So if you've seen Avatar, I don't mean the awesome power of manipulating metal like Toph, my all time favorite TV-show character...
Arguably one of the most bad ass characters of all time.
By metal bending, I mean going with my sister to Tech Shop and learning how to fold sheets of metal. Still pretty dang awesome. Thanks Merlyn (my sister), who gave me the best Christmas ever!
We used 16-gauge steel to fold simple metal boxes. We first outlined the shape we liked, and used a hydraulic sheet cutter.
After that we used a corner notcher to cut corners into the metal. We did some finer and more detailed cutting with a straight (slitting) shear. The straight sheer operates like a gigantic pair of scissors. It's pictured below.
Next we used a turret punch (gigantic hole puncher) to drill holes into the metal. Why is this important? Unlike paper, metal is really thick and the bending places lots of stress on the joints. Putting holes into the corners of the box we are making-the most folded areas- relieves the stress of folding. It is not necessary, but it does help a lot!
Turret punch
The hole punching creates a little dimple in the metal when the drill is pulled out of the metal. It is pretty easy to even out with a few swings with the hammer.
Next up, the finger break! My favorite part :).
We use the finger break to actually bend the metal.
Finally, the spot welder. It joins the metal folds together using electrodes. The current is applied through the tips of the electrodes-resistance between the 2 sheets of metal causes a bonding at the point of contact.
Finished result!
It's a pretty simple design! But now I know how to fold metal sheets any way I want :).