Sheet Metal Tools

Metal Cutting Tools

For more in depth info check out Sheet Metal Cutting Tips and Tricks

Tin Snips - Straight, right and left hand tin snips (also called aviation snips) are essential to even the most basic of sheet metal work. They are basically just super heavy duty scissors. They are color coded red for port or left hand, green for starboard or right hand, yellow for straight cuts.

 Plasma Cutter - A plasma cutter is a life saver for irregular shapes or thicker metal. Sure they are much more expensive than mechanical cutting tools, but for really complicated shapes and cut-outs nothing is faster and easier than a plasma cutter.

 Angle Grinder - For rough cutting, cleaning up body work to be patched, and cutting patch panels from parts cars a 4.5” abrasive cut off wheel goes though even multiple layers of sheet metal easily.

Throatless Shear - Throatless hand shear design amplifies leverage with rack and pinion gearing and an extended handle, so you’ll easily slice through 14-ga. mild steel and 18-ga. stainless. Tool steel blades (adjustable for wear) provide burr-free cuts.

Electric Metal Shears  - Similar to tin snips and the Throatless Shear, the electricl

Metal Joining Tools

MIG Welder - The most basic joining tool is a wire feed MIG welder, but MIG isn’t that great for thin sheet metal work. It will work in a pinch if you are good, but they are usually too powerful to weld body panels easily without burning through.

TIG Welder - The preferred method of welding patch panels is TIG welding. TIG burns cooler, and distorts the panels less, and also is less likely to burn through the metal.

Clamps - Magnetic and mechanical clamps and holders keep the patch in place, so you don’t need 3 hands to do the job. For butt welds Intergrip panel clamps will keep patches perfectly aligned while you weld

Sheet Metal Forming Tools 

English Wheel - For complicated, compound curved panels from flat pieces of metal you are going to need an English wheel and lots of practice. Here s a link to a more in depth English Wheel article

Here is a link to an article featuring Ron Covell, showing all of his english wheel tips and tricks.

Bead Rollers -prefect for adding strength to thin access panels, floor pans, trunk floors and more. Bead rollers can also be used to make professional looking louvers for hoods and trunk lids. They can even be used to form curved panels for things like roll pans.

Check out this video/article showing the Eastwood Bead Roller in action

Sheet Metal Break - For making boxes, brackets and other simple shapes with only straight edged bends, nothing beats a sheet metal brake.

Video of the Versa Sheet Metal Break in action

Hammer and Dolly - The most basic of body work tools is an assortment of body hammers and dollies for shaping any panel, but again they take practice.

Check out the Eastwood Blog and How-To Center for more Tips and Tricks to help you with all your automotive projects.  If you have a recommendation for future articles or have a project you want explained don't hesitate to leave a comment.

C-10 / C-20 Trailing Arm, Coil Spring Perch Rebuild

The rusty trailing arms on my 1963 C-20 were about as bad as they come, so much so I could reach my hand through some of the rust holes.  About a year ago I stenciled out 3/16" plate and welded them on both sides of the arms in order to regain structural rigidity so I could drive it safely.  As you'll see in later pictures I have yet to weld in one of the plates but it is already cut and will be welded in soon.

A merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Thanks to each and every one of you for your participation here on /r/cars. May your wishes come true, and your hearts be glad this holiday season.

Feel free discuss anything car related in this thread. Movies, gifts, repairs, rants, etc. Basic reddiquette applies of course.

Holiday projects thread

submitted by verdegrrl
[link] [8 comments]

Plasma Cutter Consumables: What You'll Need

Plasma cutters cut so easily they seem like magic; even their name sound like something from a science fiction story. But they are real, and in the past 15 years the prices have come down to the point that nearly every shop has one, from the hard working professionals to the weekend warriors. In order to keep your plasma cutter working like a high tech X-acto knife, and not a rusty hatchet, you need to periodically replace the consumables to keep the arc consistent and the air focused.

What Are Consumables?

When talking about plasma cutter consumables people usually mean just 2 parts: the nozzle and the electrode. But there are other parts that may need replacing too like the diffusor and outer nozzle cover. Typically it’s the nozzle losing its focused jet of plasma, or the electrode producing weak spark that signals it’s time for a tune up.

Why are they consumed?

