The Armour Archive

I was wondering what is the best way to cut 18g aluminnum. This is for some exetremely light costume armour for myself. I have a jigsaw, but it is a 2' x 4' sheet and it flies all over the place, though I might need different blades. I was cutting out some pieces for a pauldron.

Now I actually have a vice, but it is only 3" long (very teeny ) and I think it would bend the sheet as I am trying to cut it. So, what I have been doing is (I suppose the period way) using a sledge and chisel on my also very teeny anvil (20#) but this takes time.

I have already made an arm harness and a gorget. I was thinking the problem might be that I have insuffecient tools, but this is more of a hobby, so I don't want to spend alot of $ (thus the reason for 18g aluminum).

Thanks in advance,
Kelsey

Actually, aluminum is waaayyy higher priced than mild steel.
That aside, why not invest in some aviation snips. It will save a lot of hassle and will probably work well for 18-alum. That is if your trying to save money. The cost of the snips will be nothing compared to the hassle of cutting it with a chisel on a tiny anvil.


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FIRESIDE ARMOURY
www.firesidearmoury.com

Your jigsaw will cut through that aluminium like butter.

Make sure you have metal cutting blades maybe 15-20 teeth per inch. If the blade is too fine, it will clog up with the soft metal.

Clamp the metal down to your workbench if at all possible. It should work great.



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Michael
http://www.barbute.com/armour

Well, the jigsaw should do the job. Since it's very wimpy metal, a many teeth blade will cut a little smoother. Get a 24 or even 36 teeth per inch (tpi) metal cutting blade. Set the metal on your workbench with the line you are cutting as near the edge as possible for support. Oil the blade prior to cutting. While cutting, press down firmly on the jigsaw, with only a little forward pressure. Move slowly through the curves. Re-oil the blade every several inches of cutting (a drop of sewing machine or household oil will do). Always keep the line you are cutting near the edge of the workbench for support. Using this method, you should easily be able to cut the metal at very little expense to yourself. (maybe only a couple bucks for saw blades)

Hope this helps.

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Otto's Armoury
(home of one HIGHLY overworked armourer!) http://www.members.tripod.com/SBvast

Use Beverly Shears.
Seriously, this is the best method. David Truehearth and I cut out 2 or 3 sheets of 4'x 8' 16 ga mild steel in an afternoon on a borrowed pair back before he got himself a pair. They are ideal for the job. You might be able to find a Beverly Shears at a metal shop of a community collage, or even at a high school metal shop, if they are a big school. They cut many times faster than a jig saw...at least in mild (and especially stainless) steel. If this is costume armor, I would have suggested going with 20 ga mild, it is about the light you can go and still keep it rigid enough. Be careful when dishing your aluminum; it work hardens and has a tendency to crack at stress points.

And if you can't find a Beverly Shears, use a jigsaw. The above posts offer good advice.

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Dalewyn, Alchemy Armory

And when you're done with the beverly shear, you can send it over my way! I'll even pay for the shipping!

You've gotten some conflicting views here about jig saw blades. Let me put those views in perspective: f*** jig saws. At least where metal is concerned. They're great for wood projects, but that's about it.

GOOD aviation snips, as in the ones that will last you for your life, cost about $15. Depending on your strength, you can tackle up to 16g mild with them, and 18g alum. won't put up any fight at all. Make sure they are for the hand you'll be cutting with (generally, green handles mean they're left handed). Also try to get the ones that have an offset handle: the straight handles mean that you can cut metal up to the point where your hand hits it, and then you need to bend the metal out of the way.

When you're cutting with hand shears, always make sure that your wrist is completely straight.

Beverly shears cost $400+. They're REALLY nice, though.

If you're more serious than hand shears, check ebay auctions for unishears. (NOT NIBBLERS.) They look like a jigsaw, only they have a tiny shear in place of the blade. I've seen them eat through 14g mild with no problem at all, and quickly, too. you could get a unishear for under $100 if you're lucky.

HELMUT

If you just want to finish your projects without any extra cost....

put the aluminum on a sheet of scrap 1/2 inch plywood and cut through both sheets at once. the 1/2 ply will keep the aluminum from bouncing all over the place.

mrks

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Depending on your strength, you can tackle up to 16g mild with them, and 18g alum. won't put up any fight at all</font>

Until I got my Stanley Unishear and B-2, I was cutting 16ga stainless finger gatlings with aviation snips. You want to talk hand strength! The ones I used already had over half the jaws broken/ground off, and I just cut them out a little at a time. Time consuming, to say the least.

If anything, pick up a pair of aviation snips just to have in your shop. They'll be useful.

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I'm not being mean, I'm just telling you how it is.
Salinas Swordsman
Darkmoor Armoury
Western Hammer-In, September 22-23, 2001 - Salinas, California

Thanks for all the replies!

What is the best place to get aviation snips?

Most hardware stores and places like Home Depot would carry them. They are very useful to have around.

There are different types -- they are designed to cut straight or along curves -- and are colour-coded (yellow handles cut straight ahead, or slight curves). You may be able to get along with a yellow pair, and maybe a red pair (cuts to the left) -- that's what I've been using so far. They will handle 18 ga. mild steel too. I think they cost something like $10 US each.

[This message has been edited by Lisa (edited 07-27-2001).]

I'm having the same problem, I'm using an old Black & Decker jigsaw and seems to be slower than the Arlec model that blew up after 1 sheet of 16 gauge. The B&D is louder than a banshee, we got kicked out of our last armoury for too much noise, and it shakes the hell out of the steel. It breaks blades like they're going out of style, and is just generally horrible to use, is there anything better than a jigsaw but not as expensive as power shears?
I'm cutting 18, 16 and 14 gauge steel, with *lots* of tight curves and little arcs, primarily in the 18 and 16 gauge stuff. How do I clamp this stuff, I have to cut out two finger gauntlets of lil' plates!?

Reinhard Hauser von Burgdorf
"Pas d' argent, pas de Suisses"

If you use a jigsaw invest in G clamps, they'll hold the metal in place nicely.

Wait a second.
I've used snips to cut up to 16g mild, but only once. It is a terrible method if you are a minimalist like me. This means that I use handfiles to clean my edges, and the jigsaw leaves beautiful edges whereas the snips leave tooth-marks and dimple the plates; they must be hammered flat before clean-up. A huge waste of time.

I suspend my sheet over a narrow gap between two boards. The jigsaw blade sticks down through the gap and I move the piece rather than the supporting surface. For long cuts, I use clamps; otherwise, I hold the metal down with my foot.

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Idëval
The Huntsman of
I-Nossë Lúmëvanwa
My mind opens wide when I roar

You know, I work in aviation maintence and modifications.

We aircraft workers are probably the only guys who do NOT use aviation snips. We use powershears and bandsaws to cut up aluminum.

Still, for that gauge of aluminum (in avaiation standards that is actually a fairly heavy gauge) I think handsnips would work.

Kyle

[This message has been edited by Kyle Wiegers (edited 08-03-2001).]