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  1. #1
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    Default How To Best Work Thin Galvanised Sheet Met al?

    I'd like to do a bit of work with thin galvanised sheet. Probably about 0.6mm I think it might be.

    Making up boxes of various shapes/sizes would be the general idea I guess. For use around the shed and whatnot.

    I'm thinking I'll be bending stuff and having butt joins and lap joins as the corners.

    Now would it be better to weld with a MIG or to take to soldering (which I've never done) ?

    Or would riveting be best? Or a combination? Or is it just a bad idea? Not as easy as it looks?

  2. #2
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    Spot welding would probably be your best bet I think. Maybe you could do small rosette welds but it would be tough.

    Usual galvanised warnings etc. Zinc is bad don't breathe it.

    Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

  3. #3
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    Welding 0.6 in Galv will prove problematic, particularly in a butt weld.
    My weapon of choice would be a spot welder, and use overlaps.
    Soldering or sweating would work but it’s time consuming.

    I made some drawers up a couple of months ago, I made the boxes from 1.2mm ally and held them together with solid rivets of the type you use to build aircraft and race cars with.

    Sheetmetal is only ever as difficult as you make it for yourself.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  4. #4
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    My old man made these many years ago
    Tinsmiths rivets were used

    15961782774762565965383289012880.jpg
    15961783631928457328604067648449.jpg

    So poprivets would do same thing...no $$$ outlay for spotwelder

  5. #5
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    I’d try pop rivets first. Tools for this are cheap and chances are you will use these in the future. Get yourself a pair of aviation snips as they cut a fairly safe edge. Really nice thin stainless steel sheet from old clothes dryer drum make for no cost materials.

  6. #6
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    Hi Guys,

    The last time I did anything like that was with tin plate. I folded the top edges over 1/4" on some of them and soldered all the seams as a butt joint using a block of wood and a clamp to hold the edges together. I'm still using some of them today.

    I'll go take a picture! The tin plate on this one is thicker, no lip, which means it would be one of the very first ones.
    31-07-2020-1.jpg
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  7. #7
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    Default

    Sounds like you are getting into the quantities and range where access to a guillotine and brake would be handy for the cutting and bending, and a small hand operated hole punch would useful for creating rivet holes. If you can access these without financial grief, it should be a quick and easy process to create a riveted box or drawer.
    I used to be an engineer, I'm not an engineer any more, but on the really good days I can remember when I was.

  8. #8
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    I like the idea of rivets. But not poprivets..... they are the 'blind rivets' ? I don't like the big bulb of metal left on the inside. What do you call the other kind - 'tinsmithing rivets' ? I'll try get them.

    I like that stuff the 'old man' made - totally excellent. He knew what he was doing. What's the details on the construction of the frame the drawers fit into, I wonder?

    Yep, I have a small guillotine but no brake. I was going to make one but quickly found my ideas were unrealistic - thinking up to 3mm steel and 1 metre long.

    Turns out that requires really heavy duty stuff.

    Perhaps I could make up something to handle 1.6mm and under and half a metre long? Anyone got any ideas on that or they're in this forum somewhere perhaps, some other thread?

    Those things you see sold by such as harbor freight (for you americans) seem quite lightly built. But look like they'd handle what I want alright.

    For such work hole punching is the way to go is it? Not drilling the rivet holes?

    And thanks for the tip about stainless steel in old washing machines. Good tip, that.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by abrogard View Post
    Yep, I have a small guillotine but no brake. I was going to make one but quickly found my ideas were unrealistic - thinking up to 3mm steel and 1 metre long.

    Turns out that requires really heavy duty stuff.

    Perhaps I could make up something to handle 1.6mm and under and half a metre long? Anyone got any ideas on that or they're in this forum somewhere perhaps, some other thread?
    There's this one - https://metalworkforums.com/f65/t177...der-photo-tour

    which is the basis for this one -https://metalworkforums.com/f65/t181208-sheet-metal-folder-wip

    or this one - https://metalworkforums.com/f65/t457...r-fingers-home

    punching certainly gets a cleaner hole and faster (and safer)

    Michael

  10. #10
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    I agree pop rivets can look very ordinary but there are ways of minimising this as well as a number of advantages.
    In some circumstances a blind fixture is needed because neither a hammer nor a rivet anvil can be used inside the area that needs fixing
    Most people use pop rivets that are too long and fat when there's no need to.
    Often a few small pop rivets rivets is all that is needed

