Cutting, bending, handling, painting corrugated tin cladding

[Grian]

Advice please! It seems tin is pretty hard to handle? I need to cut it, and bend it around corners to clad a shepherd's hut (don't want to use right-angled profile pieces, going for a heritage appearance). We cut some with a grinder at the weekend and the edge was hairy and spiky and hazardous, not encouraging. Then watched some YouTubes and saw someone using a Miquita nibbler, this looked a lot better. Quite an expensive bit of kit for our relatively small job, but if it makes life easier then so be it.

 

I also need a non-standard colour of tin and it seems that painting it myself is the most feasible route as I can't find anywhere to get it powder coated in Scotland, or near where we are buying other hut materials in Yorkshire. Any tips? I think plain galvanised, degrease it, then paint - but someone told me that the shiny grey reverse of a standard colour coated tin sheet works as an undercoat, I have my doubts, can anyone confirm?

 

Alternatively we could use timber, but it seems a lot more costly. I'll ask a separate question on that matter. Hopefully stop going round in circles!!

 

[Iceverge]

You can cut a start with a snibs or similar. Just a few cm. Then if you're feeling burly literally rip the metal in half. Didn't believe it could be done until I tried it. It won't leave a nice edge however. A nibbler is the way forward. Angle grinders work but the sparks leave lots of rust spots on the metal and the edge is jagged. 

 

For the shear pleasure of work I would opt for timber as flashing nicely around corners etc with metal is very time consuming. 

 

Another option might be Onduline but it will be weaker than metal. 

[Grian]

Thank you. Even feeling really burly I suspect my lady-arms would fail to rip metal, obviously I am going to try though!!

 

Exactly my concern, re corners and the like. Everything is pointing toward timber - though the price may not. 

 

Onduline, interesting, might get samples...

[Discoeye]

Have you bought the sheets yet, are they coated already(Plastisol) if so you would need a primer than your top coat. There is Plastisol paint or regal agricultural oxide in fact there are endless paint products suitable for your needs just narrow down the colour you want and go from there.

[Gone West]

It's best to cut galvanised steel sheets with hand tools only. Power tools heat the metal too much for the galvanising. If it is cut with hand tools the galvanising will creep over the cut edge maintaining the protection. The instructions for fitting Lindab guttering have the details.

[Grian]

On 19/06/2023 at 16:06, Discoeye said:

Have you bought the sheets yet, are they coated already(Plastisol) if so you would need a primer than your top coat. There is Plastisol paint or regal agricultural oxide in fact there are endless paint products suitable for your needs just narrow down the colour you want and go from there.

 

That sounds less onerous - previously advised Plastisol needed lots of preparation to be able to take paint. Thanks. 

[Grian]

On 19/06/2023 at 16:15, Gone West said:

It's best to cut galvanised steel sheets with hand tools only. Power tools heat the metal too much for the galvanising. If it is cut with hand tools the galvanising will creep over the cut edge maintaining the protection. The instructions for fitting Lindab guttering have the details.

 

Thanks. Good to know! Seems tricky to cut wriggly tin with hand tools? Have seen some fairly ragged edges, and we have a great deal of cutting to do. Will look at the instructions and experiment with some offcuts. 

[Bramco]

On 19/06/2023 at 16:15, Gone West said:

It's best to cut galvanised steel sheets with hand tools only.

 

Or a nibbler as @Iceverge mentioned.  Our new build has wrinkly tin roof and cladding on the 2 storey part. The professionals who were contracted for the work used nibblers. 

 

Lidl actually had both battery and mains nibblers in the middle aisle earlier this year. I bought a mains one which were on offer before the battery ones.  It's actually quite hard to go in a straight line, so best to use a guide clamped on, especially across the wrinkles.  The corners of our build have right angle profiles but I guess you could bend the tin round.

 

EJOT do a fastener which has a smaller domed head instead of the big hex heads on most fasteners - these would look much better on a smaller project like yours. They will colour code them to any RAL colour. 

 

 

Simon

 

[Grian]

1 hour ago, Bramco said:

 

Or a nibbler as @Iceverge mentioned.  Our new build has wrinkly tin roof and cladding on the 2 storey part. The professionals who were contracted for the work used nibblers. 

 

Lidl actually had both battery and mains nibblers in the middle aisle earlier this year. I bought a mains one which were on offer before the battery ones.  It's actually quite hard to go in a straight line, so best to use a guide clamped on, especially across the wrinkles.  The corners of our build have right angle profiles but I guess you could bend the tin round.

 

EJOT do a fastener which has a smaller domed head instead of the big hex heads on most fasteners - these would look much better on a smaller project like yours. They will colour code them to any RAL colour. 

 

Simon

 

 

Thanks, excellent information!

Regarding bending, I had a conversation online with someone who seemed to have done it as they fixed the sheet to their hut, elsewhere i have seen examples where people construct a thing to hold the tin and they pre-bend it. None of it generates confidence, but sometimes things are not as hard as they seem. Sometimes of course they are worse!