nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Oct 13, 2016 20:36:00 GMT -8
Today I rented a 8' Hand brake to bend aluminum from Home Depot.  I have a design under the front window nobody was willing to recreate: A ledge with multiple 1" brakes under it to help wrap around the curve.  The panel was usable but since the entire camper was getting new skin I thought I'd try a hand brake. First, an experiment with old skin. ![]()  Then the real thing.  The full panel was tougher than expected with .03 aluminum. With smaller pieces It's easy. Larger pieces take a lot of pressure and a second person to hold down the tool. That's how much torque it takes. Also, the sheet only goes in the press about 14" so I had to go with one less (curve area) brake. Brakes in the middle of pieces won't work with this tool. While I had the tool I made a new skin for the door. (More on that when I put my theory to the test and try to install it.)   And new door jam & sill.  Here is my take on it. With .019 or .024 skin this tool will be easy to handle on large panels. Thicker skin is a lot of work. At $57 for 24 hours it's not cheap but it costs less than paying to have the pieces made. If you buy the white painted skin hoping to use it without repainting, forget this tool. It scratches the panel. A Mark5 brake does more but for our purposes a Mark2 works. They have a 10' brake for $20 more but you better not try it with thicker skin. You should buy one of these. (Thanks for the recommendation Mobiltec.)  A side note, Hemet's thicker skin is MUCH easier to work with because it doesn't dent like .024 but much harder to work with because fights every cut. You can forget trimming the entire camper with just snips. Overall, 3 Stars for the tool. |
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Post by danrhodes on Oct 13, 2016 20:58:25 GMT -8
That is amazing. I knew you'd hit it out of the park with that brake.
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Post by bigbill on Oct 14, 2016 7:54:22 GMT -8
nccamper If you are bending white metal, buy some wide masking tape and cover the areas that make contact with the brake and you should prevent scratching. It is a pain in the ?****? but should help.
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Oct 14, 2016 9:22:23 GMT -8
nccamper If you are bending white metal, buy some wide masking tape and cover the areas that make contact with the brake and you should prevent scratching. It is a pain in the ?****? but should help. I wish I had thought of it myself. The brake has a rubber "anti-scratch" gasket that I realized too late doesn't work. It's not a problem because my wife wants it painted. And I think the fold over and trimming will also be rough on the paint with the sheets fighting to stay straight. A full sheet of the heavier metal fights the brake but smaller pieces worked out fine. No real damage is done just small scratches. After painting the last two camper and making them "cute" my wife was never going to let me get away with all white on the one she wants to keep.  |
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Post by bigbill on Oct 14, 2016 12:27:23 GMT -8
nccamper If you are bending white metal, buy some wide masking tape and cover the areas that make contact with the brake and you should prevent scratching. It is a pain in the ?****? but should help. I wish I had thought of it myself. The brake has a rubber "anti-scratch" gasket that I realized too late doesn't work. It's not a problem because my wife wants it painted. And I think the fold over and trimming will also be rough on the paint with the sheets fighting to stay straight. A full sheet of the heavier metal fights the brake but smaller pieces worked out fine. No real damage is done just small scratches. After painting the last two camper and making them "cute" my wife was never going to let me get away with all white on the one she wants to keep. And if momma ain't happy nobody is happy |
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handkey
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1964 Forester 14
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Post by handkey on Oct 18, 2016 18:29:53 GMT -8
I feel like your twin! I also rented a brake for the forester front curve. The local rental place had a less than adequate brake for the .030 metal that I also got from hemmit valley. I too had to sacrifice a single 1 inch brake as the original. That said ., forester was not consistent on the number of brakes in the front metal from trailer to trailer.... I checked my stock! I bit the bullet and bought a Van Mark metal master with a 20 3/4" opening that can handle .050. and bent new door metal with.040 stock. I think I can put brakes in 48" stock by running it in 20" and then flipping it and running it in 20" again. I figure the brake will pay for itself in three trailers! The rental  Untitled by dhandkey, on Flickr the purchase  Untitled by dhandkey, on Flickr  Untitled by dhandkey, on Flickr the semi would not go up my driveway so I had to put it in the back of my truck |
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Oct 18, 2016 19:03:03 GMT -8
I bit the bullet and bought a Van Mark metal master with a 20 3/4" opening that can handle .050. and bent new door metal with.040 stock. ...I figure the brake will pay for itself in three trailers! How much? The problem is where to put it when not in use. It's a huge tool to have sitting around. But when you need it, you really need it. |
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sglshot
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Post by sglshot on Oct 19, 2016 1:59:26 GMT -8
nice brake , but I don't have 1400 bucks to put down on something I will use maybe 3 times a year.