Plasma cutters can slice through thick hunks of metal like a hot knife going through butter, no joke. The plasma (super-heated, electrically charged air) which gives these tools their name is at a temperature of about 10,000° Fahrenheit, and moves at thousands of feet per second. The flow of air and electricity through the nozzle causes erosion the same way water does when running down stream. Sure the erosion is on the atomic level, but electricity flows at a much higher speed than running water, so with use it eventually wears out the precisely sized hole in the end of the nozzle.

The electrode does not have plasma running through it. The air, not yet charged or heated, swirls around it as it goes through the torch. The electrode needs this airflow for cooling so it doesn’t start to melt with all the heat coming off the end of it, where the plasma is formed. Just like the electrodes in a spark plug, there is a highly conductive core, surrounded by a lesser metal like copper. High voltage by itself will cause the erosion of the center of the electrode. Let it go too long and your torch will lose a great deal of its cutting ability, as the copper produces a lower voltage arc, and less hot plasma.

The outer nozzle, and diffusor  don’t really wear the way the other 2 parts do, but it is a good idea to replace them occasionally too. A worn or cracked diffusor can cause the electrode or nozzle to run hot and wear out faster. The outer nozzle can be damaged by dropping the torch, or metal blowback into it, disrupting the air or plasma out of the gun. These parts should be replaced every ten times you replace the electrode and nozzle, even if they look okay.

Replacing Consumables

Luckily, like many periodic maintenance projects, replacing plasma cutter consumables is a simple, quick and easy job on most machines. Once you’ve done it a few times it should only take a few minutes, provided you have the replacements handy already.

Here’s how:

1. Make sure the machine is off, maybe even unplugged. These machines can deliver more than 300v through you if they are on, so safety first.
2. Unscrew the outer cover of the nozzle. The nozzle, diffusor and electrode should drop right out.
3. Place the new parts in the torch and screw the outer nozzle back on, and you are done.

Minimizing Consumption

The 2 biggest things that cause quicker consumption of consumables are contamination in the air lines, and overheating the torch. Always run a quality oil/water separator on your line when using a plasma cutter, and be sure to drain the compressor tank periodically. Disposable in-line air dryers work well too, as added protection.

When cutting with your torch, working too slowly will expose the consumables to more heat, and cause them to wear out faster. Though move too quickly with your cut on thicker materials and the result will be lower quality, rough, slaggy cuts. Also make sure you are feeding the torch with enough air flow. Not only does the air provide the plasma, and the shielding/focusing, it also has to cool the electrode and the nozzle.

Wrapping Up

So in conclusion, like many other tools that make your life easier, plasma cutters require periodic maintenance.  Most hand held plasma cutter torches make it easy; just a few minutes of down time are needed to do the job. The difference between a freshly tuned up torch and one with a worn nozzle and electrode can be as dramatic as being able to cut through inch thick steel, or having a hard time with 5/8”.

Consumable are not expensive either, as they are meant to be consumed. Eastwood carries all you should ever need if you bought one of our plasma cutters. A kit with 5 nozzles and 5 electrodes, plus a diffusor and an external nozzle is less than $50. The number of clean precise cuts you get, and the time you save with a well cutting machine are worth the price.

Check out the Eastwood Blog and How-To Center for more Tips and Tricks to help you with all your automotive projects.  If you have a recommendation for future articles or have a project you want explained don't hesitate to leave a comment.

Adding Custom Effects to Powder Coat

Just like paint, you can create custom powder coating finishes by adding metal flakes directly into the powder .  Unlike paint powders will not accept pearl additives because pearls cannot withstand the high temperatures that powder requires to cure.  With that said, creating custom powders is a game of trial and error because different powders have slightly different properties and accept flakes  differently.  Also each metallic flake will act differently at 400ºF so the following is not a strict formula for mixing flake to powder, more of a guideline of the entire process.

After painting the valve covers on my truck with High Temp Chevy Orange Paint, I noticed that after time they began to fade and in some spots start to peel up.  I'll admit that they could have been prepped better the first time but now I get to re-finish them with a custom color unlike any other.

Prep

As you'll see above, the bottom valve cover is fully prepped and cleaned, while the top one has only been thorough the blaster.

