Thread: Any of you seen those decorative laser cut weathering steel light boxes

I can't speak for Corten of course but I have successfully folded 3mm low carbon sheet sans pan folder or press brake .

It is done by undercutting the fold line by means of a 1mm thick angle grinder disc taking the metal thickness from 3.00mm 1.6mm .
To keep the groove straight,I generally use a length of angle iron to run the disc against.
I have not folded anything in excess of 300mm long yet but can't see why it would not work for longer material.

The metal folds up to a sharp line inside ,most times you can't see the grind line.

It may take a few practices but is not difficult to get the hang of it.
Sorry ,no pics as all my bending efforts have been for others.

I hope it helps.

Grahame

Originally Posted by beefy

Hi Gerbilsquasher (I'm still having a chuckle when I read that),


I hope your company gets compensated for all that business time. It's reminiscent of my present business and the quoting time and expense, which I never get compensated for if they don't go ahead.

Yes, this happens occasionally too!

Originally Posted by beefy

Do you guys have much problem with customers not expecting to pay for the design time, I mean the actual cutting time can be small compared to the labourious time spent in the creation of the art work and the cut file.

All too often.... they think computers are magic.... all we have to is press a button and bang! the thing is cut, and we are ripping them off!!

Originally Posted by beefy

Hey I'm a little bit like you. My business at present is excavation but my passion is metal (my garage is now a small machine shop) - and rust is just metal going bad LOL. Personally when I see Corten (Xlerplate is the Australian version) I see rusty steel, but lots of people love it. I like the way it gets called a patina, makes it sound real chic, but I suppose it can look good against the right background, I find beige seems to contrast quite nicely.

Keith.

I hear what your are saying in your later post about the 'soul less' business you believe you are running and how you'd be better off working for someone else... I'm probably the opposite, I would keep a full time job and maybe start a small business on the side as a 'hobby'... then again I wouldn't want to destroy my passion for welding, sheetmetal or machining by giving a dollar value to it...

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

I can't speak for Corten of course but I have successfully folded 3mm low carbon sheet sans pan folder or press brake .

It is done by undercutting the fold line by means of a 1mm thick angle grinder disc taking the metal thickness from 3.00mm 1.6mm .
To keep the groove straight,I generally use a length of angle iron to run the disc against.
I have not folded anything in excess of 300mm long yet but can't see why it would not work for longer material.

The metal folds up to a sharp line inside ,most times you can't see the grind line.

It may take a few practices but is not difficult to get the hang of it.
Sorry ,no pics as all my bending efforts have been for others.

I hope it helps.

Grahame

This is very similar to folding composite materials such as 'Alucobond'. A CNC router is used with the appropriate too to cut a v-shaped groove through two thirds of the thickness (or so) along the fold line.

Another point... I believe coreten in available in 1.6mm, which would be infinitely easier to fold.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

It is done by undercutting the fold line by means of a 1mm thick angle grinder disc taking the metal thickness from 3.00mm 1.6mm .
I hope it helps.

Grahame

Thanks Grahame, that's definately another one I'll play with. The benefit of that one is it leaves the visible outside part nice and smooth. The stitch cutting is what I'd prefer from a laziness perspective but that could possibly give an unsatisfactory appearence along the corner edge (to be tested).

Keith.

Originally Posted by Gerbilsquasher

All too often.... they think computers are magic.... all we have to is press a button and bang! the thing is cut, and we are ripping them off!!

I hear what your are saying in your later post about the 'soul less' business you believe you are running and how you'd be better off working for someone else... I'm probably the opposite, I would keep a full time job and maybe start a small business on the side as a 'hobby'... then again I wouldn't want to destroy my passion for welding, sheetmetal or machining by giving a dollar value to it...

I frequent a machining forum and they had a thread on how to deal with one-off jobs. The stories are incredible, too many customers equate a custom made part to something they can get off the shelf which is mass produced. The worst part is explaining to many of them what's involved in producing that one part doesn't seem to change their attitude that they are being ripped off. Some even come to a machine shop to try and get an available mass produced item made cheaper.

I guy I worked with told me a story about his father who dealt in custom designed conrete tanks. He did it this way for years before falling ill for a few weeks. For whatever reason, when he came back to the business, he stopped the custom design work and made a bunch of stock standard tanks of varying styles and sizes. He made more money this way and completely removed the headaches. Customers not changing their minds on the fly, or saying that's not what they wanted, or backing out in the middle of things. I've always liked the idea: make once, sell many times (providing it's possible of course).

I'm actually sending out resumes now, had a gutful of eating crap in this excavation game. Doing my workshop stuff and even the odd bit off digging at a weekend would be a welcome change.

You are so correct about business removing the enjoyment in a hobby. That's another reason I like the idea of making my own products and just put them up for sale. Customer sees the product, sees the price, wants it or doesn't want it, have stock or don't, etc, etc. Custom work often has deadlines, lots of stressful thinking, arguments, risk, etc.

Keith.

Originally Posted by Gerbilsquasher

Another point... I believe coreten in available in 1.6mm, which would be infinitely easier to fold.

It gets exponentially more difficult as the size of the panel goes up. I'll have to use the 3mm steel on the larger panels purely for stiffness, so not only do I have a longer bend but a thicker one too.

I'll look into the thinner stuff availability.

Cheers,

Keith

I saw some on a trip during the week. Looked like channel for edging and galv steel sheet back.

Dean