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handkey
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1964 Forester 14
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Post by handkey on Oct 19, 2016 2:46:14 GMT -8
nice brake , but I don't have 1400 bucks to put down on something I will use maybe 3 times a year. Agree. It's my car that sits outside when I'm using it. Not my wife's! I found unpainted 4 X10' .032 sheets for $48 ea. at discount steel Mpls to run through it . Hoping to create side panels with 4" brakes on it for the tiny vacationaire . The deeper throat on this model should allow it. |
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Oct 19, 2016 5:00:52 GMT -8
nice brake , but I don't have 1400 bucks to put down on something I will use maybe 3 times a year. Agree. It's my car that sits outside when I'm using it. Not my wife's! I found unpainted 4 X10' .032 sheets for $48 ea. at discount steel Mpls to run through it . Hoping to create side panels with 4" brakes on it for the tiny vacationaire . The deeper throat on this model should allow it. The throat is the issue I struggled with. 14" was the max. You really have a full 2' depth? For multiple campers it makes sense. By the way, the brake and metal took over both parking spots in my garage and took two people to operate. Three would have been better. |
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Post by bigbill on Oct 19, 2016 19:34:40 GMT -8
This is the thinking that caused me to have a six car garage and a truck that sits outside, but I can build or repair about anything.  Sixty years of buying tools. Wife say it will be one hell of an auction. |
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Oct 19, 2016 19:40:32 GMT -8
This is the thinking that caused me to have a six car garage and a truck that sits outside, but I can build or repair about anything. Sixty years of buying tools. Wife say it will be one hell of an auction. You can sell the tools and retire to Palm Beach. |
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Post by bigbill on Oct 20, 2016 5:12:53 GMT -8
Yes they would probably bring ten cents on the dollar. When I am gone someone else can deal with selling all my toys. I don't use them as much anymore but they are there when I want them.
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Dad Rambles
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62 Shasta Airflyte
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Post by Dad Rambles on Oct 20, 2016 7:07:07 GMT -8
Thanks for the review of this. I am looking to replace (I think) just the front piece on my camper. I came across a friend of a friend who is looking at campers, and he came to look at mine a few weeks ago. Come to find out he has an 8 ft brake. I'm hoping we can replicate the 6" brakes in mine. Before he and I spoke, the HD rental was my next best option if I couldn't get up to TN to pickup some stuff from the guy up there that manufactures. I figure a few low degree breaks shouldn't be that difficult to replicate. It's the bottom piece on my shasta, so no S locks to deal with.
Thanks,
Brian
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Oct 20, 2016 9:24:48 GMT -8
Thanks for the review of this. I am looking to replace (I think) just the front piece on my camper. I came across a friend of a friend who is looking at campers, and he came to look at mine a few weeks ago. Come to find out he has an 8 ft brake. I'm hoping we can replicate the 6" brakes in mine. Before he and I spoke, the HD rental was my next best option if I couldn't get up to TN to pickup some stuff from the guy up there that manufactures. I figure a few low degree breaks shouldn't be that difficult to replicate. It's the bottom piece on my shasta, so no S locks to deal with. Thanks, Brian Keep in mind that with the Home Depot break you can only slide the aluminum in about 14 inches. If you want a 6" break on an entire sheet you'll need something different. |
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Sixty years of buying tools. Wife say it will be one hell of an auction. 