Embossing rips on PE parts...

[Markus Lack]

Hey Guys,
maybe one of you can help me.
For years I try to emboss the rips on PE boxes, fenders aso and always mess them up.
The rips work fine, but the metal bends too much while doing so, rendering the part useless. Now I plan to build a Panther and I already have some ABER-parts for the boxes and I really hope to get some tipps here...

Thanks in advance!

[Jamie Tainton]

Hi Markus- I'm not sure -something lost in the translation- what exactly do you mean by "rips"
I suspect that you mean the areas one needs to emboss the parts such as the strengthen cross on a Panther storage box. I have found doing the embossing on a piece of MDF - medite? it works pretty good. When the metal warps I just use a tool to flatten it out on the curved up side of the parts to get it flat again. Annealing could reduce this but then you may have problems when you go to solder the part as this process changes something in the chemistry to repel solder.

Maybe using lighter pressure with more passes will reduce the warpage?

[Markus Lack]

Yes, those strengthening crosses are what I meant. Sorry, sometimes my english leaves me alone .
You really use some MDF? I thought, since it isn´t flexible, that it would prevent embossing?
I tried it on some firm rubber (formerly butt of a gunstock) and my cutting matt and it really might be that this was the problem. I will try your tipp out, it can´t get any worse . Good point about not annealing it since I wanted to do so.
Thanks James, that really helps!

[Jamie Tainton]

[Markus Lack]

Good morning James,
it really makes perfect sense. I was thinking a while about it last night and I think you´re right with that.
You will see how it turns out once I come around to try it.

[Jamie Tainton]

Markus check this thread...
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=270&p=1231#p1231

[Markus Lack]

YES! Thanks a lot James. I knew you did some kind of SBS on the strengthening rips but I couldn´t remember during which build.
Cheers for digging it out!