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Old 04-24-2019, 09:39 AM
tom walker tom walker is offline
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Default AK steel sheet

Hello, i need a sheet of 18 gauge AK steel , the local metal suppliers have CRS (1008) and most of them are not familiar with the "AK" spec. Am i going to get good results trying to form "1008" vs. AK? I'm going to make new fender skirts for a '48 Indian motorcycle, the skirt is dead flat with a rolled edge where it members with the fender.
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Tom
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Old 04-24-2019, 09:46 AM
Stan Fulton Stan Fulton is offline
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Tom,
Alro in St. Louis has AK listed in their catalog and in the past they can bring it in from a different location if it's not in stock. If you are tipping the edge by hand you might be able to tell the difference but if using any machine to turn the edge I doubt you can tell the difference. A lot of shops use cold rolled 18 gau. just because it is readily available.
good luck,
Stan
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Old 04-24-2019, 12:18 PM
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Steve Hamilton Steve Hamilton is offline
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Hi Tom
1008 is a soft low carbon steel, and most all steel sheet is ak now days.

That said, I agree with Stan. The reason for using soft steel is that it is much easier to shrink and stretch panels that have a high crown. The crown gives the panel strength

Cass recommended using the harder 1020 commercial quality for flat and low crown panels to get good strength.

Steve
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Old 04-24-2019, 02:00 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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In the old days we had to specify CRS by hardness, and the soft one was called "rim steel."
Then later it was AK.
And now most of the suppliers have softer grades of CRS that are more akin to the hot rolled PandO (pickled and oiled) - which is a great steel for working complex panels.
-- and most knowledgeable guys recognize that harder alloys/tempers are better for low-crown panels with little shape.
Examples of this are the Aston Martins which use 5052 (Birmabrite) for the door skins. And 3003 for the rest of the body panels.


What geometry is lacking in a panel is made up for in strength by alloy and hardness. Like an engine, components vary in alloy and hardness due to the strength requirements they see in service.
For your Indian skirts I would take whatever 18ga was available, and then whang over the wired edge - using a little heat if you have to. Even "hard" it will take a shape pretty well by hand, and hand wiring it is not that difficult, unless you have arthritis or gout.
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Last edited by crystallographic; 04-24-2019 at 02:39 PM.
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Old 04-30-2019, 11:22 AM
rustreapers rustreapers is offline
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Default Ak is now draw quality

Alro has Ak steel but they catalog it as draw quality and it is 19 gauge.
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