Don't toss it quite that fast! I have one that I think matches what you
have and it works great--after I made three modifications.
I, too, found that as received it had trouble with .025 or .032 2024-T3.
The first modification was to get a 18" piece of 1.5" x 1.5" x 0.125"
aluminum angle. Attach this under the leaf (the part that moves to bend
the part) with flat head bolts and nuts. This will give the leave
sufficient stiffness.
Second, the holddown plate (or shoe) has an edge with a sharp corner on it,
which is totally unacceptable for bending aluminum. Pull that part off and
file a nice round edge with a radius of 1/8" (i.e. the same as a 1/4"
diameter drill bit).
Third, the holddown plate has a habit of moving if not securely clamped. I
like using the vise-grip type clamps because they can be placed and removed
quickly. Unfortunately they don't have the clamping power of big C-clamps.
The solution is to pin the holddown plate. To do this:
1. Lift the leaf all of the way, as though you've just bent a piece.
2. Put a piece of aluminum (.032) next to the leaf.
3. Put the holddown plate in place and slide it up against the leaf.
Securely clamp in place.
4. Drill a 3/16" hole through the holddown plate and non-moving part of
the brake near both ends.
5. Place an AN3 bolt in each hole and loosely tighten nut. The bolt is
not for providing clamping pressure (use vise-grip clamps for that), but to
keep the plate from moving around.
It's a shame you have to go through all of this, but the result is actually
a very nice tool.
Erbman