How to Use a Brake to Bend Aluminum

Aluminum is one of the softest metals. When polished to a shiny luster, it is really nice to have in a custom car. Lots of products are made with aluminum, including steering wheels, shifters and dash kits, but sometimes you want to make something a bit more custom, something that requires a bend or two to fit your custom application.

Things You'll Need

• Aluminum material Sheet metal brake or pan brake Cardboard or poster board

Instructions

1. Choose which sheet metal brake to use: a pan brake or a hand or bench brake. A pan brake is made up of tiny adjustable fingers that can be added or removed so that you can bend sheet metal to form boxes or other complex shapes. A hand or bench brake is made up of one solid brake that is only able to bend sheet metal one direction. In these steps, we'll use a hand brake.

2. Use cardboard or poster board to make a template of your piece. This saves on both materials and time. Mark where you want the bends to be put in the aluminum and which direction the piece needs to be pulled.

3. Transfer your template to the aluminum sheet, and transfer the bending marks onto the sheet. Label where your bends need to be so that you don't bend the sheet metal in the wrong direction. The metal that is hidden underneath the top portion of the brake will stay horizontal, and the portion exposed will bend up and toward the brake, so keep that in mind.

4. Place the sheet in the brake. The brake itself has a break in the metal where the brake lifts up to form the bend. Align the mark on your sheet metal with the break in the brake. You might want to practice lining up the piece with some scrap metal first, just so you can learn how the metal bends.

5. Lock the brake into position. On most brakes, this is done by pulling down two levers to the side of the brake itself. The top part of the brake will then push down onto the metal you want to bend, which will keep it in place while you make the bend.

6. On the sides of the brake, there is usually a large lever with a weight on the top. Pull this toward you while watching the brake lift and bend the metal. When the metal is bent in the angle that you're looking to bend, release the lever, unlatch the brake and pull out your piece.

Resources

• Southern Tool: Sheet metal brakes