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what makes a good thin shim

bill v

Well Known Member
i have all the thicknesses of aluminum sheets .016, .025, .032 etc. but what makes a good aluminum shim that is less then .016? I would like about .010 or less
 
i have all the thicknesses of aluminum sheets .016, .025, .032 etc. but what makes a good aluminum shim that is less then .016? I would like about .010 or less

0.016 or 0.025 and a sanding disk on your die grinder....:)

Usually I found that when a shim that thin was required, a tapered shim would work better - easy to create with the die grinder.
 
Shim stock is available down to .001" in SS and .0015 in aluminum. If the NAPA store doesn't have what you want, try MSC.com a machine shop supply company.

Dan
 
pop cans work pretty good

Yea, right. :rolleyes:

Like any self respecting builder would be drinking pop. Beer yes, pop, not so much. ;)

Brass shim stock works well also. I bought a selection of it years ago and it has served me well with a dozen different thicknesses.
 
I know the OP asked about aluminum, but if harder materials are needed, steel feeler gage sets can provide some needed material. Just get a cheap set and you get assorted thicknesses.
 
Your local home improvement store has small pieces of aluminum roof flashing. I got mine at one which begins with "L" and rhymes with "bows". The flashing is .008" thick by my micrometer.
 
Shims

When fitting the cowl I used fiberglass ,8.7oz cloth with West epoxy to "shim " the piano hinge to the the cowl,for it to fit flush with the fuselage . 1 layer of cloth = .090 to .010 . Epoxy with micro, flox or cabasil depending on the application also makes a good shim , especially when a variable thickness shim is needed .
Tom
 
Bad idea - Corrosion issue

Go to NAPA auto, they will have steel and brass shim stock in various thicknesses.

Using brass is a particularly bad idea. Brass in contact with aluminum creates a battery. You will create a definite source of galvanic reaction corrosion. Stainless steel won't be great, either. See

http://www.eaa1000.av.org/technicl/corrosion/galvanic.htm

2024-T3 is #25 on the list linked above. Using anything with a higher number will cause corrosion of the 2024-T3 aluminum. The higher the number, the worse the issue will be.

Aluminum shims would be best. I've found that those cheap, disposable aluminum turkey pans [or similar] found in the grocery store work well. Aluminum foil should also work. [Going from memory here, I think aluminum foil is about .003" thick. Turkey pans are approximately .005" to .010" thick] Yes, I got a few strange looks carrying a 1" micrometer in the grocery store! I had to wait till the aisle was clear before measuring. :rolleyes:

Charlie
PS Carry your micrometer with you when you go to the hardware store. You might want to measure any thin aluminum item you find there. Aluminum gutter comes to mind.
 
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