bending the marquee retainer

[GAtekwriter]

Did some searching and am considering going the Home Depot marquee retainer route mentioned below:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=71442.0 (aluminum L-bracket from Home Depot)

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=14773.0



My question is this:  has anyone done any bending of the HD retainer?  My cabinet is going to require the bottom marquee retainer to be slightly obtuse (maybe 135 degrees?) to hold the bottom of the marquee.  Should I skip this product and just go with the Happ retainer?  (I seem to remember reading in another hard-to-find post that the Happ retainer can be bent).  I'm also concerned about damaging either product - any help will be greatly appreciated.

Jim

[Dustin Mustangs]

Good question!  I am pondering this same issue right now.  I have the aluminum angle in my garage just waiting for me to figure something out.  From the research I've done, I've narrowed it down to two options. 

Plan A is to make a die (this may not be the proper term) out of hardwood that is the shape and size I want the inside of the angle to be when I'm done modifying it.  Then you position the angle over it and go to town with a non-mauling hammer (wood or rawhide).  This is a real metal fabrication process but I can't remember the name of it right now and my metal fab book is at home.  This will obviously only work with aluminum, but I don't know why anyone would use steel for this.

Plan B is along the same lines but the die doesn't need to necessarily be hardwood and replace the hammer with heat.  Lots of heat. 

I've also considered making a metal break to do this with, but I couldn't figure out how to make one w/o investing alot of money and / or time.  Both of which I'm personally trying to avoid.


I'd love to hear from someone that has successfully done this before...

 

[SithMaster]

I got the happs retainers and they work fine for my cab which had an odd angle making a 90degree bent metal not apply right.  The top retainer did not need to be bent but the bottom piece has to be otherwise it sticks out a little (because of its curve) past the sides.  i plan on just heating it with a hairdryer or leaving it out in the sun for a bit then bending it so it fits snuggly.

depending on the thickness of the metal you get you might not need a brake.  if you have a pc case around that you dont need maybe use that as a temp retainer.

[mountain]

About the only way I know of that will do it easily is to use one of these tools.
Most metal shops will have them. It is a shrinker/stretcher. I have used one before and they work amazingly well.

[Green Giant]

With those aluminum brackets, you can pretty much bend it by hand.  They aren't that durable.  You can also drill the holes in it, stick in the marquee, and tighten the screws till it feels tight.  It might not be perfectly flush, but it isn't going anywhere.

Mine isn't a 90 degree angle, but the screws hold it in tight.  I just screwed them in and colored the screw heads black with a sharpie, noone can tell.

[spacies]

Easiest solution would be to find a sheet metal shop and have one made.
Lucky to be $10.

[fixedpigs]

here's how i'm going to bend mine...

figure out how long the side of the triangle(x) would be to match the angle that i want the bend to be...

clamp two straight edged boards on a flat surface x distance apart...

lay the 'angle iron' flat inside of the channel that was just created by the two parallel boards so the angle is pointing straight up...

lightly tap with a rubber mallet so the two sides of the 'angle iron' spread out and make contact with the two boards...keep doing this all of the way down the piece...

simple and easy...