- Thread starter Paulie73
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Morris
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Cereal boxes are my go to for this. That patch will be bigger than you think.
I clean any lumpy rust off, lay on the cardboard and mark the relevant edges, holes etc. but leave plenty where you will need to weld it in. Cut out the rust, make the repair piece and trim to fit.
Sounds simple when you type it out
I clean any lumpy rust off, lay on the cardboard and mark the relevant edges, holes etc. but leave plenty where you will need to weld it in. Cut out the rust, make the repair piece and trim to fit.
Sounds simple when you type it out
BrokenBiker
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i do the same as morris...trace the bits you need to replicate, then cut the rust out and trace your cut lines.
just make sure you leave allignment marks so you get the template in the exact right spot for the second step
just make sure you leave allignment marks so you get the template in the exact right spot for the second step
BrokenBiker
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i usually go on the inside, but its not really a requirement..just as long as you line the template up on the same side every time
It's OK to hold the cardboard on the outside of the hole, then use a screwdriver handle to press the card firmly against the cut edges, which will create an indentation in the card. Turn the card over and follow that mark with a felt pen.
Shedendman
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Do not cut it all out,1st clean the area up beyond the rot,nothing wrong using card,but try masking tape,looking at your repair i'd lay layers from top to bottom past the affected from left to right.
Get your sharpie or your dirty thumb and trace over the high points,ie the edges,peel off the tape,starting from the 1st bit you put on,if you carefully do it it'll come off exactly as you have there.
Now cut your 3 pieces of sheet from your template(thats what i see),you'll see it to,now cut out the rot,cut your template along your marks transform them to sheet and weld them in,left to right,you may have to do a bit of dolly/stretching work,but hey,thats learning
Hard to explain in words,but give it a go
Unless you're really good like me and can form the whole patch from on peice
Get your sharpie or your dirty thumb and trace over the high points,ie the edges,peel off the tape,starting from the 1st bit you put on,if you carefully do it it'll come off exactly as you have there.
Now cut your 3 pieces of sheet from your template(thats what i see),you'll see it to,now cut out the rot,cut your template along your marks transform them to sheet and weld them in,left to right,you may have to do a bit of dolly/stretching work,but hey,thats learning
Hard to explain in words,but give it a go
Unless you're really good like me and can form the whole patch from on peice
Misterg
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Trying to make it in thin cardboard will tell you how difficult that's going to be.
I often do templates in two stages:
1) Don't cut anything away yet, but clean back the rust scabs and paint until you find sound, shiny metal. Lay your cardboard over the whole area and see if you can form it to the panel, making any cuts, etc. necessary. You probably won't be able to bend the cardboard around the return flange, but you will be able to bend the metal if you make a wooden former, so just make an allowance for it. Try to include some reference from the sound metal in the template so you can remove / replace it in the same place.
If it's something fairly complicated, I'll make an oversized repair piece while I've still got the shape of the original, but rusty, panel as a reference.
2) Cut out the rust, then put your template back on and mark out the actual size of repair piece you need - pen, or oily thumb along the edge of the metal. Then cut the template to size, adjust and tweak as necessary and transfer to metal.
It's a lot quicker and easier to re-make a cardboard template if it doesn't work out than it is sheet metal.
Work in progress...
Horror show:
Template made by wrapping cardboard around the rust:
Template copied to metal and massaged to the right shape around the existing, before cutting the original metal (bear in mind there may be small offsets due to metal thickness):
After welding up the cuts and smoothing things out:
I'm currently in the process of step 2 above where I've cut out the rusty metal and am trimming this repair panel / the existing metal to get a joint line.
Then it's on to the next one :-/
"Grind-hog day"
Shedendman
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Shedendman
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2 options,cut 3 pieces that match the template and weld them in bit by bit(i'd start with the flange bit 1st),OR,spend years leaning how to form the complete shape from one sheet by tucking and shrinking/stretching,hammering etc etc,not easy for a beginner
Good luck
Misterg
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If you're dead set on making it in one piece, this is how *I* would try and go about it. There's a lot to be said for piecing it together if you just want the job done.
For turning the flange, I'd cut a couple of wooden formers to match the curve. Scrap ply is fine, but choose something quite hard so you keep the sharp corner at the edge of the flange.
I use two formers so I can sandwich the sheet between them and clamp it down TIGHT. This helps stop the piece curling up as you turn the flange. It also helps to work with an oversized sheet of metal to start with for the same reason.
I just turn the flange with a hammer, working the full length, a little bit at a time. The wider the flange is, and the tighter the radius, the trickier it is to form, so make the flange as narrow as you dare. Inside curves are easier than outside curves - just make sure that the flange is bending straight over from the edge of the template. I think you'll be OK with the radius you're working with. Just keep hitting it until it's right, but don't try and do too much at once. Keep an eye on the angle - a cardboard profile template made from the original is handy if it isn't 90°.
You can see in the photo below where I struggled a bit on the outside part of the curve.
That should get you a flat sheet with a flange on that matches the first two parts of the existing which you can now trim roughly to size.
To form the outer part (where the panel falls away from the arch), I'd probably make a packing piece (wood) that matched the width of the middle section of the panel and stack that on top of the former. If you hold a dolly on the top of the flanged sheet and gently tap along the outside edge of that packer, the rest of the sheet will start to curve down. Once you've got a defined crease along the length, you can probably finesse the shape with hand pressure. (Or you could cut along the same line and add on a separate section for that part.)
All conjecture, because I haven't made the part you need!
Misterg
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