{"id":36081,"date":"2020-05-07T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=36081"},"modified":"2020-05-05T15:33:06","modified_gmt":"2020-05-05T22:33:06","slug":"using-a-3d-printed-die-to-bend-sheet-metal-parts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/using-a-3d-printed-die-to-bend-sheet-metal-parts\/","title":{"rendered":"Using a 3D-Printed Die to Bend Sheet Metal Parts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0latest issue<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0HackSpace<\/em>\u00a0magazine (#30) is out. I have a piece in it on working with magnets in the shop. Free PDF.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Still looking to hear from you all about your\u00a0homely tools\u00a0<\/a>(mundane but precious, everyday tools),\u00a0maker sartorial<\/a>\u00a0(what you wear while working), and your\u00a0\u201ctouch? die!\u201d tools<\/a>\u00a0(tools you protect like a mamma grizzly).<\/p>\n

Using a 3D-Printed Die to Bend Sheet Metal Parts<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"A

A complex part bent into shape using 3D-printed dies.<\/p><\/div>\n

Shane<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Stuff Made Here<\/em>\u00a0shared this promising little experiment in\u00a0a YouTube vid<\/a>. He\u00a0<\/a>needed a new blade guard for his cheap reciprocating saw. He wanted to know if he could fabricate one himself by pressing sheet metal into the somewhat involved profile of the part using 3D-printed dies. Overall, the results are pretty impressive. As Shane points out, if you needed to print out multiples of a complex sheet metal part, this might be a workable approach.<\/p>\n

Cord Wrangling Best Practices<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"It's

It’s all about the over and under.<\/p><\/div>\n

Someone on the\u00a0Shop Hacks Facebook group<\/a>\u00a0was asking about how to get the kinks out heavy duty extension cords (lay them out in the sun on a hot day until they\u2019re warm and flexible and then coil them properly seems to be the consensus). This seemed like a good opportunity to remind\u00a0GTTST<\/em>\u00a0readers that there is one surefire and superior way to wrangle cable: the over and under or\u00a0\u201croadie wrap\u201d method.<\/a><\/p>\n

You Can Solder Stainless Steel to a PCB?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Who

Who knew?<\/p><\/div>\n

The ever-clever\u00a0Ben Krasnow<\/a>\u00a0offered this nifty tip on\u00a0Twitter<\/em>: \u201cYou can solder stainless steel parts to a PCB (e.g. make a gas-tight rigid connection with a syringe) using\u00a0aggressive ZnCl\/HCl\u00a0<\/a>flux. Abrade the stainless with sandpaper or ScotchBrite, then flux. This is a must-clean flux.\u201d<\/p>\n

Testing Knife Sharpeners<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Is

Is expensive worth it? Does cheap mean bad?<\/p><\/div>\n

I love the depth and scientific rigor that Todd of\u00a0Project Farm<\/a>\u00a0brings to his comparative review. In\u00a0this video<\/a>, he looks at knife sharpening technology and wonders how a $900 Wicked Edge sharpener will compare with a range of other sharpeners, all the way down to a super-basic $9 model. Conclusion: The Wicked Edge is superior, but not by much. The $67\u00a0Lansky<\/a>\u00a0got pretty close, as did a good ol\u2019 whetsone.<\/p>\n

Maker Sartorial: Shop Aprons<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Who

Who are you wearing?<\/p><\/div>\n

In response to my Maker Sartorial call, reader\u00a0Keith Monaghan\u00a0<\/strong>writes: \u201cI swear by this heavy duty waxed\u00a0canvas work apron<\/a>\u00a0from Hudson Durable Goods. It\u2019s comfortable, tough as nails, and perfect to throw on when you don\u2019t want to change out of your nicer clothes\u00a0to work on something. I\u2019ve beat mine up for over three years and it\u2019s still as good as new. \u201d<\/p>\n

Shop Talk<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The

The perfect bench-top garbage can.<\/p><\/div>\n

Homely tool: Reader\u00a0Salsaman\u00a0<\/strong>writes: “The bench-top garbage can you didn\u2019t know you needed! An empty\u00a04oz Rumford Baking Powder\u00a0<\/a>can. Use it for clipped leads and wire bits, stripped-off insulation, solder blobs, and other small workbench fluff and cruft. It\u2019s metal (metalized?) and short so it won\u2019t burn or tip over. The top surface has a flat part with a straight edge that\u2019s handy for knocking your soldering iron on without tipping the can. It has a tight-fitting lid that fits on the bottom to prevent sliding. It\u2019s surprisingly handy.”<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Reader\u00a0Astro Jetson<\/strong>, responding to\u00a0Jamie Hyneman\u2019s Don\u2019t Touch! toolkit<\/a>: “One thing I have that he doesn\u2019t is a pair of sheet metal vise grips. These things are perfect for those few times where you need to bend metal. Rather than moving \u00bc\u201d of material at a time, you can bend up to 3″ at a time.” [Ed: You can get them with up to a 10″ jaw, maybe even higher.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gareth’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales – Issue #45<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13684,"featured_media":36082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2371],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36081"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13684"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36081"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36091,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36081\/revisions\/36091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}