Powder can be a very stubborn material to work with because the part being coated must be super clean in order to create the best finish.  Don't let this steer you away, compared to paint, cured powder will resist temperatures up to 250ºF and all types of chemicals including DOT 3 brake fluid. Powder is great for almost any metal part on a vehicle that will be exposed to the elements or will see heavy traffic. In the interest of saving time I am not going to go into detail about how to properly prep the parts, for this info refer to one of our earlier articles How to Prep Metal For Powder Coating.

 Mixing Powders

Different from paint, two different colored powders cannot be mixed to create a new uniform color. What you'll end up with is a "salt and pepper" effect where you will see both colors individually. If thats the finish you are looking for it is a perfectly functional option but don't expect a new color like you would with paint. On the other hand powder will accept some metallic additives but there is not a clear ratio of how much to add because every powder and metallic are different and will not react the same way. If you decide that you want to venture down the road of adding metallic to powder there are a few guidelines to follow.  Darker powders will almost always show metallics the best compared to lighter colors.  Additionally translucent powders will show metallics the best because the orientations of the flake does not matter because you will be able to see it through the powder.

For these valve covers I decided I wanted to go with a twist on the classic Chevy Orange Powder by incorporating Eastwood Alsip Orange Super Flake into the powder. Not knowing how the two would mix, I decided to test my mixture on a few test pieces to ensure it had the look I wanted.

Testing Mixtures

The first test piece had way too much flake in it and it ended up looking and feeling like sand paper, the exact opposite of the smooth glossy finish I wanted.  Throughout this project I used the Eastwood Dual Voltage Powder Gun on the II setting.

For the next test piece I decided to dial back on the flake in hopes of getting a smooth finish while still being able to see the flake.  As you can see the metallic effect is muted and very subtle but the surface is smooth just like I wanted.  Below you will see the distribution of the flake in the powder, it does not look like there is much but as you will see it really shows through.

Coating the Valve Covers

Before coating the valve covers I needed to outgas them first, which in simple terms means cooking off any contaminants that may still be on the surface. To outgas, I heated the part up to 410ºF, slightly above the curing temp just in case there were any contaminants that would not bake off at 400ºF.

I applied this mixture to the valve covers and cured them at 400ºF for 20 minutes.  When adding flakes to powder you have to watch the time carefully because the flakes may change slightly if cured for too long.

The coverage was great and they turned out looking really nice because you could see the metallic, but only if you really looked for it. I had a hard time getting it to even show up in a picture.  Don't get me wrong, they looked great but to get that WOW! look when I open the hood, they still needed a little more sparkle.

Mixing Into Clear

 Deciding between just applying clear or to mix flake into the clear was a tough choice, since each powder reacts differently I decided to use my second test piece to see how the flake/clear will end up looking and go from there. I used Eastwood Super Gloss Clear Powder at 1/3 of an 8oz container to 1 tsp. of the same Alsip Orange Flake, Above you can see the flake distributed in the clear.

The results were amazing and exactly what I wanted, this meant the valve covers were going back in the oven to be hot flocked.  The clear recommends a cure temp of 375ºF, but with the added flake I decided to preheat and cure at 385ºF to make up for the added flake. I'm not sure if this was needed but it didn't affect the end result.

They looked great after the first coat but I decided that I would hot flock them again and apply one more, on the first pass I did not attach the grounding cable causing me to miss some spots. One great attribute of the clear powder is that you can layer it as many times as you would like, until you get the look you want. If you want to do multiple coats of clear make sure you use PRE to remove any contaminants that may be present.  

  

The final result was spectacular it almost looks like it should be its own color. In good light the metallic stands out beautifully, and its great knowing that this is a one off color that no one else has.   Eastwood offers such a variety of powders an additives that the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.  Just remember to measure out the ratios or each component in case you need to make more later on.

Check out the Eastwood Blog and How-To Center for  more How-To's, Tips and Tricks to help you with all your automotive projects.  If you have a recommendation for future articles or have a project you want explained don't hesitate to leave a comment.

- James R/EW

Defining Tungsten for TIG Welding

One of the defining elements of TIG welding is the Tungsten. In fact that is what the first letter in TIG stands for: Tungsten Inert Gas. TIG uses an inert gas to shield the weld (typically Argon), a filler rod of a metal that matches what you are welding, and an electrode made of Tungsten that focuses and directs the arc. All TIG electrodes are more than 95% Tungsten, which is a rare metal used because it is hard and has one of the highest melting points of any metal. There are at least 5 distinct types of “Tungstens”, as most people call them, typically color coated based on how much of what other elements have been added.

