Metal Shaping
Aluminium sheet
You will need an aluminium sheet approximately 1.6mm in thickness, your laser cut plywood mold, hammering tools and having access to the workshop. Begin shaping the aluminium sheet with the molded plywood form work shown below. There are many metal shaping tools to help with the shaping of the aluminium in the workshop lab. Mallets are a great way of shaping and bending your aluminium sheets.
Before trying to wrap or shape the aluminium, it is best to have all the dimensions marked out onto the metal sheet before cutting with a marker. After you are satisfied with the dimensions, use the foot operated guillotine to trim the aluminium sheet into the exact length and width you desire.
Cut the aluminium sheet to the correct dimension that will cover certain areas of your form work, in this case I have tried try to wrap the metal sheet around the mold. I have used a pan brake machine show below to bend the sheet at a 90 degrees angle.
Use different workshop tools which comes in different sizes and shapes to assist you in your metal shaping. The tool shown above works best for bending the aluminium sheet around my molded object as it pushes the edge into the crevice.
Hammering requires a lot of force and simply holding the aluminium sheet will not help hence clamping is a great method in stabilizing the plywood object while hammering and shaping the metal sheet.
While working with aluminium sheets, it is important to be careful and take caution with sharp edges, corners and shrapnel that may cause injury and cuts. As I was working with the aluminium sheets in the workshop, I had a few cuts on my fingers while trying to bend it, it is recommended to bring your own gloves for protection and safety. Wearing ear muffs while working in the labs is highly recommended as it is loud with everyone pounding and hammering away which may cause discomfort or damage to your eardrums.
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