Need help bending 1/4" aluminum

[DaveOmak]

Thanks Dan..... Would have been cool, since you knew what I was saying, if you would have added..... Dave was speaking of 1/4" stock....

About aluminum losing strength when welded.... Some think that's not true...... Well ..... From Lincoln Electric....

Common Design Mistakes in Aluminum

Why Isn’t the Weld as Strong as the Original Base Metal?
A designer of steel structures generally assumes that a weld is as strong as the parent material, and the welding engineer who is responsible for fabricating the structure expects to make a weld which is as strong as the steel being used. It would be tempting to assume that the situation is the same when designing and fabricating aluminum structures, but it isn’t. In most cases, a weld in an aluminum alloy is weaker, often to a significant degree, than the alloy being welded.

 

[CNC Dan]

About aluminum losing strength when welded.... Some think that's not true...... Well ..... From Lincoln Electric...

Common Design Mistakes in Aluminum

Why Isn’t the Weld as Strong as the Original Base Metal?
A designer of steel structures generally assumes that a weld is as strong as the parent material, and the welding engineer who is responsible for fabricating the structure expects to make a weld which is as strong as the steel being used. It would be tempting to assume that the situation is the same when designing and fabricating aluminum structures, but it isn’t. In most cases, a weld in an aluminum alloy is weaker, often to a significant degree, than the alloy being welded.

It will be soft around the weld, due to anealing. But some aluminum can be re-tempered/aged with heat, after welding or anealing. 6061 is one such alloy. I once found a time/temp chart online that showed how to get back to a T6 temper. IIRC you could do it in a kitchen oven for an hour or so. But if you went too long, it would lose strength.

As to the OP's 1/4" x 3.0" stock, I would aneal with a torch, bend in a press brake, and then retemper in an oven(if it will fit).

 

[SBA]

I have bent lots of thick aluminum to make brackets.

Take your acetylene torch and adjust it where it is making soot. Heat/soot up the area that you want to bend. Once the area is black with soot, readjust the torch to a clean burning/proper flame. Heat the sooted area up with the clean flame until the soot disappears. The area will be ready to bend. If it starts cooling down or getting hard to bend just repeat the process. Bending the metal will just work harden it and it will be ready to use.