Looking to try some metal work - aluminium trays

[DuncanA]

Hi Chaps,

Some time ago I came across a little wall cabinet with some fairly simple looking aluminium (I believe) drawers. It seemed to be cut and folded sheet metal with perhaps spot welding/soldering to join the seams. I took a few pictures (attached) and stored the memory away.

I'm now looking at making a drip tray for an umbrella/stick stand (somewhat similar to THIS) and wondering if this could be an easy method to go for.

So, I'm wondering if this would be as easy as I think it is and, if so, what tools will I need to mark, cut, fold and join the metal?

Any help would be appreciated!

EDIT: Should probably add I'd like to do this 'unplugged' with hand tools which don't take up too much space as far as is possible - though saying that could be showing my ignorance! (I accept some power may be necessary for joining the pieces together)

 

[AndyT]

If you can find tinplate, you won't need power for welding as it's easy to solder. (So easy we did some at school when I was about 12.)

Bending is done by hand, in the vice, or with a wooden or rawhide mallet.
Cut the metal with tin snips or aero snips.

Alternatively, have a look around the baking tray section of a kitchen shop!

 

[TFrench]

Can you use 2 lengths of angle in a vice to create long jaws and hand bend it? If its ally you'll be ok, anything tougher will be hard work. You can always rivet joints - if you do it from the inside out you can hide them quite well.

 

[DuncanA]

Thanks guys, googling for tinplate I've come across some good youtube videos, tinplate and solder does look to be the way to go (or at least worth a try!)

Cheers

 

[-Matt-]

Lot of messing about if using aluminium, you'd have to made extra tabbed folds to sit against the other sides so you could have a surface to attach to.
I.e if rivetting then you couldn't just have the corners butted together after you'd folded the sides. You could attach a folded angle to the outside (like a flight case) and rivet that.
Or epoxy glue.

With power you'd be looking at messing about with high frequency AC tig welding (Y)

 

[novocaine]

they aren't aluminium, they look to be bright steel of galvainsed steel they look to be spot welded together (clue being the steel handles). you can solder them together instead, which is a fairly typically method. really easy to make by hand, it was one of the first things we did in college. you'll be better making it like you'd make a cardboard box, make a net (best to make a template in card first), use a piece of wood the size of the inner and bend the sides over it, use a scrap of wood and a hammer to neaten the bends. you'll want to bend the tabs for the sides first if you did it that way (remember to include the thickness of the steel). once it's in to shape, clean the bejesus out of all the faces that will be soldered, use plumbers flux between the joints (dirt cheap) and plumbers solder (less cheap) along with a blow lamp to make the joints. when we did it, we failed if it leaked afterwards. I passed every time, we had to make them a few times over the first year to see if we'd improved.