shrinker/stretcher ?

just got a shrinker/stretcher to play with. specs call for use on 20ga. stainless, 18ga. steel, and 16ga. aluminum. as i need to put a gentle curve in a piece of 16ga. steel, i was wondering if i heated the lip before i fed it through, could that help the grippers of the tool work for this ? it is shrinking the lip. TIA.

[note : i'm not a body man, and this does NOT need to come out perfect.]

I know a guy who has one and you have to run the tool over it many passes to get what your after. It moves metal, but only in small amounts.

Not sure if warming it would help. Maybe annealing it with a torch to soften it up would be better?

I wouldn't heat it.Practice on some scrap sheetmetal.

It will definitely be difficult to move 16 ga. with one. Just used mine last week on some used parts on a chimney project here at the shop. They can be real handy.

One of my next shop tools will be one of these shrinker/strechers for working with the sheet metal for the next Charger & the Road Runner.

If you bought a quality shrinker/stretcher, with quality jaws, 16 gauge steel shouldn't be a problem, only insert the mat'l halfway into the jaws depth, you'll find you can bump the mat'l better, I usually replace the handle with a longer piece, and fashion a handle grip using some heavy stock to give it some extra leverage and weight to help bump heavy stock or tight bends

Mike

thanks guys ! mike, i was thinking along your thoughts of making a longer handle. i will be doing a practice run with some scrap because i have never used these tools before. couple of things i will be keeping an eye on is the jaw teeth, and the tool's pivot points at the handle and body connection. didn't think about inserting the material only 1/2 way into the jaws. thanks for that tip ! anything else i need to be aware of ?

A little WD-40 helps as well on the jaws

jaw teeth i assume ?

I spray the jaw teeth and the lever mechanism, as well as the mat'l being bumped, helps reduce the friction/effort required

thank you !

A quality shrinker/stretcher would come from who? Eastwood maybe? I may buy one in the near future, and want a good one.

Yes Eastwood, I have their dual combo unit shrinker and stretcher units so I don't have to change out the jaw sets, I mounted both units parallel, but opposite one another on a heavy duty stand so I can just switch the handle and go back and forth from one unit to the other to make immediate changes/correction in bumping the metal

I've purchased shrinker stretchers from HF and Woodward Garage in the past trying to be cheap, they were just ok to barely marginal... the jaws would either crack, or have a non existent grip right from the start, the Eastwood sets are a little bit more money, but worth the added expense for a better unit

mike

Thanks Mike. I try not to buy anything from Horrible Freight but silly widgets that I might use once every 10 years....lol.

i don't know the quality of the one i got [more than likely imported], but it weighs a ton, and the movement is very smooth. i have to get it mounted first before i try it, and i'm not sure when that will happen. i'm in the process now of getting "stuff" rearranged ["garage aerobics" ] for new garage doors. i plan on mounting this on a piece of 5/8" plate that will have a 1 3/4", 1/4"wall square tube that will fit in the quick change pocket i built into the top of my heavy duty, moveable, work table. i mount quite a few tools to the table using this mount, including a vice, grinder, small tube bender, small solid round stock bender, etc. one of the best things to incorporate in a work table i have ever done ! holds tools very secure, and has access almost 360 degrees.

So the Eastwood is the best bang for the buck & in quality over the Woodward, and of course over the Horror Freight Chinese junk?

I would think they all are the same.