Forming a Pry-Bar

[Thorin Ironfist]

Not sure if this belongs here or mad science, but it's not really a science topic, so it's here.

Anyway, I'm making a miniature pry bar that can fit in my pocket. I'm using aluminum (I want to be impractical, don't ask, it's a long story) and I have a quick question. I'm trying to bend the tip to a roughly 40 degree angle, but I don't have a wedge shaped tool to form a sharp angle. I have the anvil and hammer, but no way to make the corner. Should I just angle it against the edge of the anvil and slowly beat it to shape? Would another way to do it be just put it in a vice and bend it? The measurements are 1" X 7" X .25", and I want to bend it at a sharp (but not too sharp, don't know how to word that) 40 ish degree angle about 1 inch from the tip. Is this practical and how would it be done? Don't complain about it being aluminum, I know that it will bend easily and just deform after a bit of use. Any suggestions?

[Thorin Ironfist]

UPDATE:

Is this a good way to do it with aluminum? Youtube video link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1rpy7GOPjQ) I'm not using heat, but I do have access to a furnace if it is needed.

[NePb]

Generally speaking, one requires heat to bend metal. Bear in mind that heat can change the temper of the metal you are working. Aluminum is fairly ductile, I would hammer the end to the direction you want as well as try to hammer it to shape, then touch up with a grinder or what have you. Don't forget your safety glasses.

[JustSomeGuy]

All impracticalities of aly and heat treating aside, generally the easiest way to hammer 'tight' bends into metal that size is to place the inside of the planned bend angle into your vice and either hammer or lever the free end over until just past the desired angle (to allow it to spring back slightly, although really you should just add a little bend at a time to both minimise internal stress and get it as close to right as you can).

Basically use the vice as a jig.


Edit: at the start of your video, you can see how the free bar bends very loosely as he starts to hammer it over the anvil side, and he has to work both lengths next to the bend back to straight - which will obviously have effects on the square profile, width, legnth and height of the square bar as he hammers it, so further work would b required to bring the dimensions back to those desired (if there are any).
Obviously, any amount of bending will have effects on these other dimensions (unless you cut and weld, but that's another spiel again), but the tighter you can get your bend to begin, the less these effects will be. And clamping one side in a vice pretty much keeps that side free from deformation, unless you are breaking out the micrometers etc. One thing to bear in mind though, if you are using heat, a vice will suck heat out of your piece so fast that another method is preferred.

[sktarq]

Hell a white gas/propane torch should be able to give you a heat treatment option if you are using aluminum no furnace necessary-and with heating a wood wedge will get you a fair start.

[Thorin Ironfist]

Thank you guys! What I did was use heat from my butane torch to heat treat it after I used the side of the anvil to hammer it over. I had used a grinder to shape it prior to bending, so I didn't have to do much work afterwords.