Opening/Bending Thick Aluminum Angle
 

The AA6-187x2x2-1/2 I received for the HS-1008 Horizontal Stab Front Spar attach brackets is not square (angle slightly less than 90*). Has anyone else encountered this and, if so, how do you bend/open that angle? Or did you just order a new piece of AA? Pretty thick piece.

First be sure you need to change it, then . . .

If it was me, I'd just take a socket 1/2" to 3/4" dia and sit it in the vee and press it in a vice to spread it. If you are only a couple of degrees off, that should work and leave you with a square piece. A solid bar would better than a socket if you have some. Don't bang on it, and use aluminum jaw covers to keep from otherwise damaging the piece.

Thanks. Do you just squeeze the socket into the inside of the angle with the outside corner of the angle on one vise pad and the socket on the other?

It?s off by about 1.5deg. 1/16? at the top of the 2.375? tall bracket.

Yes, outside of the bottom of the vee. The challenge is positioning. Hope this works for you, so go slowly.

I had to bend the 1/4" forward tank attach brackets on my Rocket to sit flush with the fuselage. Since it was a 2-dimensional curve, the bending was tricky. A straight bend should be easier.

My solution: get the biggest adustable wrench you can find and have at it. The 0.187 should be even easier.

Brandon - if it is just one leg of the extrusion, probably no big deal. However, on an RV3B, I had an angle that was also had a bulge that carried into the other leg, if that makes sense.
Vans gladly shipped me a replacement.

If it is just one leg, and the bend doesnt carry into the fat part or other leg, I have used Vern's large Crescent wrench method successfully.

On the RV-4 there are 2 pieces of 2 1/2X2X3/16 angle that have to be opened up to 85?. I positioned the angle over a piece of round stock in a shop press. It made easy work of it. If you don't have access to a press, I'm sure the socket in a vice method would work well.