Sheet metal forming is basically simple stuff and can be done by anyone – not only big, brawny blacksmith types. All it takes is a handful of tools and a place where you can work without disturbing others.
How can sheet metal be formed then? Well – it can be worked with hammers and chisels, bent, pressed or rolled into shape. It can be cut too, of course. These are all operations which can be done by hand, with hand-operated tools; and indeed people in ancient times made fantastic objects with only their bare hands and a few tools still used in some form today. One important addition to these tools – is heat. A propane torch will come in handy for softening the metal, allowing for easier shaping – a process known among metalworkers and metallurgists as annealing. Doing annealing the right way requires you to know how much to heat the metal you are working with. You want to reach the right temperature in a slow and controlled manner. Then you want the metal cool slowly again. The purpose of this is to cause the metallic crystals to reorganize; making the metal more ductile and relieving stress in the material.
The most manual way to shape metal, is with the techniques known as repoussé and chasing. These are the seemingly simple methods of beating a piece of annealed metal into shape with hammers, mallets, anvils, etc. Many incredible historic works of art (including ancient Egyptian mummy masks and the Statue of Liberty) have been made using this technique, but fine jewellery work is also possible this way. In fact, when it comes to the potential for extreme detail in metal sculpting, there probably is no better way of achieving it.
If detail is less of an issue, various bending and rolling machines can be used. Makers of hand made cars use roll formers, english wheels and sheet metal benders for their work, and make all sorts of amazing curves and bends in sheet metal. If you need to produce in industrial quantities and to tight tolerances, you should look into press brakes and other punch presses. These machines can – at cost – do very complicated shapes in mere seconds, if that is what you need.
That was just a quick intro to sheet metal forming – hope it was as informative for you, as it was fun for me to write!
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