Motor Cycle Fender

[snotzalot]

Goleafsgo_12 asked if a motor cycle would be a good first metalshaping project and then asked for suggestions on how to make one. I did a search in the Gallery with the keyword "Tuck" and found this drawing from Wray on how to make a motor cycle fender.



BTW this can be made by hand with no power tools or Ewheel.

[goleafsgo_12]

hey thanks man, that helps a lot. i plan on making one of those soon so this helps thanks. And as for hitting the tucks on the inside, that could become rather difficult as the fender is coming over and you have less hammering room, any way or techinuqe to get around this? And to make the tucks, do I just take a tucking tool and do 1 to one side, 1 to the other, and go down each side 1 tuck on 1, 1 on the other, alternating sides? Thanks again

[Kerry Pinkerton]

What you do is open the fender up by squeezing the ends together. This changes the FORM but not the SHAPE, Tuck shrink some more and just push it back into shape. I made one of these at the 02 event and when Wray twisted it all up I thought "it's ruined!!!" but it is just how it is done.

Do you understand shape and form?

[Peter Miles]

Even if our Toronto lawn waste enthusiast (see, if you actually used your name I wouldn't have an excuse to poke fun at your login id) understands Form & Shape, I really don't and would truly like to hear a good explanation of it even though it probably is already covered here somewhere.

[goleafsgo_12]

lawn waste enthusiast? I dont follow, anyways Im Ryan, 16, and live just outside of Toronto...and No can you describe the difference between the 2, thanks.

[Peter Miles]

Hi Ryan - It was a play on the "Leafs" as in Leaves in your userid. Welcome.

[Kerry Pinkerton]

Well, I THINK I finally understand it. I'm sure someone will correct me if I get it wrong.

SHAPE is the area of a panel (and where the area is on the panel). You can stretch or shrink to create shape.

FORM is the orientation of the panel. You can twist, fold, or bend to change the form and it does NOT change the shape.

Think of a basketball. If you deflate it (ignore the fact that if you deflate it gets smaller, this is just an example) it has a certain shape. You can punch it with your fist and it will collapse in on itself. It still has the same shape but the form has changed. If you put air back in it, the original form comes back. The shape never changed.

This finally came to me as I was working on the bondo buck at MM03. Using flexible shape patterns, I could create a panel that was a perfect match for the flexible pattern (ie the shape was correct) but one that did not look at all like the fender (ie was out of form). By using the buck, I can ensure that I put in the proper form so I can tack multiple panels together. Now I know that when I ship it to a client it will fit their car.

[goleafsgo_12]

O ok now I understand the diff between the 2, thanks. So what I do is i first shape the panel so that its round from side to side. How do I do this? Then I bend it up by grabing the ends, now that I have a U, i make the tucks here or do I hammer the tucks that I should have made before I bent it into a temporary U? Thanks.

[snotzalot]

Originally Posted by Peter Miles

Form & Shape, I really don't and would truly like to hear a good explanation of it even though it probably is already covered here somewhere.

Geeeezeeeeeee Peter, why did you have to open up this can of worms????????????? :mrgreen:

[snotzalot]

So what I do is i first shape the panel so that its round from side to side. How do I do this? Then I bend it up by grabing the ends, now that I have a U, i make the tucks here or do I hammer the tucks that I should have made before I bent it into a temporary U?

Get your self some 18 ga copper or aluminum, look at Wrays sketch and try it. To get the long U shape bend the metal around a pipe or table leg.

Then make a few tucks on the long edge, hammer them down and the panel will start to bend in the second direction. Try that and report back to us what you have found.