DIY Hydroforming Tutorial

Everything you need to know to start Hydroforming your own projects, including useful tips based on my metal inflating experiments.
More projects: www.connorholland.com/
Inflating Metal - Hydroforming Experiments Compilation: • Inflating Metal - Hydr...
Hydroforming a Futuristic Bowl and Lamp: • Hydroforming a Futuris...
Hydroforming an Inflated Steel Vase - • Hydroforming an Inflat...
Hydroforming the steel Lilo - • Hydroforming the steel...
00:00 Intro
0:09 But WHY?
0:28 Design
1:15 Cutting
1:54 Welding
3:38 Setup
4:11 Hydroforming!
5:40 Draining
6:10 Finishing
#hydroforming #metalworking #tutorial

[@randalrobinson3424]

Great idea. You mentioned minimizing trapped air, but it would be good to emphasize how this reduces the chance of a dangerous explosive weld failure

[@ConnorHolland]

Yes, see my latest video for a demonstration of what happens when there's trapped air

[@drd1924]

Did you ever play with those little rockets as a kid, where you filled the rocket half with water, then pumped it up with something like a bicycle pump?

[@timferguson1526]

Wow something I never thought of! I like how you calmly do the impossible!

[@laynekobain]

Very awesome tutorial, I agree the possibilities for this technique are immense. definitely going to dedicate some time to this eventually, keep it up!

[@johncichon9499]

Thanks for an informative and well put together video. About 4 years ago I was quoting a similar type of job where 2 pieces of 1.5mm thick sheets were seam welded and a valve welded in on one of the edges. This was used as an expandable pillow that, in the flat, was slid into a sawn section of quarry rock. It was inflated under high pressure causing the cut to expand and separate the rock into a manageable size to handle. I'd love to see more of the shapes you have made👍

[@ConnorHolland]

Very interesting, it is impressive how much lifting/splitting force can be generated by inflating relatively thin sheet metal. I'll continue to share my experiments with new shapes on here

[@alekszink7546]

You are such an artist Connor. There`s something very satisfying in decorative hydroforming. Thank you for your videos and persistence. I always wonder what you gonna come up with next. :) Bless you.

[@ConnorHolland]

Thank you very much!

[@howacarworks]

I love your presenting style and your explanations. Absolutely perfect explanation and demonstration. Subscribed!

[@ConnorHolland]

Thank you so much!

[@wolframschweier3307]

Fascinating process. I just found a new use for my PW. Excellent tutorial.

[@davelowe1977]

Good demo!

[@TheAussiePirate]

Thank you, that was a very good run through.

[@maurilgboukrou9130]

Wow this is pure art.

[@quartfeira]

Please keep up your awesome work mate! I'm impressed how cool this technique is and how many things you can virtually do! Actually you inspired me a lot, I make furniture with wood and metal but I'm always been intrigued by stainless steel... I was just thinking these days what can I do (since I'm a novice tig welder too) and you have been the inspiration, that little spark that i needed. I thought that for the hydroforming procedure was required a much higher pressure, and apparently is easier then I thought... at least in terms of tools that are needed. I'm happy! Please, keep it up. 😊🤙🏼✌️

[@ConnorHolland]

Thanks very much, I'm pleased to hear that!

[@joshm3342]

He ACTUALLY does things, not virtually.

[@chrissartain4430]

Very good video, this opened my understanding to a whole new idea of art.

[@717Fang]

Super brilliant idea.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Cool. The first time I heard about hydroforming metal was when the C5 Corvette debuted. Its frame rails were hydroformed and I always wondered how the process worked.

[@endurojimmy3109]

What a fantastic video. Thanks for making this.

[@motosill_garage]

Very useful tutorial video! Thanks. I need to try it in my projects too...

[@triggeredwelder]

Using the ground clamp as a clamp, I luv it

[@manxman8008]

very good idea and demo

[@herzogsbuick]

this is amazing! i've done some fab work and love Ron Covell, for instance, but i've just never seen anything like this ever. wow. subscribed.

[@IS-uh5yj]

Great VIDEO!! SEE YOU IN THE FUTURE

[@dinacaldwell7522]

Well this is quite groovy I must say. Impressive creativity

[@mark6302]

thats some fine metalwork

[@dodge7560]

Thank you for doing this tutorial,,subscribed.

