Aluminium DIY magic

[cwah]

Hello all,

Today I created my first aluminium mobile phone holder. I have a massive galaxy note 3 and all GPS holder from china I purchased (I have tried maybe 5 different) have failed with its weight.

I decided to create my own with 1.5mm aluminium sheet I purchased 6 months ago:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271210657802?ru=http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=271210657802&_rdc=1

And here's the magic:

I tested it today on the road. It's very nice, big enough for my massive phone, very sturdy and not ugly at all!!


I'm quite happy with my first creation! I can use it for orientation with my mobile, or put my cell log in to track cells discharge, or whatever I want!!


However, the creation process took me some time and effort. I used this pair of snip:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0001K9UIW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

And it was very impossible to cut straight. Cut wasn't clean (probably because the sheet was quite thick and long). And then I need to sand the corner and badly cut area with my little rotary tool (proxxon).

I know the best would be to have a circular saw, but then I'd also need a table... but I live in a very small flat and I already have too many things with me (look at the classified and get some of my stuff to help .

Any idea how I can have clean and fast cut that takes very little space?

Thank you

 

[D8ve]

Junior hacksaw is simple can cut fancy shapes and needs little room.
And it's faster to cut right and have little finishing than wrong and lots of fixing.

 

[awol]

Good creative thinking, can also be fully waterproofed with a clear plastic bag and elastic bands.
Can you get cutting discs for your rotary tool?
There are these metal nibbling attachments if you have a drill although I've never used one.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nibbler-Fitted-electric-powered-straight/dp/B00I05R096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423994059&sr=8-1&keywords=drill+nibbling
You can always clean up the edges with a flat file last.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200mm-8-Flat-Hand-File-Metal-Engineers-Tool-Cushion-Grip-/171658592620?pt=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item27f7a6416c

 

[cwah]

Yes I can use hacksaw and maybe nibbler. But nibbler do not cut very nicely.

Maybe my proxxon with metal cutting disc would be the best?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Aluminium work-hardens and then suffers from metal fatigue, so you have to be careful with the design of your phone holder. You should avoid making square internal corners like on the bit that comes down to the jubilee clip. Instead you should taper it all the way to the corner of the holder, and sweep it round in a curve on the other side. I guarantee that yours will break across that piece within a month.

 

[neptune]

Don`t be discouraged if it fails, redesign it. We learn from mistakes.

 

[cwah]

Aluminium work-hardens and then suffers from metal fatigue, so you have to be careful with the design of your phone holder. You should avoid making square internal corners like on the bit that comes down to the jubilee clip. Instead you should taper it all the way to the corner of the holder, and sweep it round in a curve on the other side. I guarantee that yours will break across that piece within a month.

How do I tapper all the way round the corner? Sorry I miss this part. Do you have an example?

Thank you

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I somehow knew you were going to ask. The cracking will start from the corners, so you must eliminate the corners like this. The picture only shows the retaining piece, not the whole thing::

 

[awol]

To get a neat radius use a small holesaw and hacksaw up to the radius.

 

[cwah]

I somehow knew you were going to ask. The cracking will start from the corners, so you must eliminate the corners like this. The picture only shows the retaining piece, not the whole thing::

View attachment 10586

View attachment 10585

Ah.. I see. I would need to completely rebuild it but for now the aluminum sheet as it is, is really strongly attached.

It's 1.5mm aluminium and even with my mobile on it it doesn't move at all.

Initially I was going to attach it with only the 2 front bolts as it was already strong enough, but I decided to make sure no movement would happen and decided to get the little leg to avoid vertical movement.


It may not look like it, but there isn't any movement at all. All the weight is managed by the stem and it has 3 attach points. It's by far much stronger than any GPS holder I had to date.

I would be surprised if it fail within a month. Time will tell but it's unlikely it will happen.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

If you've bolted through the main part as well, it'll probably be OK. Aluminium is very strong, but it suffers from metal fatigue, so breaks through vibration.

 

[JamesW]

If you've bolted through the main part as well, it'll probably be OK. Aluminium is very strong, but it suffers from metal fatigue, so breaks through vibration.

It's also worth noting that metal fatigue in most metals can be reduced at the production stage when bending any metal by applying heat and bending in small parts at a time as this allows the molecules to reallign and removes the fractures inserted in the molecular structure by bending.
I can't remember if this holds true for aluminum or not. If you wanted to try, this could be tested with a plumbing blow torch.
(If you value your phone - and Dave's advice I would start work on the mk2 version before the mk1 version fails with your phone on it mid commute at 15+mph)
Large radius = less stress at any given point and so longer time before failure.

