/r/metalworking

Photograph via snooOG

Your place to share metalworking projects, ask questions, and learn together!

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Welcome to /r/Metalworking, a place for hobbyists, students and professionals to discuss everything metal!


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  1. No self/Company Advertising or Spam

r/Metalworking is not the place for self or company promotion.

Repeat submissions or links to one's own content, sponsored sites, or company websites will be removed. Additional breaking of this rule may result in a ban.

  • Low Effort Submissions / Lacking Context

  • Quality Content

    We want r/metalworking to be a source of high quality content related to metalworking. To achieve this we have some standards for submissions:

    All Submissons Should Have

    • An in depth explanation of the issue/problem

    • If mentioning gear or tools, properly describe, name, or attach photos of them

    • For Photos/Videos, high quality images, gifs or videos should be used. Low quality memes may be removed


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    Note: This subreddit is under construction. Have any suggestions for the moderators? Please message the mods by clicking "Message The Mods" under the sidebar.

    /r/metalworking

    962,485 Subscribers

    2

    How to nicely bend my coffee grinder’s cup holder

    Hi, i left my coffee grinder fall and the cup doesnt fit anymore. I dont want to scratch the outside. How do I bend it back to a circle shape? I have a knipex parallel plier, a lot of bike tools, some classic pliers, some screws extractor bits and a nice coffee machine.

    Help please

    1 Comment
    2024/12/01
    08:39 UTC

    2

    Monthly Advice/Questions Thread | 12/01/2024

    Welcome to the Monthly Advice Thread


    Ask your metalworking questions here! Any submissions that are question based may be directed to this thread! Please keep discussion on topic and note that comments on these threads will not be moderated as regularly as the main post feed.


    Uses for this thread!

    This is a great place to ask about tools, possibilities, materials, basic questions related to the trade, homework help, project advice, material science questions and more!


    How to contact the moderators:

    You can contact the moderators via modmail here

    1 Comment
    2024/12/01
    05:01 UTC

    10

    Copper Table Sealant?

    Hi Everyone, I am just posting this to ask for advice on what to use on this table.

    My grandparents have been restoring this beautiful cooper table and they are looking for a sealant to put over the table. we were looking to use everbrite or johnsons miniwax but we are skeptical as they are either extremely expensive or hard to get in australia. if someone would be able to share any thoughts on what to seal this beautiful table with I would appreciate it.

    7 Comments
    2024/12/01
    02:58 UTC

    10

    Wild Rose Sculpture

    This steel sculpture is modeled after the Rose Canina or Dog Rose. It was a great challenge to make this one. Everything is welded together and I shaped each piece without heat. I had to make numerous tools to do that, which was really fun.I pushed my skills as far as I could take them.

    I plan on making many more pieces like this in the future. It's such a joy to make them and I am so thankful to have found the medium of steel. . #metalart #metalsculpture #steelrose #steelart #metalrose #rosecanina #dogrose

    2 Comments
    2024/12/01
    02:08 UTC

    2

    Painting aluminum

    Hi, gang!

    I'm trying to figure out the best way to paint my aluminum surface in the salt air environment.

    Initially I used this method:

    1. Alumiprep 33

    1. Alodine (Bonderite 1201)

    2. Wash primer

    However, I noticed that after some time the wash primer layer began flaking off.  

    So I'm thinking about using alternate way to prime:

    1. 99% Alcohol cleaning

    2. a coat of Self-etching primer

    3. a coat of Sherwin Williams High Solids Corrosion Resistant Epoxy Primer CM0483928.

    Can anyone point me the right way? This seems like an easy topic, but the more I research, the more I'm confused about this topic.

    9 Comments
    2024/11/30
    20:02 UTC

    0

    Hey guys, hoping for some guidance on bearing clearance. I have an 8x14x4 bearing on my RC car. And the shaft is 6mm so there is a lot of slop. I found these bearing bushings that are 6mm ID & 8mm OD. Does anyone know if an 8mm bearing accepts an 8mm OD bushing? Or does it need to be smaller than 8?

    7 Comments
    2024/11/30
    18:29 UTC

    2

    Too much flex?

    Hey all, am a design student with a brief to design and manufacture an adjustable floor lamp, one possible design I have so far is this bent steel tube frame with a sort of kick bent into the base to allow the whole lamp to "rock" back and forth towards you.

    However one area that I'm unsure about is whether there'll be too much flex in the base and whether there is anything I can do to reduce or stiffen the frame?

    https://preview.redd.it/n02jhp7p034e1.jpg?width=7680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4eaba8cf32620bf0ff1596f35818e7f6b14400f3

    https://preview.redd.it/6h8oxs7p034e1.jpg?width=7680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=36e541f4dccb47d1b56ca464465d6cce5dceee8d

    9 Comments
    2024/11/30
    18:27 UTC

    1

    Question about corrosion/lifespan of hot roll mild steel in exterior gate

    Hey all, I’m a hobby project welder and almost everything I’ve made has either been outdoor art which I wanted to rust, or indoor railings which were finished with a surface coating after fabrication. I am about to make a gate though that will live with full element exposure in Seattle, lots of moisture and rain. It will have weathering steel panels for the cosmetic look on the outer surface, but my question is what will the lifespan of 2x2 square tube and other structural components be if left uncoated to patina/rust with the weathering steel? I’m thinking the sidewall of the tube will be .188, and the only stuff I can find with all the variety of shapes I need is standard hot rolled mild steel. If it lasts 10 yrs uncoated before issues arise that is long enough, but if it’ll be falling apart in 5 years or less that won’t fly. I’d rather not work with galvanized for both the health factor and visual appearance where those parts show. I also have considered coating the structural components with a rust inhibitor (oils/rattle can products/etc) before doing the final spot welds to attach panels. Or any other ideas I’m not thinking of?

