Annealing Aluminum

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mopowers

mopowers

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I'm modifying a stock fan shroud to fit a Champion radiator. The material I'm using is 1/8" x 1.25" t6-6061 aluminum bar stock. I've been told if I anneal the aluminum, I'll be able to bend it. What's the easiest way to do this? I've read that you can do it by smoking it up with acetylene, then burning it off with a torch. Since I don't have a oxy/acet rig, that's not an option. Is there another way? Can I just heat it with a MAPP gas torch?
 
I'll be watching this one as well. If you had some extra material to experiment on it would sure be helpful. I needed to do this on a grill and ended up just breaking the piece anyway. It is often a fine line between softening and making a puddle. Temp sticks may be helpful but I have no clue on what temps to get.
 
Turn on the acetylene and get the aluminum black with the soot, after you have coated with the soot, add oxygen and burn off the soot. You now have annealed aluminum.
 
5.7 hemi said:
Turn on the acetylene and get the aluminum black with the soot, after you have coated with the soot, add oxygen and burn off the soot. You now have annealed aluminum.
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Did you read the whole original post? I don't have a oxy/act set up.
 
.125 t6 6061 can be bent as is, if you put a slight inside radius in it. About 1/8r"r. Wouldn't try to do that with anything much thicker, say .250" at that radius. Have done this many times. Have done the torch thing on hardened Al, but 6061 is not really brittle. There is also a temperature indicating crayon on the market available at diff. melting points, one brand is called Temp Stick, can't say where to get one though. To bend a slight radius, make a pair of soft jaws out of Al angle for a bench vise with one having corners rounded with a file, then use a plastic face hammer. At least it worked for me.....r.
 
plymman said:
.125 t6 6061 can be bent as is, if you put a slight inside radius in it. About 1/8r"r. Wouldn't try to do that with anything much thicker, say .250" at that radius. Have done this many times. Have done the torch thing on hardened Al, but 6061 is not really brittle. There is also a temperature indicating crayon on the market available at diff. melting points, one brand is called Temp Stick, can't say where to get one though. To bend a slight radius, make a pair of soft jaws out of Al angle for a bench vise with one having corners rounded with a file, then use a plastic face hammer. At least it worked for me.....r.
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I was thinking this as well. just cant bend sharply on a Brake.
 
The temp sticks are available at any welding supply house, Airgas etc., I have only done it by the torch method above. I don't think mapp will get it hot enough
 
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