As you seem happy with sheet aluminum, if tool space and mess are more of an issue than time, I would recommend a steel ruler, Stanley knife and lots of patience to get the desired net-shape before bending. (Certainly for the straight edges, hole saw - low rpm for corners is also a good idea)

 

[cwah]

even if the part was going to fail, it's unlikely that all the 3 fixation points fail at the same time.

Most gps holder only have 1 fixation point on the handlebar so I am quite confident that in case of failure I'd notice before it happens.

My only fear for now is velcro fatigue, which happens over time of putting in and out the mobile. It happens after 100 or so time, so I'm considering another way to attach it but I haven't found anything better and flexible to date

 

[Cyclezee]

Just an observation, but I think I would used polycarbonate rather than aluminium.

 

[cwah]

Just an observation, but I think I would used polycarbonate rather than aluminium.

I like the polycarbonate idea, but benefit of aluminium is that it takes very little volumetric space. I suppose polycarbonate would need at least 3mm sheet, or maybe even 5mm?

I'm thinking maybe for my next one I could try stainless, which could be 430 or 340 grade:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/430-Stainless-Steel-Brushed-Sheet-Plate-9-1-2-1-5-2-0-Guillotine-Cut-/111358185699?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=410340638166&hash=item19ed7710e3
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/430-Stainless-Steel-Brushed-Sheet-Plate-9-1-2-1-5-2-0-Guillotine-Cut-/111358185699?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=410340638166&hash=item19ed7710e3

 

[TinKitten]

I admire your ingenuity and handy-work Cwah. I currently have a Galaxy Note 2 but I've pixel burnt it by playing too much Ingress. I was going to upgrade to the latest version but my plan was scuppered by not being able to find a satisfactory bike mount large enough as I use it as a sat nav in unfamiliar territory. I'm going to get an Galaxy S6 instead (when it comes out) as I'm hoping that won't be any bigger than my Note 2 and I can just shoehorn that into my Roswheel handlebar mount. Funny, I never imagined my bicycle would end up dictating my choice in mobile phones.

 

[cwah]

I admire your ingenuity and handy-work Cwah. I currently have a Galaxy Note 2 but I've pixel burnt it by playing too much Ingress. I was going to upgrade to the latest version but my plan was scuppered by not being able to find a satisfactory bike mount large enough as I use it as a sat nav in unfamiliar territory. I'm going to get an Galaxy S6 instead (when it comes out) as I'm hoping that won't be any bigger than my Note 2 and I can just shoehorn that into my Roswheel handlebar mount. Funny, I never imagined my bicycle would end up dictating my choice in mobile phones.

Yes I am glad I made my own because all the chinese one are either massive and ugly, or they are just too poorly constructed to secure a mobile.

 

[JamesW]

even if the part was going to fail, it's unlikely that all the 3 fixation points fail at the same time.

Most gps holder only have 1 fixation point on the handlebar so I am quite confident that in case of failure I'd notice before it happens.

My only fear for now is velcro fatigue, which happens over time of putting in and out the mobile. It happens after 100 or so time, so I'm considering another way to attach it but I haven't found anything better and flexible to date

Try a sheet of silicone rubber with a hole in it for the phone. If you bond it / rivet it to the aluminum plate the silicone should hold the phone in place against the aluminum and not suffer "Velcro fatigue"

 

[JamesW]

I like the polycarbonate idea, but benefit of aluminium is that it takes very little volumetric space. I suppose polycarbonate would need at least 3mm sheet, or maybe even 5mm?

You're missing some other advantages of aluminium there.
1) If you have a bash, something hits the case, aluminium will bend/deform polycarbonate will shatter leaving sharp edges to cut your hands and tyres!
2) You can add a rivnut or rivet to aluminium, you can't to polycarbonate.
3) you can earth the aluminium if you want/need
4) the aluminium will act as a heat sink where it is in contact with the phone, polycarbonate will not.
5) polycarbonate breaks down when exposed to UV light and so becomes more brittle and opaque over a few years, a well built aluminium construction will outlast a polycarbonate one easily!
6) you can squash aluminium with a nut&bolt without fear of it cracking, too much compression on a polycarbonate sheet will crack it.
7) aluminium will not rust (unlike steel)

 

[JamesW]

Now I can see the pic properly (couldn't see them on my phone last night or this morning.)
would recommend you have a lip at the sides, bottom and top of some description to retain the phone and stop it falling off - I hadn't seen before it was just a flat plate covered with Velcro! (I had assumed it was something more like a carphone dashboard mount holder that the phone sat/slid in with a good mounting bracket.
Full marks for a VERY simple effective design though.