If you are a metal artist or want to become
a metal artist you will need some tools. Not some simple hand tools
like hammers and ratchets. You will probably need to invest some real
money into things like welders and torches. Why you ask? Metal Art
making is a bit more expensive then driftwood art.
Cutting Tools:
Plasma Cutters – These machines give you fine cuts in your metal.
They are the newest generation of torches out there. You can spend
anywhere from $500-$10,000.
Acetylene Torches – Also know as a “blow torch.” This has been one
of the base tools for creating metal art for quite some time. One of
the basic tools in your kit.
Band Saws – You don’t need a band saw, but they are handy. They give
you more precision cuts if you are fabricating something critical. The
are a bit more messy as they use cutting fluid.
Chop Saws – Quick and dirty saw that gets the job done. If tight
tolerances aren’t needed then this saw is the quickest. It makes a mess
as well, but it is a dry mess that sweeps up. It is a bit cleaner then
the band saw.
Prep Tools
Grinders – It seems you are forever grinding when you are making
metal art. There are all kinds of things you are trying to get rid of.
Think of a grinder like a chisel if you were a stone sculptor.
Buffers – Some times to create shines and surface textures we use buffers in metal art. Think of polishing chrome.
Hand Chipping Tools – In the rough fabrication stage we use a lot of
hand tools. Some of these we use to chip away slag. This slag could be
left over from plasma cutting or welding. To make our metal art look
good, we need to remove it.
Welders
MIG Welders – These welder are also know as Wire Feed welders as
there is a spool of wire that you use to weld up your Metal Art. Most
commonly used on mild steel.
TIG – This type of welding fuses two pieces together. You can also
use a filler rod if needed. Most of the time you are just sealing up a
seam. This seems to be more popular with Aluminum and stainless steel
welding.
As you can see these are a few of the tools you might need when
creating metal art. There are many others we didn’t describe, but these
are some of the basics of metal artwork.
