"Secrets" of Aircraft Sheet Metal Fabrication

Forming
by Hydraulic and Crank Presses & Cast and Molded Dies
by the Navy Department
- Bureau of Aeronautics
reprinted by Lindsay Publications

Sheet metal has long been formed in huge presses with complicated dies. Here, in this third volume of the "Forming" series, we explore much smaller presses driven by the usual crankshaft, but also by hydraulics, both using simpler, easily made dies.

In the first section you get chapters on drawing operations, controlling factors, characteristics of the hydraulic press, the triple-action press, corrugated forms, the double-action press, puckering, punch and die, hydraulic press products, conditions governing stretch forming, beading contours, oversize press, single-action press, collector ring, auxiliary pressure ring, size and capacity of crank press, effect of thickness of material, bending dies, forming dies, blanking-drawing-piercing dies, examples of crank-press work, and more.

And you watch these guys form up drop tanks for WWII aircraft.

The second booklet included covers the construction dies that you will use in these presses. You get formulas that will give you an idea of what you can get away with in working sheet metal without damaging it.

Then you get discussions on patterns from wooden mock-up, from plaster mock-up, cast dies of zinc, Kirksite, Dural, details of plaster patterns, die casting to produce dies, the use of a die as a mold, drop-hammer forging, progressive dies, concrete and plaster dies, plastic dies and forms, stretch-press dies, and much more.

This double book, like the first two, is loaded with numerous photographs and drawings to educate people coming into the WWII workforce.

And although these presses are bit big for our basements, I have to wonder if a scaled down version might do useful work in the small shop. After all, hydraulics are not that expensive anymore, especially if you can pick them up used. Be careful! Presses are a great way to lose fingers and hands...

More great info of techniques that most of us would think could never work. Find out how the WWII generation did it. Get a copy! 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 softcover 152 pages

No. 23802 ... $11.95