[@brighambaker3381]

Awesome video! Thank you for the instruction!

[@moodlemech]

Wow niiice. So now all we need is a CAD/FEA program that can predict the stretch and then produce the templates, then pump them up for a perfect part.

[@alineharam]

You taught me something. Thanks.

[@alan_wood]

Very useful, thank you.

[@DiedrawingChinaFactory]

Great idea

[@juliewren2443]

Great video well done!xx

[@2150dalek]

Incredible.

[@Interdiction]

I will be making some Hydroformed fuel tanks for my boat . It seems easy enough . Thanks for the informative vid

[@charlesgraham9954]

i learned to Tig weld on aluminum with a thumb trigger. but i have Tig welded with a foot feed. i don't care for it. man thank you for your time making this video, i truly appreciate it, i know how long they take to film and edit. u gave me an idea how to make my own fenders and door panels for my 33 Ford Tuck. again, thank you..!

[@firstdayonline]

Excellent! Thank you!

[@DanteYewToob]

Great video! Perfect timing too, since I recently showed your videos to a friend and he wanted to try it out and I told him you’d probably release a tutorial sometime soon… haha That was a great welding tip too… I struggle with perfectly straight lines and I’m still learning, so that angle iron guide trick looks like a great way to rest your hand/wrist. I’m definitely going to try that out!

[@ConnorHolland]

Happy I could help, you can have some of the credit for being the first to ask for a tutorial

[@toroddlnning6806]

@@ConnorHolland can you use this method to round the shape of a bouthull of a 19 foot aluminim construction with lets say 4mm thick sheeting?

[@norfolkflyingboyz2404]

Beautiful ingenuity.😎very cool

[@fsj197811]

Cool stuff, thanks for sharing.

[@exploringgodscountry]

My Corvette's frame was hydroformed. Super cool!

[@marcosmacli1061]

Hola que gran trabajo, muchas Gracias por compartir, saludos

[@DrakeVideos]

haha what a great video, It's interesting to know how easy this can be and your explanations throughout were clear and to the point it was awesome you just let it break as i really wanted to see that when you mentioned it, not as powerful as expected. Loved the little warp out!

[@ConnorHolland]

Thank you!

[@psjasker]

Talented young man

[@JonMurray]

Brilliant video mate. New subscriber ✌🏻

[@1972Ray]

I worked at a place that made pressure tanks. You had to certify the welders for pressure, because it's much harder to have zero leaks under pressures much greater than a pressure washer can generate. Amazing video.

[@somaday2595]

The pressure washer I use to wash the house and vehicles is 3800 psi.

[@johnathon007]

@@somaday2595 Some pressure tanks are rated over 20k. Hydraulic systems can be crazy.

[@NIHILWR]

Idk why but you were in my recommendations today. Very cool video, never heard of this before.

[@AndrewJohnClive]

Me too!❤

[@deanharris7149]

Awesome vid! More would be appreciated.

[@TRechs]

Great video!!

[@flack3]

Great video thanks!

[@zigwil153]

pretty cool stuff....

[@kennethjanczak4900]

Nice job Thanks for taking the time to make the video and share it.

[@ConnorHolland]

You're welcome

[@johndoe1765]

And thank you great work it's very interesting.

[@dieselecompany8019]

Muito criativo nunca imaginaria fazer dessa maneira

[@Bianchi77]

Well done, keep it up, thanks for sharing it with us :)

[@mikex691]

Talent!!!!

[@nothanks7285]

Very cool video, what a nice skill to have. I'd love to try & make fenders and/or gas tanks for motorcycles with this method. Someday!

[@simonthomas3740]

Amazing

[@nob5000]

Great awesome good job i always wanted to do that

[@Fahnder99]

wow man awesome !

[@MrBCRC]

That's pretty cool

[@sicks6six]

noticed the motorcycle helmets behind you, hydroforming exhaust systems for bikes, moto-x & trials is a very lucrative business to be in, the plans for exhaust systems are free PDF online if you search for them, £1000 isn't a lot for an exhaust nowadays, worth thinking about if you wondering where this hobby could go in the future, good video and good work, excellent welding skills for self-taught using cheap equipment,

[@imperialmilkstout3499]

Hey ! Super vidéo merci à toi !

[@PizzaCat1732]

Nice welding!

