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(Text on screen): How to Cut Aluminum the Easy Way, Kevin Caron, www.kevincaron.com
The Voice: Hey, Kevin. What are you looking at?
Kevin Caron: So, I'm working on this new public sculpture and I get to work with nice, brand new, shiny aluminum.
This is 16-gauge aluminum sheet and I've got to put some nice, gentle little curves into the sides of the sheets.
So, now I'm going to go ahead; I've got my lines marked out so now I'll go ahead and cut them.
You want to know how I'm going to do it?
The Voice: Yeah!
Kevin Caron: Come here. I'll show you.
So, there's lots of different ways I could do it. But with the sheet being 50 inches wide and 48 inches long,
trying to go into the Beverly over here and holding it at the other end and steer and cut and do all that at the same time
is too awkward to do.
So . . . Well, I could make a table. I haven't got time for that.
Come on down the other end. I'll show you what I'm going to do.
So, another thing I could do is get out the plasma cutter, change the fitting on the back,
hook up to carbon dioxide or the argon instead of using compressed air.
Because with the inert gas,
you get a little better cut; a little cleaner cut but you still get a little jagged, you still get the little heartbeat.
You know, now you've got to come back and you still have to grind it and clean it up.
You know what I'm going to do? Go old-school.
Plain, old-fashioned jigsaw.
Put a metal blade on it.
Here's a trick you can use: If you're going to cut on aluminum or steel or anything you don't want to scratch it,
just get some duct tape and coat the bottom of the pad, the foot, with some duct tape.
Now it will slide across the aluminum and you won't leave scratches in it that you'd have to come back and grind out.
That's all. I'll just hook up the jigsaw, nice and slow, easy, watch my mark, slice that right off.
Take off the piece that I cut and go to the other side of the metal. Use that as a pattern.
Don't forget the curve!
Lay out my line on that side, cut on the correct side of the curve, slice that one off, and now they both match.
Move on to the next piece.
Just cheating. You know, just use your imagination, use the tools you have, and use what you have around you.
You can always get the job done.
And speaking of getting the job done, I’ve gotta get back to this.
I'll see you later.
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