There's a secret to annealing aluminium. Annealed aluminium re-hardens over time without anything being done to it. To soften the metal you need to heat it up, but avoid heating it till it melts. The secret is this: Rub some ordinary hand soap over the metal. Heat with your blowtorch until the soap marks turn black. The metal is now soft enough to work and hammer into shape. If you use a former (i've used MDF) the metal (dependant on it's thickness of course) will be soft enough to hammer out the wrinkles without unduly damaging the former.
Hope that helps
Yeah, that's what I need to do. Thanks Gweedo. Will post a pic if it ever turns out ok.
M
Made this recently for a member on here.Lid for a crusader cup made from stainless steel with a brass loop.Entirely hand made from 1mm sheet.This was a real pig to make and i nearly gave up on it until i introduced it to Oxy-acetelene
Im pleased with the end result
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