    This is one of the most complicated sheet metal structure I've made - there's nothing pretty about it it - it's pure function.
    It's an over and under dust collection chute replacement for a thickener planer.
    It replaces the constricted 4" bore/path with a 6" bore/path and much simpler internal air flow path.
    The internals (not shown) were much trickier than what can be seen here, including the need to trigger a safety switch that stops the motor if the cover is raise.
    The material is SS from a clothes dryer drum.
    Transition1.jpg

    Small metal threaded screw are not to be sneezed at either especially if said items needs to be dismantle-able.
    Again SS from a clothes dryer drum.
    Jacketed.jpg

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by abrogard View Post
    I like the idea of rivets. But not poprivets..... they are the 'blind rivets' ? I don't like the big bulb of metal left on the inside. What do you call the other kind - 'tinsmithing rivets' ? I'll try get them.
    .
    This Aussie company has them I think. Maybe here:

    https://www.ausriveting.com.au/products

    The hand sheetmetal punch we had was called a Whitney punch. It came with interchangeable punches and dies. Lots of copies on ebay

    Grahame

  12. #12
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    Spot welding would definitely be the quickest method, but don't overlook sealants/adhesives for joining sheetmetal where you can have a lap joint.
    Sikaflex 227 or similar will create a joint that is plenty strong enough for small boxes. You just need to make sure you degrease the metal beforehand and that you've got sufficient overlap in the joint. Ideally for a box you'd bend the sides up from the bottom, and have 90deg tabs on one side of each corner that wrap outside the adjacent side.
    If bending up a box with tabs from a single piece is getting too complex then having the sides just butt together at the corner and using a small angle to create a lap on either side would work too. Fold up the box, fold up some short angles the same length as the height of the sides and stick them on the outside of the corners with Sika.

    If you want to stay strictly old school metalwork, then soldering would work fine. Grab one of the big old "lump of copper on a rod with wooden handle" soldering iron, heat it on a gas hotplate or torch. Don't stuff around with electric irons like are used for electronics work - they just don't put out enough heat. They're usually around 30-100watt and you'll likely need something more like 300-500watt for sheetmetal.

    If you're doing a bit of assembly by riveting, "Cleco" temporary fasteners are brilliant to hold bits together until you are ready to insert the rivets. They are a spring loaded pin that clips into the rivet hole, and serves to line the holes up as well as pull the sheets together.

    Steve

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    I’d try pop rivets first. Tools for this are cheap and chances are you will use these in the future. Get yourself a pair of aviation snips as they cut a fairly safe edge. Really nice thin stainless steel sheet from old clothes dryer drum make for no cost materials.
    Old stainless BBQ's ....most of the steel is flat except the hood and are usually left on the side of the road for others to collect and dump

    If using tinsmith rivets you need a punch/setter or what ever they're called
    as for rivets the picture above shows several draws marked "tinsmith rivets" and as your in SA pm me the size you will need..should be able to let a some go
    if it was me me I 'd use steel pop...it will be quicker I think

    However Dad didnt drill a hole on smaller sizes though as that what the punch was for....sight it up over the rivet (covered by sheetmetal) and whack the punch with hammer..the rivet forces through the sheet cutting a small disc which travels up the hole in punch and eventually discharges out the side...then rotate the punch and dome it with the concave indent of the punch..all done

  14. #14
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    If you favour the tinsmans rivets here are a couple of Utubes that offer some ideas.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv2RBLPYikY

    The first one shows what we ( in a school metalwork class) called a fixed stake made to fit under the end panel of a small box/drawer and is used to flatten the end of the rivet opposite to the flat end.

    The second one is more about about rivets them selves but may contain information useful to you

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP14SBqvpYM

    The rivet set was basically a flat end punch say 25 x 12 that was drilled/domed so that it deforms the cut rivet end into a dome or half globe shape. it is easily made.
    The rivets if recall were more malleable than what you might expect and were relatively easy to form into this globe and left a more pleasing finish.

    I hope the utubes help, should you choose to go the tinsmans rivet way.

    Also I might mention the edges.We used a 5mm return as "safe edges" so no sharp edges were exposed to get cut on. It is 5mm extra width and bent back 180 degrees on itself. One of my fellow teachers was a sheety and he insisted on the practice as students seemed to have enough methods to damage themselves without providing them with another sharp edge to do it with.

    Of course it all depends on what you are able to afford and how many boxes you wish to make.

    Best of luck with the project. We will love to see your pics of the boxes.


    Grahame

  15. #15
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    Have you considered using steel wall framing components?

    https://www.bunnings.com.au/our-rang...es/steel-studs

    I have used the lipped version as well as the plain base plate.
    Lipped section is good, tap it over for a safe and strong edge.
    With the plain base plate you just need to cut it to length and make ends. I have even made a couple of long ones with wooden ends.

    Findlay.

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