Prepping a Car for Paint

Whether you are planning on painting your car yourself, or paying to have it done, it is essential that the prep is done right. For the most part it is a time consuming job consisting of mostly grunt work, there is not really that much to learn about prepping correctly. So learn how to do it yourself, and see if you can’t knock a couple hundred off the labor bill for the next paint job at the body shop.

How to Select the Right Tip for Your Paint Gun

When spraying paint with a compressed air spray gun, whether gravity feed or siphon feed, conventional or High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP), it’s important to have the gun set up properly for the job. What you are painting is important to a certain extent, but more import is what you are painting with.

For example, if you are painting a small panel, or a motorcycle gas tank you can use a gun with a smaller spray pattern than if you are painting the side of a van.  You can still use the big gun for a small project, but it is going to be more wasteful and messy. You can use the small gun for a big job but it’s going to take a lot longer to do it.

Moe important to the quality of the job you are doing is using a gun with the right size fluid tip and needle for the paint, primer or whatever else you are spraying. Most guns have the option of several different sized spray tip openings, with a matching needle for each one. Eastwood carries a selection of popular sizes for the guns they sell. As a general rule of thumb, thicker material, like high build primers use a bigger opening, while thinner liquids use a smaller tip.

Often times the paint or primer will come with recommendations as to how to spray it. Usually the instructions that come with the gun will have a handy chart too. Here’s what Kevin Tetz and Eastwood recommends for the Concourse HVLP gun.

For spraying clear coats on small parts and projects, a 1.2mm tip. For spraying a whole car a 1.3mm tip is recommended. The 1.4mm tip is perfect for base coats and metallic as the droplet size allows the particles to self-orient to eliminate streaking and mottling. The 1.8mm is at the upper end of sizes for urethane primer surfacers, and the minimum size you want to use for a poly-urethane primer surfacer, which can use up to a 2.2mm.

Here are some common tip sizes and recommended usages:

0.5-1.0mm – These are very common in detail spray guns because they provide a much smaller pattern compared to a larger tip on a full size gun. Also used for thin dyes and stains.

1.2mm, 1.3mm – Good for clear coat and thinner base coats. Spraying clear with a 1.2mm will take longer because the tiny hole doesn’t flow much fluid through it but will give you a very fine finish. The 1.3mm is a great general clear coat tip, also thinner base coats, waterborne and single stage paints. Too thick of a paint won’t flow well through this size though.

1.4mm – Great all-purpose size. Works well with most base coats, and even thicker clears. This size is the closes to a universal tip as it comes. When in doubt it’s a good place to start.

1.5mm, 1.6mm – Versatile tip for base coats and single stage paints. Thinner paints run the risk of orange peel though because they will not atomize correctly. Also a good choice for lacquer paints.

1.7mm, 1.8mm  –1.7mm is the smallest size you should use for most types of primer, not a very common size but currently offered on the Eastwood Concours LT Gun.  Typically 1.8mm is recommended for most primer surfacers. Also the smallest size if you are shooting latex paint, not that you would do that with your good HVLP gun.

2.0-2.3mm – High build primers and other thick materials. Avoid spraying and base, single stage or through these size tips, it will not atomize correctly and give a poor result.

If you still are unsure what sizes you will need, Eastwood makes it easy by offering our Original Concours and Concours Pro HVLP paint guns in sets that come with multiple sizes.  Purchasing a set like these will allow you to spray all types of paints from the same gun, making it easier while saving you money.

There you have a rundown of the common sizes of fluid tips for the HVLP spray gun and what they are for, with the most common in red. If you just remember thinner smaller, thicker bigger, it’s pretty intuitive. With fancy paints like pearls and metal flakes, you may have to go smaller and larger respectively for them to come out really well, but the only real way to find out is with practice, lots of practice.

Check out the Eastwood Blog and How-To Center for more Tips and Tricks to help you with all your automotive projects.  If you have a recommendation for future articles or have a project you want explained don't hesitate to leave a comment.

