A

avi8tor50

Well Known Member
Hey all-

Got the wing mounted on right side and trying to fit the fuel tank attach bracket. I understand the need to bend the flange of the bracket a little but I have tried EVERYTHING and cannot get the thick aluminum angle metal to bend even a little! Would appreciate any thoughts. How did you all bend that thick aluminum angle? I have tried in a vice and wacking it in many different ways without any success.

As always, thanks for your help!

Peter K
9A QB
 
Bend before cutting!

The trick is to bend it before you cut it. The full size angle is much easier bent.
 
Get a bigger hammer or a bigger vice, or both! :)

I've whacked (I mean gently bent) a number of them.....

Cheers,
Stein
 
Thick Aluminum?

avi8tor50 said:
Hey all-

Got the wing mounted on right side and trying to fit the fuel tank attach bracket. I understand the need to bend the flange of the bracket a little but I have tried EVERYTHING and cannot get the thick aluminum angle metal to bend even a little! Would appreciate any thoughts. How did you all bend that thick aluminum angle? I have tried in a vice and wacking it in many different ways without any success.

As always, thanks for your help!

Peter K
9A QB
Click to expand...

Peter,
The thick aluminum angle is attached to the tank.
I don't think you'll bend it without deforming the tank.

The fuselage has a bracket made of steel, which is thinnner but strong too.

I'm not to that point yet, but I intend to bend the steel bracket to mate up with the thick aluminum bracket on the tank.

This may involve removing the steel bracket from the fuselage and using a vise and big hammer.

Mark
 
Mark Burns said:
Peter,
The thick aluminum angle is attached to the tank.
I don't think you'll bend it without deforming the tank.
....Mark
Click to expand...

Mark, the RV-7 has steel tank brackets on the fuse. For the RV-9, you need to make your own out of thick aluminum angle, and give it a few degrees bend. Don't know why the steel bracked was not chosen for the RV-9 as well.

Peter, I precut my angle, and bent it on a vise, holding the shorter end in the vise. Then whacked it with a rubber mallet, and measured the angle after a couple of whacks. Like someone said earlier, you may need a bigger hammer or bigger vise.
 
Lycosaurus said:
Mark, the RV-7 has steel tank brackets on the fuse. For the RV-9, you need to make your own out of thick aluminum angle, and give it a few degrees bend. Don't know why the steel bracked was not chosen for the RV-9 as well.
Click to expand...

Oh, I assumed they were the same.

Thanks,
Mark
 
I have tried all that and have gotten no results. I believe I will find someone who has a bending brake and see if that will work. Thanks for your responses.

Peter K
9A QB
 
Put both edges of the angle in the vise with the vertex pointed up. Tighten down on the the vise to pull the edges closer to each other. Every few turns pull the angle out to measure it against the fuse and tank bracket. Worked for me.
 
Beat the heck out of it

Here is a picture of how I bent mine. I had to beat the heck out of it the get it to bend, but I didn't bend them until fitting it in place. Bang it, trial fit, bang some more, etc, until you get a nice fit against the fuse.

Angle in the vice set up, ready to beat it:
http://www.aclog.com/rv-9a/images/Fuselage/f60188f7ff9b5870c32bd38aa328c98725255_DSC_0100.JPG

Nice fit against the fuse:
http://www.aclog.com/rv-9a/images/Fuselage/8b00219e6bcf2247a374f85964fa020925255_DSC_0102.JPG

My journal entry about this:
http://www.aclog.com/rv-9a/index.php?c=3#862

Have fun!
 
avi8tor50 said:
I have tried all that and have gotten no results. I believe I will find someone who has a bending brake and see if that will work. Thanks for your responses.

Peter K
9A QB
Click to expand...

No-No don't do that!!! We have a pretty good sized finger brake, but putting that short of a piece of that thich aluminum in the brake will likely "break" the brake (or deform it). I'd kill someone if they tried to do that on my brake, and it's rated for .100!

One might not notice it, but putting small pieces of material rated for much thicker than the brake can bend/twist/warp parts of the brake and should be avoided entirely.

The vice/hammer method has worked for decades on these things...just get good and mad at the darned thign - don't be gentle! Not often you really get to hit something hard on these kits!

Cheers,
Stein
 
Bending

avi8tor50 said:
Hey all-

Got the wing mounted on right side and trying to fit the fuel tank attach bracket. I understand the need to bend the flange of the bracket a little but I have tried EVERYTHING and cannot get the thick aluminum angle metal to bend even a little! Would appreciate any thoughts. How did you all bend that thick aluminum angle? I have tried in a vice and wacking it in many different ways without any success.

As always, thanks for your help!

Peter K
9A QB
Click to expand...
If already cut to shape it's tough. If you have a big vise place the bracket vertically in the vise but at a slight angle so that jaws of the vise are on the ends of the bracket,ie where you bolt to fuse and cut the slot for the bolt to the wing tank mount. Start compressing the vise. If you find it difficult to turn the vise handle, put a piece of pipe over it so you can be more leverage. BE CAREFUL and take it slow, you can break the angle, since you pinching the ends together. It really is not much of a bend. Keep fitting to tank bracket and fuse until you have it. It will not be EXACTLY as the plans call for since all tanks/brackets are a little different.
Mike H 9A/8A
 
I tried your method with the vise and yes, it was very difficult to turn the handle on the vice but did not think of the pipe over the handle trick. will try that.
It would have been nice and helpful if Vans had instructed us to bend the angle before trimming it to size.
Stein, I don't own a brake. I would bring it to a machine shop and let them do it if I can't get it to bend with the vise OR:
I might just get some more alum angle and start over.

Thanks everybody for your help!

Peter K
9A QB
 
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