Got a new 3x3x.25 angle from the steel outlet, removed it's mill scale, smoothed and rounded all surfaces, painted and applied aluminum tape to interface points. Drilled and riveted hinge to other angle. Built a handle from 1" square tubing and bolted to angle. I welded the handle together instead of bolting because,..well, because I like to weld. Tried the brake on a piece of .025 2024-T3 and it seems to work pretty well. I will need to make a thin piece of tapered wood to act as a wedge to form the 90 degree angle because without a wedge, it only bends about 80 degrees. The test part bend line is very straight, but I may want to experiment with different radius nose blocks because the radius on my test part checks at 5/32 and I want it a bit bigger. But all in all, I am pretty happy with the results. I did not want a 3000 lb production bending brake taking up half my garage, and this homemade brake should be just right for the gauge and type of metal I will be using.
Completed Bending Brake
End View showing Radius block with spring back relief
