By John Schofield

Are you interested in sheet metal work? Knowing the basics of this rising artwork can put you a step ahead. For instance, you need to know how to identify copper from brass, what tools are used in metal working, and other things.

Types of Metal for Metalworking

Sheet metal working makes use of different types of metals that are quite common, such as steel, copper, aluminium, brass, bronze and tin. However, there are other types of metal working too which use other metals. Jewellery making uses silver and gold and at times, leafs or sheets. However, the last two materials are quite smaller than the usual precious metals used in making jewellery.

The common metals for creating metal work are also useful to many other areas or industries. Steel sheets are used in manufacturing things like machine parts, car bodies to enclosures. Copper sheets are used mainly for roofing and decorative purposes. Aluminium is used for its stiffness and lightweight features and is used for aircraft bodies, roofing, cars and other while it is in sheet form. Brass is almost similar to gold in appearance especially when polished. This is commonly used for making fancy signs and plaques. These metals are processed in many ways when artists begin on their metal work.

How Metals React to Metalworking

Metal working is made up of many processes before forming anything out of metal just yet. An explanation of how metals are used in different processes can give you an idea of how metal working works:

— Welding. Welding steel is easy but this is not the case with aluminium. Having the right equipment and enough experience can help you weld metals better. However, bronze, tin and copper are not welded but soldered.

— Cutting. All the metals used for metal working can be cut though different cutting methods are used. Cutting steel uses an angle grinder or shears. The other metal working metals are ideally band-sawn or sheared. These metals, aside from steel, are softer that when they are grinded, they might cause a backlash from a clogged up grinding disc.

— Casting. Among all the metals mentioned for metal work, aluminium and steel need to be melted in a proper industrial setup because of their high melting points. Small scale casting can be done for bronze, brass, tin and copper.

— Finishing. This is necessary to help keep off rusting from the metals. Steel is prone to rusting though cast iron is more prone to it. Other metals also get rusty but they do so in a slower manner than steel. Bronze has been used in the earliest civilisations, which is already a proof about how protected it is from rusting. Copper is wrapped with a green patina after it oxidises. Iron are the most prone to rusting, evident in the fact that rusty iron objects can be found even if they are only several decades old. Even if these iron objects have a protective finish, it is not enough to keep it from rusting.

— Shaping. This consists of repose and chasing, wherein metals are hammered into a certain shape. This is an easy process when done on softer metals. Hard ones like steel still have to be heated before they can be shape.

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