Sound Deadening Paint - Benefits & Application Tips

Cars have come a long way since WWII, but they haven’t really gotten any more enjoyable, which is why we all still like to play with our old cars. Plenty of people will argue about whether a new Honda Accord could beat a first generation Mustang in a race (it probably would, no matter whether a drag strip or a road course), but no one is going to argue about how much quieter it is inside the modern car. Sure that’s both good and bad; we want to hear the 289 roar, but that freeway drone gets old after an hour or two.

Can You Powder Coat Glass?

We all know you can powder coat metal but what about other materials such as glass?  In order to powder coat an item there is really only one determining factor, it must be able to withstand 400ºF. Metal is one of the best materials to powder coat because it conducts electricity, allowing the charged powder to be drawn to the part thus completing the circuit.  That leaves out all other non conductive items, can they be powder coated too?  Hot flocking is the most common way of powder coating non conductive objects by heating them up to temperature, pulling them out of the oven and then applying the powder without needing to connect the grounding cable or plug in the gun.  The part is already hot so the powder melts on contact.  Once there is full coverage you put it back into the oven to finish curing.  This method is proven and utilized by many manufacturing companies but there are some other little known tricks to coat materials like glass without having to heat them up before.

English Wheel Metal Forming with Ron Covell

Ron Covell is a master at shaping sheet metal, with how-to classes and videos that have helped thousands of people learn this skill. Eastwood sells just about every tool you could possibly needs to make custom compound curved shapes in sheet steel and aluminum. Let’s go over a few basics with Ron as he demonstrates Eastwood’s Benchtop English Wheel, among other tools.

As an example Ron is taking round flat discs of metal and shaping them to match the curves of one of his custom motorcycle gas tanks. Always where leather gloves when working with sheet metal, or the English wheel. Sheet metal edges can cut you when you lease expected. The English Wheel is one giant pinch hazard by its very design.

The English wheel is a simple machine with 2 hard steel wheels between a giant C Clamp.

Lower wheels, or anvils as they are called, come in a variety of curvatures. Always start with the largest radius and work your way smaller as needed.

The lower wheel can be raised and lowered with a larger screw wheel. It can easily be adjusted with your hand, or your foot if both hands are busy.

1) Ron begins with a flat round panel

2) Give the upper wheel a little spin to make it easier to slip the metal between the wheels

3) Work the metal in and out of the wheel, starting from one edge

4) Work toward the middle, then back out again, moving in and out and moving it sideways a little with each pass

5) Work the wheel on the panel the way you would mow the lawn, back and forth moving over a little bit with each pass

6) First work it back and forth in one direction, then turn it and work it again

7) Here you can see the tracks of two different passes through the wheel, with the tracks being about 60 degrees apart from each other. Turn the adjustment wheel about an 1/8 turn and wheel it again

You can make the same shape faster by first beating the panel roughly into shape with a teardrop mallet and sand bag.

1) Beat it and shape it into a lumpy panel approximating the shape you want

2) You end up with a very lumpy piece of metal. The next step is to use a normal body hammer and forming head to flatten and smooth out the metal more accurately

3) Now that you have a lumpy panel with about the right curvature and shape, use the wheel to smooth it out uniformly

4) Using only a very slight amount of pressure, roll the metal between the wheels

5) With each pass it will get smoother with less bumps. You may need to go over it with a file to reveal the high and low spots that need attention, then wheel them again, changing direction slightly every time you roll it

6) Eventually with practice, and enough work in the wheel, you will be able to get it nearly smooth

7) The final shape is correct and the surface is getting almost smooth enough for paint. Finishing passes are done with less and less pressure

You can also us the wheel to roll out dents and dings in any body panel small enough to fit in the rollers the same way.

The only real way to learn all the intricacies of shaping metal with an English wheel, forming heads, and teardrop mallets is practice. One of the mistakes most beginners make is starting with way too much pressure. Remember, the way you fix a wavy panel you caused with too much pressure, is by wheeling it again with much less pressure at a different angle to the first wheeling. The more consistently you can space your tracks, the less wavy your panels will be. The closer together you make the passes, the more highly crowned the metal shape will be. For flatter panels make the passes further apart.

You can also get a step-by-step demonstration of Ron's metal work as he makes a custom hood scoop, and a motorcycle gas tank on Eastwood blog, or YouTube Channel.

Check out the Eastwood Blog and How-To Center for more Tips and Tricks to help you with all your automotive projects.  If you have a recommendation for future articles or have a project you want explained don't hesitate to leave a comment.