stainless steel strip and bendability

[chunkolini]

ok there is a better word than bendability. But you know what I mean.
I am after some flat stainless strip for a job, say around 15-20mm x3mm it needs to be reasonably easy to bend on it's flat side. I have the metalcraft powerbender which will do 30x5mm this way up. I am not after sharp bends, just gentle curves. I have some 25x3 and it does not want to bend.
Are there 'softer' grades or not? and will anybody be willing to send me a small sample to play about with, say about 1m long. Happy to pay but I dont want to order a pile of stuff that is not what I want.

 

[roofman]

manuable or summit along those sounding letters

 

[Welderpaul]

'Ductility/malleability'

 

[roofman]

'Ductility/malleability'

so thats how its spelt

 

[chunkolini]

Malleable, I thought that was it.

 

[Kent]

the normal way to refer to bends is "the easy way" or" the Hard way" , I think your doing 25x3 the hard way because it should bend great through rolls etc the "easy way" ?
Hard= on its edge
easy= on the flat
not read that in the text books ever but its how most of us describe it, am I correct your trying to bend the hard way? - Add heat perhaps and use bending forks and a vice if you have no anvil you can do 50x 10 like this. little tweeks in a metalcraft are perhaps beyond it

 

[Nick67GT]

Surely something of the cross section we're talking about here is going to buckle if you try to bend it on its edge?

 

[TechnicAl]

Assuming its austenitic 304L or 316L. You need it in the "solution treated" condition, some call it annealed but its actually a 1050 oC Quench. Other than that there isnt really a grade thats much softer than 304L

Most stainless leaves an orange peel surface when worked hard

 

[Tinbasherdan]

Agreed with al. We used a lot of 304l for bracketry and it bends fine, maybe a little more resistance than te equivalent in mild steel and will crinkle slightly on tighter radius bends, nothing a flapper disc and a bit of polishing won't rectify

 

[chunkolini]

I am looking at bending it the hard way, picture shows 30x5mm mild steel being bent like this, so I think the power is there.
I am just after light curves not tight corners.
Surface texture wont be a problem, so 'Solution treated' can anybody reccomend a supplier? I would need some to play with first as I am preparing a quite for a biggish job.

 

[Kent]

Surely something of the cross section we're talking about here is going to buckle if you try to bend it on its edge?

You
Mean " kick up"? That is not uncommon however it's worked on edge - just watch for it, minimise it then re- flatten it on it's plane
Big mallets required

 

[chunkolini]

Just had a thought, I want to see how it behaves at 20 and 15mm. I have some 23mm strip in stainless.
To save faffing about finding samples I will taking a strip off the side with a cutting disc to bring it down to size.

 

[Shox Dr]

Get them profile cut. Jobs a good'un

 

[chunkolini]

Can't be doing that. It is all free hand work that I will be doing. Each part a one off made to fit

 

[Kent]

Lazercutters will do work of card templates you know

 

[chunkolini]

It would not work, I don't have plans or even working drawings, each piece is made in turn as I work. I also enjoy working like this. It's called art.

 

[eSCHEn]

Absolutely. It's the imperfections that make it more than something perfect. It's the x-factor (not that crap) that the person making it puts into it.

When I did my latest project I could have had the outline plasma or laser cut, hell I had DXFs and everything. Instead it was hand traced onto the steel and hand cut. The finish is far from perfect but the customer is over the moon with it and it looks much nicer to not be perfection personified (although no risk of that with me doing the cutting!)

 

[Shox Dr]

Nothing to stop you from, getting few different angles cut and finishing them off with a grinder to suit.

 

[steve t]

People pay a premium for real handwork too

Albert Paleys doing alright with his laser cut animals

 

[Richard.]

Cut some slots into the outside edge to help with the bend then weld them up and linish it clean.
It doesn't get more hand worked and 1 off than that