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DIY aluminum clamps

51K views 85 replies 31 participants last post by  eccles291 
#1 ·
Just an easy DIY clamp for many applications.
When I first wanted to build a fighter was very displeased with the selection of clamps for fork mounting a headlight. The nice billet were lets just say not worth the price to me, or back ordered and still pretty high dollar wise for what you get.

I found the stock at Lowes. Thin easy to work with no heat needed.
It comes in Various width, so you can pick and choose what you need.







It doesnt have to be thick to clamp on and hold. The trick is in the Bend.
I first used a PVC pip as my mold to bend. took my micrometer and measured my forks and then went and found a pvc pipe slighlty smaller in diameter. Remember its a clamp and you want a tight fit. This stuff will rebend as you tighten it to fit better.

Cut your length you want. (this was scrap I had laying around) Make the cut slightly longer than you intend, you can trim it after but too short and your laser guided fingers will always make it off.



I ended up buying a set off cut off fork legs for some caps and adjusters so lucky me have exactly what I need to bend now.


Measure and clamp in the center for a guide.


Bend as evenly as possible



Clamp ends together to bring everything in straight.



Clamp with vice or c-clamp
You can sand and buff any marks out later. Or use a smooth face vice jaw. You can make those with the same stock just a little wider.



Clamp is made , so before you take it out of the PVC and unclamp everything, now would be a good time to drill a hole for bolt and nut.


Here is a set I made for my headlight. Im thinking of redoing it with a smaller width now.

I put the trimmed and bolted end in the inside and it is rock stable with the forks. Also used the same method fot an overflow bottle.

A lot easier to make the stuff as needed versus finding the correct diameter everytime.

Hope this helps someone.
 
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#29 ·
pardon me for not clarifying. both pieces were 1/16 thickness. The top piece was 3/4 in wide and the lower 1-1/8 wide.

I wanted to kind of mirror the width of the respective triple clamps: thin at the top, beefy at the bottom.
 
#33 ·
i just want to say another (nice one) to tls as ive made myself a pair for my slingy. i bought 2 pairs and they would only fit at the top of the forks where they are narrow but i want them lower down. so after a fab job im a happy chap and will post some pics tomorrow when i find the lead for my camera
 
#35 · (Edited)
This is 1/16" thick 1/2" wide clamp I made for my build. I only had enough material to make one clamp though. Speedymetals.com has some 0.063" (1/16") Al sheet that's 11.5"x24" in it's "Fire Sale" section so I'll be picking up a sheet after school later this week to redo the first mount and make a second one. I'm redoing the first one because the bolt is too far from the fork tube so the bracket isn't clamping onto the tube as much as it should be. If I wiggle it a little I can currently slide the headlight up and down the fork.


 
#36 ·
May be a dumb question, but couldn't you just "add" a fastener a little closer to the fork? This way you don't have to redo the entire clamp? It looks like if you moved that mounting bolt in any closer, your headlight wouldn't have clearance? May be just from the angle on the pics, but it doesn't look like you'll have much room?
 
#37 ·
I can go back 3/8" and still have enough clearance. I want to redo it with a 5/8" wide piece of Al so it matches the flange OD of the bolt head. I'll also radius the end instead of leaving it square like it is now. If it still isn't tight enough I'll cut up an inner tube and use that as a spacer around the fork tube under the clamp.
 
#44 ·
Funny, i went to Lowe's the other day just to get ideas and I saw the aluminum stock and decided I was going to use that. This thread gave me pictures so now I don't have to figure out the best way to go about shaping them. I'll probably use PCV to get the shape.
 
#45 ·
thats how I started this, but made the mistake and started with the thicker stuff thinking it had to be thicker to hold. Im pretty sure I spent enough in wasted material getting the results I wanted to buy a set. However I was devoted to figure it out, and looked at the thinner stuff and thought....ive wasted enough money whats a little more. victory
 
#46 ·
word of warning, if the strips are made from extruded alloy and you put a tight/hard 90 degree bend this can cause stress cracks and break after time.
I made some clamps for my indicators but in a "P" shape, one broke after 6 weeks, if you heat up the strip where the tight bend is they should be fine.
Its still a great way of making clamps though.
 
#66 ·
Well I finally found the breaking point of this stuff.

90 degree its ok.

I was building a rear brake res holder. It comes out just like the fork clamps, but it need to bend 50% so the res coud mount to a flat side.and sit horizontal and fairly level. I thought 2 right angles would get it, and it would bend fine, but add any kind of twist to it and it would crack. So I used a piece of right angle cut to lock the bracket in but long enough to bend slightly.




Hope this opens some more ideas
 
#47 ·
This stuff is so thin you really dont put any pressure on it to form it. The stuff I started out with was doing that and I was keeping the metal warm in boiling water to work with it. This meteal is so thin it just form fits with zero effort almost.

I wouldnt use this same thickness for anything but a clamp btw. it is not rigid enough for right angles. there are thicker strips avaialable at lowes that I would use for that.
 
#48 ·
the strip I used was about 1/8 thick my 3/4 wide, I was not criticising, just advising, I have made a few clamps but it was the first time I had made a "P" shape. We don't seem to have the choice that you lot over there do.

LOL
 
#49 ·
Shoot man, I got lucky and stumbled across this stuff at a nation wide chain. I think I was hunting for my sons boy scout project at the time. Anywho, getting the other stuff in any kind of decent quantity local is available, with some effort. Posting it this way opens it up for the majority to find the same material.

Found out many moon ago an old pan and boiling water saves cash after a crash. Lever and rearsets bend back after long trips to the hot tub and some gentle massage.
 
#55 ·
I picked it up this morning, which is amazing since I just dropped it Monday.

Let me get some stuff done work wise and hopefully tonight ill get the forks together. I installed all the bearings already and the frame is on the motor with the lower triple. So next is forks. I need to get a wheel on the ground so I can let the weight off the reat to work on the rear suspension and swingarm.
 
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