.

My alternative would be to use oxy acetylene to heat then bend. All I have are the little MC size oxy acetylene and 3/8 will use it up pretty fast.

Or would I be better off just tapering the edges of a piece and welding it in, in several passes? I have done that before.

 

[hillwood]

I believe bending the metal that much will weaken it at the bend.
If you have more projects like this one, I would invest your money in a bigger welder.

 

[RNeumann]

I'm unsure about the force needed to bend angle iron. However I can speak to the HF press. It is under engineered and begins to bend under pressure. If a bearing or something else suddenly releases the tension cause parts to fly! Very dangerous! I took mine apart and have/will never use it again- for anything! Life lesson for me- some things you can't cheap out on- something that generates 20 tons of force isn't one of them.

 

[handirifle]

RNeumann
Good point, I DID wonder about that.

Hillwood, not enough projects to warrant that right now. This is a one off project that will never be repeated.

 

[dragoneggs]

I have the 20T HF with the SWAG Offroad press. It is rated for 3/8" up to 5" wide so it is doable. You won't get a sharp bend at all though. The HF press is on sale last day today for $149 w/coupon. Doesn't get cheaper than that.

2 Ton Shop Press - Hydraulic Shop Presses on Sale

Here are some nice DIY press brakes for it... SWAG Press Brake Kits

I think I have the 20T Heavy Duty kit. Looks like that one is rated for 11in at 3/8in.

 

[crazyal]

I have a 20ton press. It's a nicer one (twice the price) than the HF as it uses a cylinder that you can slide to position anywhere from side to side and both air and manual jacking. I started off thinking that the cheap HF would be nice but the more I thought about it the more I realized that it's not a lot of money and I might as well have one that's more versatile since it's going to be with me for a long time and take up room in my garage. I think it would have no problem bending the steel but like dragoneggs said it'll be hard to get a nice sharp bend. I also have the Swag press brake and for what it is it works well but it's not a true brake. Plus it will add a couple hundred to the price. Before i got the press brake I would sandwich the metal between two arbor plates and use the press to clamp the metal in place. Then between heating it up and a large hammer I would make a nice sharp bend. I've never tried it with 3/8" thick steel so I don't know how much the metal would be weakened.

 

[bigdeano]

I'd forget the press. Just heat it red hot and hammer it over. It will be a sharper bend and stronger than bending it cold.

Edit: I forgot to mention that you could use propane instead of acetylene for heating. You may need an adapter for your regulator. The larger acetylene tanks are the same thread as propane, I don't know about yours.

 

[dragoneggs]

I'd forget the press. Just heat it red hot and hammer it over. It will be a sharper bend and stronger than bending it cold.

Yeppers!

 

[handirifle]

Well I passed on the press idea. The sale was a good one, but I need a sharp radius bend since the area is small. My angle piece I bought is 5ft long and I only need it 43 3/4 finished, so that gives me a few inches to experiment with. I am going to try cut and weld just to see how clean and strong I can make it.

Big deano, never thought about an adapter for propane. I wonder how much heat I would lose vs acetylene?

 

[handirifle]

OK did a google search and I see the difference. Propane is actually hotter it says, but not good to weld with, which is OK for my purposes. I haven't used it to weld since I got my mig 15 years ago. Seems acetylene creates a co2 bubble to protect the weld, and propane does not, is that right?

How about brazing with oxy-propane? Does it still cause issues?

Propane is a lot easier to get around here.