SHRINKER & STRETCHER

摘要

The basic principle of shrinking and stretching relies upon squeezing the metal together or pulling apart to stretch. Shrinkers and stretchers accomplish this with a pair of ribbed jaws that bite into the metal and then slightly move either inward or outward. If the arc is too great, stretchrning along the same path will open it back up. Hand-operated tools are always the cheapest, but foot-activated ones will speed your work and control since both hands are free to guide the metal. The result in this case is a piece of 90-degree angle sheetmetal that curves fluidly. Note that the marks are only on one side of the 90-degree stock; this technique is handy for making custom parts and patches as well as flanges for joining panels, or even templates for cloning existing parts.