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Old 02-01-2014, 10:09 PM
Dave Deyton Dave Deyton is offline
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Location: Fuquay-Varina, NC
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Default tried my hand at hammer forming beads

I need to make a glove box for a military Jeep I'm restoring. I decided to make a hammer form to form the beads and I need to put one in the floorboard. This is in 18 ga. steel
I cut slots in plywood on the table saw with the dado blade and backed it with another piece of plywood. I cut some steel pipe and placed it in the groves.
I can change the length of the pipe for different length beads.
First I used a worn steel chisel with a rounded tip, but this left too many tool marks. I use chasing tools of plastic carper tucks and hardwood dowels.
Had to work the ends with a ball peen hammer to get the rounded end right.
hammer form jig.jpg

holding down metal for hammer work.jpg
hand making beads practice.jpg
Hammer forming beads.jpg
not too bad for making beads.jpg

I'll keep at it and eventually recreate the glove box.

Thanks,

Dave
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Old 02-22-2014, 04:30 AM
ozi jim's Avatar
ozi jim ozi jim is offline
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Dave its hard to form over the top like that, you could try using your router with a ball tool same one you used for the pipe to sit in.
Run it in some timber (hardwood) to the length you need this will also leave a nice end to form into, put the sheet over the top and clamp down 2 lengths of steel (flatbar) either side of the groove.
Then use dowl or plastic(delrin) with the same radius on the end ,start slow and take several passes at it.

That sheet looks thick, it would only need to be .8 cold rolled, being a lid with a lot of shape it wont need to be heavy gauge.

If you give it a crack put it up and lets see how you went.

Jim
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Last edited by ozi jim; 02-22-2014 at 04:34 AM.
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Old 02-22-2014, 08:53 AM
Dave Deyton Dave Deyton is offline
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Thanks for the reply. I thought the same thing. I need a 1 inch round nose router bit and then form the valley. I think that would look smoother. I just haven't found the router bit close by at a decent price. I will keep looking and learning and try it again. This is preparing for a glove box on a military Jeep and I don't think it will fit in my bead roller in one piece. Besides the bead roller is torn down awaiting welding in the reinforcements.

Cleaning up in the shop to make more room and then back to metal projects.

More to come.

Thanks,

Dave
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Old 02-22-2014, 09:38 AM
longyard longyard is offline
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Dave,
You could try making your own router bit. File the profile on to a piece of 1/8" steel, bevel on the back of each side, and then braze, or weld piece into a slot cut into a 1/4" rod. I've got a couple of home made bits.

Keep the router speed low if that is an option and push wood through slowly.
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Old 02-22-2014, 10:48 AM
Overkill Overkill is offline
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Default Router bits

Just mark out the depth of the bead, use smaller bits to cut away excess materials, then wrap the pipe/rod with sandpaper and sand until you have the shape you want.

However, before going through all that. Try air bending - meaning you don't have to have a full male (punch) and female (die). Simply place the metal sheet over your present groove, place a piece of wood with a hole the shape of your bead over the top of the sheet metal, and clamp like crazy. Good trick that Kent White shows in his classes, is to then put it in a hydraulic press for extra clamping. Take a rounded (Chunk of bar the right diameter, shortened, rounded on the ends, and welded to a stem), and work up and down the the length of the groove while lightly hammering. The sheet metal will form around the male punch, leaving air pockets on the sides of your square female groove die - air forming.
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Old 02-22-2014, 12:32 PM
Doug M Doug M is offline
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I've made bead mold by splitting pipes or tubes and imbedding them in a wood bed, Screw the pipe down. This will get a good round shape but you need to soften the sharp edge of the pipe or you'll cut the sheet metal at the bend.

I really like the "Whack former" I made for bead making but look forward to when I make a ball roller for the Ewheel. I've never done it this way but it may be possible to fold the corners making a square bottomed "U". Then bending the sides back to flat on the table and shrink the bead to flat beyond the end of the bead.

Someone here says there are lots of ways to get there.
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Old 02-22-2014, 06:01 PM
Dave Deyton Dave Deyton is offline
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Man, all great ideas. Hadn't thought of making my own bits or using the pipe with sand paper to make grooves. You guys have the best ideas. I think I'll try some of these ideas this Spring. My work is slowing down and I will get more shop time soon. The idea of clamping it like a hydraulic press sounds interesting also. The more I try the more I learn.

Thanks for the responses and ideas. I'll keep working at it.

Thanks,

Dave
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