The air hammer is only faster, not better. I don't have any experience
forming complex parts out of sheetmetal. The basic theory, from what
I've read (mostly in Sport Aviation) is: You hit the metal with a
hammer until it looks like what you want.

The plastic air hammer sets are home made blocks of uhmw with a hole
drilled in them to slip over an ordinary rivet set. It's noisy, hard on
wrists and hands and you still have to slap the part with a lead strap
and knock down the high spots with a ball peen hammer to make it look good.

Some day I want to get a shot bag and a ball peen hammer and play around
and see what I can come up with.

GaryP wrote:


Thanks for the pictures and advice John. I have a curved panel to restore
out of 5052-H32 that I will try this technique on. Where did you get those
plastic ended tools for your air hammer? I've not seen those before.

My gear doors are deeply dished with an uninterupted flange. Very difficult
to hand form since the metal is both drawn and compressed. The examples
you've shown appear to have less compound bends although the 2D pictures
may hide some of the complexity. I've tried forming 2024 before with a
dead-blow hammer and found it work hardening and kinking before the
piece was completed. Perhaps the air-hammer technique will yield better
results.

GaryP

--
John Kimmel


I think it will be quiet around here now. So long.