Anyone work with aluminum round rod?

[Igor_U]

On ‎4‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 10:17 PM, Dream to fly said:

Don't have a mill. But I have a tig machine


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AL alloy 6061 is used for welding assemblies. Mainly heat treated to condition T46 or T62. You can find it easy as sheet metal but I see them in bars or extrusions. Not sure if that's easy to get on open market, though.

I admire your intentions but I'd find a replacement, if possible. never had issue on my '67F ...

 

Good luck 

[Baxsie]

I have used this place:

https://www.emachineshop.com

to make some one-off CNC machined metal parts. They have some simple+capable design software,. Design your part, get a quote, then they send you your part. The ones I got were beautiful. 

More expensive than building it on your own mill, but if you don't have the tools and skills, it might be a good solution. 

[Yetti]

All the cool kids Billet and mill it.

 

[Dream to fly]

All the cool kids Billet and mill it.
 

Too expensive but here is a sample of what I am working on.

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[Dream to fly]

After test fitting I am modifying this design so the handle is angled out at the base and then curves back in towards the panel.  Gonna practice heating aluminum and bending it with love. 

[RLCarter]

1 hour ago, Dream to fly said:

Gonna practice heating aluminum and bending it with love. 

My experience is it’s a bending and melting temps are very close

[Dream to fly]

I love dancing on the edge

My experience is it’s a bending and melting temps are very close

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[Warren]

Assuming you are using something like a 6061-T6, you will not have much luck bending without breaking.  If you want to anneal the aluminum, you can heat it to 775F, then cool slowly to ambient temperature (ideally hold for a couple of hours at temp to fully anneal, then allow to cool over a couple of hours -- maybe wrap in some insulator to slow cooling rate).  This will leave you in the soft condition which will provide much more ductility.  After forming you can then age harden if you wish to have the higher yield strength.  350 F for 8-10 hours, then allow to air cool and you should be close to the T6 condition again.

[Dream to fly]

36 minutes ago, Warren said:

Assuming you are using something like a 6061-T6, you will not have much luck bending without breaking.  If you want to anneal the aluminum, you can heat it to 775F, then cool slowly to ambient temperature (ideally hold for a couple of hours at temp to fully anneal, then allow to cool over a couple of hours -- maybe wrap in some insulator to slow cooling rate).  This will leave you in the soft condition which will provide much more ductility.  After forming you can then age harden if you wish to have the higher yield strength.  350 F for 8-10 hours, then allow to air cool and you should be close to the T6 condition again.

It is  6061-T6.  I think I can make that happen.  Thanks for the guide lines.  how long does it need to be at 775F?

[Warren]

I need to get back to the office to get a little more detail on the numbers and look at the phase transition times. I should be able to get a more detailed answer tomorrow. 

[Dream to fly]

Thank you

I need to get back to the office to get a little more detail on the numbers and look at the phase transition times. I should be able to get a more detailed answer tomorrow. 

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[Yetti]

Probably not soon, but if you had a drawing, I have things that make aluminum chips out of bar stock.

[Warren]

On 5/9/2018 at 1:24 PM, Dream to fly said:

It is  6061-T6.  I think I can make that happen.  Thanks for the guide lines.  how long does it need to be at 775F?

@Dream to flyUnfortunately my book was "borrowed" and I may never see it again.  It is incredibly hard to find such simple information on the internet but here is a quick reference and education.  Here is what I was able to find.

Option 1 - the way too complicated engineer route.  My weakness.

1.  To anneal, you need to hold at 775 F for 2-3 hours, then cool slowly (ideally 50F/hour to 500F, then air cooled).  This is for ideal -O condition.  For your purposes, cool as slowly as reasonable.

2.  To heat treat (here is where I gave incomplete guidance).  To get back to a heat treated state, you need to solution anneal the material (heat to 975 F for approx. 1 hour and water quench).  Then age at 350 for 8 hours and air cool.  Attached is the official data sheet to achieve a true -T6 heat treat.  Be careful at the higher temperatures.  6061 starts to melt at 1080F.  This might be a little difficult to do effectively without a heat treat furnace and good temperature control.

Option 2 - way more practical.

I talked to the guys in the shop and they said if you were to heat to approx. 500F you could likely bend it relatively easily and cool without impacting the heat treat significantly (might want to try this with a test part first).  Just don't overheat it and don't spend too much time at temperature.

Good luck.

[Dream to fly]

@Warren,  Would using a toaster oven that is heated to 400F with a soak time of 1hr+ be a good start?  I need to give a curve so a hand can grab it comfortably. 

[HRM]

On 4/25/2018 at 4:00 AM, N201MKTurbo said:

I took all the plastic off and polished the handle.

That is what I did, but after I got the plastic off I sanded it smooth and then sprayed it with hammered metal paint (silver) and it does indeed look good.

Edited May 15, 2018 by HRM
Door handle picture

[carusoam]

Also consider the heat sink issue of the finished product...

Winter flying, the handle gets pretty chilly from the outside.  The person flying right seat may notice it more...

 

On the topic of oven temperatures...

The toaster oven may not have enough power or heat to get very hot...

The propane barbecue grill can get to 450°F with a good piece of meat in it...

And the wife’s oven in the kitchen goes pretty high with plenty of power... the highest temp available may be on the automatic cleaning cycle... both the bake and the broil heaters are probably on...

using one of those IR thermometers might be helpful... shooting through the window... if able.

 

Use caution on plane and car projects invading the kitchen space.  Certain Eruptions are possible and loss of kitchen privileges may be the result. 

Go engineers!

Best regards,

-a-

[Dream to fly]

On ‎5‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 11:47 PM, carusoam said:

Also consider the heat sink issue of the finished product...

Winter flying, the handle gets pretty chilly from the outside.  The person flying right seat may notice it more...

 

On the topic of oven temperatures...

The toaster oven may not have enough power or heat to get very hot...

The propane barbecue grill can get to 450°F with a good piece of meat in it...

And the wife’s oven in the kitchen goes pretty high with plenty of power... the highest temp available may be on the automatic cleaning cycle... both the bake and the broil heaters are probably on...

using one of those IR thermometers might be helpful... shooting through the window... if able.

 

Use caution on plane and car projects invading the kitchen space.  Certain Eruptions are possible and loss of kitchen privileges may be the result. 

Go engineers!

Best regards,

-a-

Last year she gave me the old oven as a gift...  Or did I buy it?  I was thinking the cleaning cycle but the door locks that is why I thought toaster oven.  But I'll post tomorrow on my new design I don't think I have to bend it I gave the base a tilt and the handle an angle.  seems good on paper.

[Dream to fly]

@carusoam Here is the newest design on the top.

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[Warren]

On 5/16/2018 at 2:05 AM, Dream to fly said:

@Warren,  Would using a toaster oven that is heated to 400F with a soak time of 1hr+ be a good start?  I need to give a curve so a hand can grab it comfortably. 

It certainly would not hurt.  It will be pretty obvious when you start to bend it if you have heated it enough to soften adequately.  Might be a good thing to validate with a test part.