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P156 progress photos
Learn to love your router, guys. Snips are only for rough-cuts when it comes to rib blanks. Only route 3-4 at a time, depending on the metal thickness. Bend your flanges with your forms flat on the table so you can hammer in a downward motion, so it doesn't beat up your MDF forms too badly. Use the lightest dead-blow hammer that will do the job within reason. Make flanging dies, use the bob-stick at the 3 and 9 positions with the flange "up" and pull up slightly in those areas to flatten the rib. Try to avoid deep scratches in your aluminum as you work it, but don't panic if you happen to scratch it. Most things are fixable, and you can usually sand and buff out scratches in your t-3. I notice a lot of guys really getting wound-up about this, but you will be (hopefully) priming and painting anyway. Just make sure you smooth out the metal so you won't get any cracks and move on. There are planty of discussions on this, so my point is do the best you can. It doesn't need to be perfect, just somewhere between good-enough and perfect and it will fly.
My press is home-made. Not an original idea but I added my modifications to make it work. These are all my pearls of wisdom for now. Mileage may vary.
My press is home-made. Not an original idea but I added my modifications to make it work. These are all my pearls of wisdom for now. Mileage may vary.
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