Straightening Something That Requires A Little Finesse And A Lot Of Tonnage

[danny]

Yes. That is part of the trick.
Most you will have to “bend” a piece considerably past the actual straight because of spring back.
keep in mind, this process is not just hit it once with the tonnage and be done. the first time thing you have to do is ascertain exactly where the bend starts. As @Fast14riot just noted, often it can be bent between the journals as well. You have to ”work it out” so to speak.

We have a gage on the pump that tells me exactly how many PSI I am exerting, I get an idea through trial exactly what it is taking to move the metal. Every piece of steel can be a little different.

With this particular Rudder Stock, it was taking upwards of 7000 psi on the gage to straighten. With the spread on the arms that I had here, that means it was taking about 280 tons to move the metal.

One of the things about straightening items with a rig such as this is it is as much of an art as anything. Years of doing this has taught me, and several of my men, exactly how to, and where to, apply the tonnage for best results.

I had to straighten something at work (actually, kind of often I do that), so I know what you are talking about here, starting gradually. I was straightening an approx. 3/4" x 24" rod, and at the time, it was bowing like a bow. Guy is walking by me, looking at it, exclaiming "what are you doing to that???" like I just set it down and immediately went Apeshit on it and had bent it way worse than it was to start. I kept going, a bit at a time, going farther and farther each time. It kept springing back until it finally had enough and went pretty straight

Danny

 

[jackieschmidt]

Here is the Stock in one of our Submerged Arc Welders getting the Journals welded, then in the lathe for finish machining of the Journals. The welding wire is 3/32 diameter, 316L Stainless.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Jackie, I was curious if you ever apply any heat while doing this?

We warm it just enough to get the chill off. There is less danger of metal displacement if you straighten it with no appreciable heat.

We have decades of experience doing this kind of work, and have pretty much perfected the proccess.

All you need is the equipment, and the knowledge.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Finished job. Ships out Monday.

 

[Dimner]

Yikes, can't imagine what kinda hole it burned in that ship owners pocketbook

 

[FireMedic]

Whatever he charges, I’m certain it’s not enough! Impressive work!

 

[akajun]

While I don’t have a “ fixture” I have set up and straightened in my press between v blocks to straighten things, even shotgun barrels
Using dial and test indicators really helps figuring out spring back and how far past center to go
I’m sure you know this

 

[JPB3]

Jackie, off topic a bit. Do you know of a micro precision welding outfit in Houston that could weld on a 1911 frame??
Pat B.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Jackie, off topic a bit. Do you know of a micro precision welding outfit in Houston that could weld on a 1911 frame??
Pat B.

Not any more Pat. The old fellow who used to do precision tig welding just down the street from my Shop died last year.

My older brother is pretty handy with TIG welding. Exactly what do needs welded?

 

[JPB3]

One of my first efforts at fitting an unconventional grip safety. There were several surfaces that had to be cut, each affecting the others. I overcut the tangs which now sport an unwanted gap.. This was several years back and it's been sitting on the back shelf. Dug it out and intent is to weld up the tangs on the frame and have another go at fitting this grip safety. About a .010-.015'' gap. The frame is a NH stainless.

 

[Walt Schmidlin]

Really impressive fix. You make repairing a major ah sh*t like it’s fixing a flat tire

 

[jackieschmidt]

One of my first efforts at fitting an unconventional grip safety. There were several surfaces that had to be cut, each affecting the others. I overcut the tangs which now sport an unwanted gap.. This was several years back and it's been sitting on the back shelf. Dug it out and intent is to weld up the tangs on the frame and have another go at fitting this grip safety. About a .010-.015'' gap. The frame is a NH stainless.

If it just has to be the “adding metal”, so to speak, I will ask my brother.

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

Yikes, can't imagine what kinda hole it burned in that ship owners pocketbook

anything to do with a ship is mucho dinero.

 

[Will Henry]

That looks exactly like a lot of the barrel straightening fixtures I have seen; though somewhat heavier-duty. That is some significant tonnage! WH

 

[xfmrdude]

You know whats really sad, in not so many years, this craft will be gone!
Sir, you are so fortunate to have learned this skill and continue to use it.

 

[jackieschmidt]

You know whats really sad, in not so many years, this craft will be gone!
Sir, you are so fortunate to have learned this skill and continue to use it.

We are teaching a new generation of young Craftsman in the methods we use in a wide variety of work that we perform.

As long as there are the types of Vessels we work on in service, they will need shops such as mine to fix what they break.

 

[cavedweller60]

If any of you like seeing this type of thing, there is a youtube channel that posts a lot of big repairs. It is called Cutting Edge Engineering Australia. He does a lot of interesting stuff, mostly on mining equipment but, he does a little of everything.

 

[Old Navy]

Similar, but those and the strong back are custom water cut from T-1 plate

I used to bend front axles on trucks with that same technique. There was a lot of spring back with them. 200 ton jack?

 

[Uncle Bruce]

I used to bend front axles on trucks with that same technique. There was a lot of spring back with them. 200 ton jack?

I used to work in a over the road truck shop. We changed alignment shops when we found out the first shop was bending the axle in the wrong place and it would not stay put . Big difference between knowing what you are doing and just learning how.. experience is worth a lot.
.

 

[Old Navy]

I used to work in a over the road truck shop. We changed alignment shops when we found out the first shop was bending the axle in the wrong place and it would not stay put . Big difference between knowing what you are doing and just learning how.. experience is worth a lot.
.

I only did pickup trucks.