[@dareks.3004]

Dobrze przedstawione dzieki

[@christophermoody50]

That is really interesting. Call it a failure of imagination, but i can't yhink of anything i could use it for right now.

[@freeman7788]

Try soldering steel with silver based solder faster to seal and recovery and low cost...

[@GeoFry3]

Nice

[@nicomedesmadriz]

It's great thank U🎉😅

[@Vlow52]

Great idea! You should try welding some Platonic solids and try to inflate them to see how spherical it gets

[@droner4300]

the channel is great

[@miguelr1490]

Interesting, liked to see how you made the round balls 🤔

[@perunbright6565]

Bravo:)

[@brettmoore3194]

When i saw that before you cut the tube off i thought that could be a mini boiler tank,. Have you tried making a lasgana style. Like to sealed tanks right beside each other. It could be a apparatus for electrochemical expirements. Oh jolly

[@qnner]

05:40 you could place a small tube up the hole to speed up the draining significantly. No need for a blowtorch for draining. Not too expensive for you to try it. 👍

[@ConnorHolland]

Yes a straw also works, it helps get air back inside to let the water flow out

[@ogreunderbridge5204]

Nice tutorial. Mighty fine batttle meat axe/sledgehammer, its important to be prepared :)

[@MRPARADOXPARADISE]

cool

[@dv8ug]

He disappeared at the end. This is a clear sign that the fifth dimension exists! I knew it!

[@Eatcrow]

I have a Zero electric motorcycle whose chassis is made this way and it’s very light !

[@kalleklp7291]

Collin Furze did this some years ago when he made a jet. Your TIG welding looks quite good. One can also use MIG for that but turn down the wire to an absolute minimum. Everything else would just be a waste of wire and make the result look bad.

[@ConnorHolland]

Nothing beats TIG in my opinion, except maybe robots and lasers, but I cant afford those yet

[@j.g.9524]

Awesome work:) Your TIG weld looks great! Would you like to share your settings for your welding machine? Especially the plus frequency and range is something I unfortunately never worked with:( Greetings from Germany and thanks a lot.

[@ConnorHolland]

Thank you, my typical weld settings can be seen at 1:55 I'm not sure of the exact numbers as the machine's display doesn't show them. I found my preferred settings by welding lots of scraps and comparing, then putting pencil marks next to the dials.

[@elitearbor]

Lovely! You really are bringing this technique to "the common man" so to speak. It's dangerous, yes, but all metalworking is.

[@johnnydennett4248]

It’s hardly dangerous when you use water. That’s why pressure testing of vessels is done with liquids that cannot compress. If you pumped it up with air that is compressible,then it would be dangerous. Generally what happens is you get a tiny leak on the weld seam and you can no longer build pressure . It ends with a whimper ,no bang…

[@CableWrestler]

Colin Furze already done this

[@ArcOfTheCovenant]

Test your welds under water and look for bubbles or use soapy water in a spray bottle it will also produce bubbles if leaks are present

[@ConnorHolland]

Good idea, it's frustrating having to stop hydroforming because you missed a tiny hole in the weld

[@joelaroche7667]

Would have been nice to also talk about the plug you insert to test the piece.

[@DanielSMatthews]

Can you draw annealed lines on the sheet metal with a blowtorch to guide crease formation in situations where the geometry allows for more than one outcome and you don't want it to be random?

[@ConnorHolland]

That could work, it may be more effective to get the lines red hot and use compressed air (under 100 psi) to inflate

[@DanielSMatthews]

@@ConnorHolland Ah yes get them started then finish with the hydro.

[@X3msnake]

Awsome video Master. Thanks for sharing What are the safety concerns with hydroforming that one should be aware besides using eye protection gear?

[@ConnorHolland]

It's basically the same precautions you would take when cleaning using a pressure washer (avoid touching the jet), and make sure to expel any air trapped inside the workpiece, which can cause more energetic ruptures

[@balloney2175]

I wish you demonstrated more.

[@GWAYGWAY1]

I built an expansion chamber like this to save doing loads of pie cuts . It leaked like a sprinkler showing my faulty welds in the seams.

