How to anneal aluminium (for metalshaping)

If you're planning to fabricate your tank or bodywork from aluminium ("aluminum" for my North American friends 😜) you'll most likely need to "anneal" the sheet of metal.

This video will show you how to do it.

The aluminium sheet I can buy locally is a 5005 alloy (aluminium mixed with other elements) and it comes supplied in a "H34" temper - which is a type of heat treatment of the metal, and to be precise it is "Strain-hardened and stabilized - 1/2 hard".

While it is supplied "1/2 hard", I can make it "fully soft" and much easier to work with. We have to change the structure of the metal and we do this with heat, which is called "annealing".

Annealing is simply the process of heating the metal up to a point where the microstructure of the metal changes - effectively eliminating the temper it was supplied with - then letting the metal cool in the air.

Depending on the sheet metal you have available in your local area, annealing may not be necessary. I have seen other metalshapers in the USA suggest purchasing aluminium alloys in the 3000-3003 range as they are much softer. That is fine for the USA, but here in Australia I simply don't have that choice. I have to use what I can find.

In the case of aluminium, it is relatively easy to perform annealing with an oxygen/acetylene torch. And after you have been hammering on aluminium for a while, it tends to "work harden" and you can repeat the annealing process again to soften the metal. Then keep hammering, then soften again. You can repeat this a number of times until you have achieved the shape you want.

Watch this video to see how to do it.

★ RELATED TO THIS VIDEO:
Other videos and articles in the "Welding and Fabrication" series:
Essential tools for metal fabrication: krankengineering.com/tech/essential-tools-metal…
Introduction to welding: krankengineering.com/tech/introduction-to-weldi…
Ultra basic overview - Arc welding: youtu.be/nr1z1VBToyM
Ultra basic overview - MIG welding: youtu.be/9l50t-XsBt4
Ultra basic overview - TIG welding: youtu.be/OXr05f3Dwsg
Your first TIG welding lesson: krankengineering.com/tech/first-tig-welding-les…
How to weld repair cast iron: youtu.be/xbLZQCOV9jg
Getting started with metalshaping - beater bags & mallets: youtu.be/_FTH9dsxoZw
Getting started with metalshaping - tucking forks: youtu.be/_FTH9dsxoZw
Getting started with metalshaping - making a shrinking bowl - part 1: youtu.be/-MqEKY0gBYg
Getting started with metalshaping - making a shrinking bowl - part 2: youtu.be/gg1fU-eqUjA
Getting started with metalshaping - hammer and dollies: youtu.be/zYuqNybZ8IE
Getting started with metalshaping - slapping hammer: youtu.be/sf81yqLUrwg
How to QUICKLY layout bike lines with a wireframe buck: youtu.be/_wUf6Jj9za8

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