Warped Sheet Metal

[Snowy90]

Hi All,

Self isolation is great for getting in the shed!

I am in the process of making some clocks out of Race Car brake discs I have all of the sheet ready to start putting them together/paint.

But i had to mig the wall mounting bracket.

The first i think i got too much heat into it and it has warped the sheet.

The next few i was much more concious of heat but still got some distortion.

Im considering heating the panel to take out some of the stretch but wanted to consult the oracle first?

Any suggestions or ideas?

Thanks

 

[MoreWellie]

not sure if you are looking for suggestions to help making more or fixing these

on the making front, spot welding would be ideal other ideas use thicker metal for the mount and also try plug welds if you don't have access to a spot welder or multiple tacks rather than seam welding

 

[frank horton]

Or just use something like grip fill.....no distorsion at all and if use over a bigger area quite safe...
That’s what holds new cars together.....!!!!!

 

[Snowy90]

Ideally fixes apologies if it wasnt clear.

Next time ill just use spots and leave them to cool by the time i got to the last 6th! it was flat.

I would really like to salvage these! ones. so any suggestions of fixes would help.

Grip Fill! Im sure it would work but not sure i could send these to customers and be sure they wouldnt just drop off the wall, the discs are crazy heave probably 5kg's each plus metal plus fixings! Need to be 100% sure they will stay on the wall.

 

[Cobbler]

Rivets maybe?

 

[Snowy90]

Would work actually, but im after solutions to take out the warping?

 

[Burdekin]

Get a dolly behind the weld and hit the weld with a hammer to relieve the stress. Don't hit other areas, keep it to the weld.

 

[Snowy90]

Will give that a go
Thanks

 

[outofthefire]

If your selling it chuck it in your scrap bin and do another, if your having to ask how, you'll not get it flat enough for a happy customer, chalk it up to experience. Have you made one already to prove your design, it looks flimsy just out of thin sheet.

 

[Snowy90]

Thanks for the support! You may we’ll be right but how do people learn if you don’t ask It’s 1.2 mm so plenty stiff enough.

 

[Burdekin]

Use a damp rag or airline to cool the weld straight away and limit how much weld you do at a time should minimise the distortion.

 

[outofthefire]

Thanks for the support! You may we’ll be right but how do people learn if you don’t ask It’s 1.2 mm so plenty stiff enough.

I'm not saying don't ask or even try and fix it, i'm saying if it's to sell make another and practice on that piece.

Realistically it isn't stiff enough thats one reason why it's warped, look around at things made with metal that size and they're rarely a plain sheet that thin, they'd have some sort of feature to stiffen them either beads rolled in or returns on the edge or something to stiffen them behind. Personally if I saw something like that on a wall from the side i'd like to see the face parallel to the wall and ideally not see the hanger so i'd have bent the edges to form a shallow box or tacked it to a light angle frame both giving it a stand off hiding the hanger and adding stiffness.

I'm speaking from experience this is only about 2' square and it cut out ok with the plasma, but then I decided to colour it with the gas torch and it warped everywhere. I clamped it and tacked it into the angle frame then worked it for ages with a hammer to get it back flat. I'm not bad at shaping metal, I find flattening it harder and should have known better than to heat it up

 

[Snowy90]

Thanks for your reply, as for practice your right of course the other 5 turned out ok very little distortion.

I like the idea of returning the edges. To make a shallow tray good idea.

I did think about the bead roller, as not only do they stiffen but also look good, its a good excuse to get one.

Slightly related but when bead rolling i have seen people use an english wheel to put some stretch in along where u want the bead before rolling? to avoid distortion in the panel. Anyone know if this is essential.

I wont let anything go out that I wouldnt have on my wall, just have to keep practicing!

 

[Snowy90]

Use a damp rag or airline to cool the weld straight away and limit how much weld you do at a time should minimise the distortion.

Yes after the event i found a chap Trev on you tube who uses damp rags either side of the weld as a sort of heat sink seems like a good idea