My hydroforming machine

I've had this working a little over a year now, and its been working really well. It is a self contained system, needing only electricity and air. It's fairly low-tech, with a 5 gallon bucket as a reservoir, the cheapest power washer from wal-mart, and plumbing from tractor supply co. The switch failed after the first use on the power washer, and after pulling it apart to fix it, I just left it out of the housing. A garage door spring helps with lifting the 1 1/2" thick upper plate, and air pressure is used to speed up getting the water back in the reservoir. I tried to speed up all the most boring parts to keep the video short while still showing what's going on.

[@LudvikKoutnyArt]

So KZbin's algorithm has decided I'm into hydroforming these days...

[@gilbertoantonioli2665]

I finally learned how flying saucers are made

[@vanmonroe4346]

I like how he numbered all the bolts so he tightens them in the correct sequence every time.

[@kenh9508]

It turned out perfect, what ever it is.

[@Phlednz]

Years back we welded a 3m Dia disc 5mm thick to a steel table and blew a dome, had an air bleed off in the center so only water under pressure. when dome was about 500 high welds started making wierd eerie sound, then a crack opened, the jet of water from the crack spurted across a gap of 3m and blew the wall out of the portacom office and knocked it off it's foundations.

[@felixcat9318]

Beautifully formed, it's remarkable just how much elasticity there is in steel!

[@beshkodiak]

I have shaped metal hollow forms by hammers and stakes, by presses and english wheels. This is such a clean and simple process. Your results are amazing! It seems i have been inspired to add to my skillset and workshop!

[@wickedprotos1937]

Wow that's very cool! Well Done!!

[@timber7744]

Never heared about hydroforming. Great post!!

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Nice sounding compressor. Good build!

[@CuriousEarthMan]

what the what? I have to research the hydroforming principles! Looks really well done and a beautiful part! Thanks for posting!

[@sonofdamocles]

so clutch. This is my favorite hydroforming channel.

[@lockbuilder]

That is fascinating! Great work.

[@ralphwaters8905]

In school, I built an explosive forming chamber about a third of that diameter. I used a shotgun shell (pellets removed) to push aluminum sheet (soft alloy 1100) into a steel die, with water as an incompressible buffer. Because of the fast forming time, I didn't need a very good seal so I could just smear some grease on the edge of the clamp and let a bit of water squirt out. It worked really well, but I could only use so many ashtrays... One thought: you could use your pump system to make tubular objects from 2 sheets of flat stock welded together around the edge, like perhaps a 2-stroke engine's expansion chamber.

[@perunbright6565]

Great job. Thanks for the show Panie Smith:)

[@gort5583]

That is so cool, well done!

[@randymc61]

That works amazingly well.

[@edwardbenton2602]

That is cool! Nice work!

[@celsoalejandromorales6452]

CONGRATULATIONS IT IS EXCELENT, greetins from ARGENTINA

[@petedazer3381]

That was impressive as all hell!