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