[@Leonelvasquezaraujo]

Saludos amigo que material usas y cuál es el calibre adecuado muchas gracias

[@jiribunata5273]

Nice work! I watched your videos with enthusiasm. May I ask you what is the sheet thickness you use and what is the material specification? Is that standard DC01 sheet or some deep-drawing material ?? Last question.. I am thinking about copper or brass sheet with soldered joints instead of welded . Did you happen to try as well ? thx

[@ConnorHolland]

Thank you, I use standard 1mm mild steel sheet. Brass with brazed edges should work just as well as steel, copper and solder could work if the joints are able to cope with the movement and pressure. I haven't tried them yet, but they would look great polished up

[@jpsimon206]

I was surprised by your statement suggesting those concerned about rust could use stainless. Have you tried this? I have messed around with DIY hydroforming, both pressure washer and grease gun techniques. I have never had a successful expansion in stainless, I have tried several different grades and thicknesses. I think it is because it work hardens so quickly. May I ask, what stainless have you tried? Did you find some trick to negate the work hardening?

[@ConnorHolland]

Here's me using stainless: kzbin.info/www/bejne/laO5ZX2qatJgsNU It is 0.9mm thick, grade 304, and I treat it exactly the same as mild steel, which fortunately has worked well for me

[@Alan_Hans__]

Very nice. I wonder if the wire fed laser welders would do any sort of a reasonable job at welding for hydroforming.

[@ConnorHolland]

I think they would work well, as the sheet metal I use is so thin (

[@C2welder]

Can you do it with a circular piece so you can create two shallow domes?

[@ConnorHolland]

For circles you would need to use thick steel mold, as the edges pull towards the centre, usually making a large dent. To make 2 domes I would make a sphere and cut it in half: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHXZiHd5oseDrtU

[@ovalwingnut]

C.H. You R the "Cost Effective Hydroforming Wisperer"... Just saying. Thank you for this video. I shall will use this new skill to save hundred$ on a Dry Sump Oil Tank. Who needs a 6-axis mill? Cheers.

[@ChrisLee-qo9zl]

Your videos are really enlightening. Have you ever worked with aluminum sheet? Specifically 6061-T6 about 1.5mm thickness? Or is aluminum just too brittle? I have a project wih aluminum tubing that requires a minimal amount of expansion.

[@ConnorHolland]

Thanks, a aluminium test piece I made did have brittle welds that cracked, but annealing could help with flexibility. Tube may be difficult to inflate as it already has a circular cross section, but may be possible with strong welds and enough pressure. I know its common to form tube in industry with complex molds and high pressure.

[@ChrisLee-qo9zl]

Thanks for your input. I'll do a test piece up.

[@mufur4915]

yea, do the same with normal thickness material - 30 and above

[@babbapappa1]

Hey there, great video ❤, question can you determine the shape you create by scribing a pattern onto the flat sheet?

[@ConnorHolland]

The finished shape depends most on the shape of the outer edges. Welding, clamping or using a steel mold can affect how a shape inflates, if they are strong enough to resist the large force acting on them.

[@henmich]

Not going to lie... This was amazing.... I'm shocked a pressure washer was enough to do that.

[@MekazaBitrusty]

A small valve on the steel plate would help remove any traces of air.

[@ConnorHolland]

Yes, I have recently welded a ball valve to the steel tube, that lets any trapped air out

[@WarwickMalone]

We did a dome 3600 diameter 5mm steel, when the weld failed at about 250 PSI a jet of water blew out the wall of a nearby portacom office, smashed the windows and flipped the furniture inside upside down. There was no air, this was a result of the small amount of spring in the steel. If a person had been standing in front of it I think it would be worse than getting hit with a sledge hammer.

[@christoffermartensson7978]

How did you let out the air? By filling without preassure and a not tight fitting?

[@ConnorHolland]

That's right, at 4:38 I'm pointing at the air bubbles escaping

[@runcycleskixc]

Does this work with aluminum, and how does the pressure scale with the vol of the part (linear?)

[@ConnorHolland]

Yes it works with aluminium, and parts get easier to hydroform the larger they are. Because of its small volume, my hydroformed slingshot was able to take the full 90 bar of my pressure washer

[@vladimirbulanov7268]

Это лучшее о методе, что есть на Ютубе.

[@finnmcrae]

Any idea what pressure roughly stainless steel takes to hydroform completely?

[@ConnorHolland]

I don't have a gauge, but the pieces I've done have ruptured before reaching 90 Bar. I also inflate some pieces with air pressure using 100 psi or less. I use 1mm thick steel, so going thicker may need more pressure