    3 Comments
    2024/11/30
    17:29 UTC

    129

    [self] 'Little Castle'-forged and welded steel. About 10" tall

    10 Comments
    2024/11/30
    17:29 UTC

    105

    Homemade socket rail.

    4 Comments
    2024/11/30
    15:08 UTC

    2

    tabbed slot using sheet metal / plate without welding?

    So I have an enclosure which is basically a box and have another piece that bolts onto it. It's 3D printed, but now I'm considering designing a sheet / metal plate version of it using maybe something like 3/16"

    I'm pretty new to metal work, but I was thinking of using tabbed slots to build the enclosure. But problem is I don't have a welder. Is it possible to maybe just epoxy the thing together or some other form of method that would allow me to construct the enclosure requiring welding as I live in a small apartment with very limited space for tools

    11 Comments
    2024/11/30
    06:56 UTC

    0

    Can I soften a cold-chisel to make it safe for use as a small pry bar?

    I'd like a small pry bar / drift punch but the typical small 'edc' ones are ludicrously expensive and have like weird greebling and bottle openers and pocket clips and other 'tacticool' stuff built in. In contrast, a 1/4" Tekton 66001 cold chisel is $4 and dead simple.

    The Tekton site says:

    Each chisel is individually heat treated to harden and strengthen the tip while maintaining the soft temper of the striking end. The chisel blades are rough sharpened before heat treatment and then re-sharpened to a precise edge after heat treatment.

    Can I somehow soften ("temper"? "anneal"?) the Tekton chisel to make it safe for use as a pry bar? I would not want it to shatter during use and cause injury.

    If yes, what is the most accessible method? I have the following possibly relevant heating tools at my disposal:

    • a kitchen oven
    • a toaster oven
    • a butane torch
    • a corded 2000W heat gun that boasts temperature control from 122-1202 degrees Farenheit.

    I also have pliers, files, a hmmer, a bench vise and "fiber face jaw caps" for the vise which I believe are supposed to be thermally insulating.

    If I wanted to adjust the shape of the taper on the business end, I assume it would be better to do that once it has been softened?

    19 Comments
    2024/11/30
    03:34 UTC

    15

    How would I go about bending pickup covers for guitars like this?

    I’m getting the hang of CNCing metal now. I use mostly copper and aluminum. I’d like to make my own pickup covers. How would I go about doing something like this?

    24 Comments
    2024/11/30
    01:49 UTC

    83

    I present to you “Arion” from Greek mythology. This immortal horse is born from mother earth, Gaia. 🐎 Made from steel, glass, and quartz. (2024)

    Made by me/ Ryan McCallisterThere are a few theories on how Arion was born in Greek mythology. One theory stated that this immortal horse was the offspring of Poseidon and the Olympian goddess, Demeter.  Both Demeter and Poseidon turned into horses and mated, giving birth to Arion. Other theories proposed that Arion was the offspring of Zerpheus and a Harpy or the goddess of Earth, Gaia. 

    20 Comments
    2024/11/30
    01:37 UTC

    4

    Hide scratches on metal surface?

    Ive accidentally got these scratches on the metal rim area of my shower, wondering if theres any way to make them less noticeable?

    Would be happy even if its only a slight improvement to just help blend it in more.

    3 Comments
    2024/11/29
    11:21 UTC

    87

    I made an incense holder using MIG welding

    17 Comments
    2024/11/29
    10:20 UTC

    1

    How is this steel tube capped?

    Inside the tube. The cap circumference is surrounded by black bead (the plastic piece blocks the most of the view, look at the tiny opening on the bottom)

    The Cap from outside. An edge is slightly visible from outside, it is not perfect.

    See the wall thickness, approximately 0.3mm

    I first thought it was capped by welding a cylinder piece which is smaller than the diameter of the tube at the end, like this:

    https://preview.redd.it/x6lsgjve0p3e1.png?width=540&format=png&auto=webp&s=b3fa62053aa4fcc98e9c185747fe4f24683b7436

    But then I realized the black weld marks (bead) inside (visible at the bottom of the first pic) and the mark goes all around the inner circumference. There must be a tool that allows welding in such a tight space. Could you tell me the name? Can it be handmade practically? Is there an easier way to cap such a tin piece without advanced tools?

    9 Comments
    2024/11/28
    19:26 UTC

    24

    Sorry if this is a stupid question, but does anyone know how to replicate this surface colour, and hiw did they make it?

    13 Comments
    2024/11/28
    18:03 UTC

    2

    Is there a simple hand tool to cut grooves in small (1/4-3/8) rods for use with circlips? I’m imagining something similar to c-cutters for pipes but specifically to cut small grooves. Cant find anything.

    I have to assume this exists or there’s a good reason why it doesn’t. Google and ChatGPT are failing me. I have to cut a groove in a lot of rods and being able to do it by hand rather than lathe would save me a massive amount of time. If there isn’t a simple hand tool does anyone have any alternatives that don’t involve chucking every single rod into the lathe? I’m even imagining some sort of system where I have a jig the length of the rod and then roll the rod through and a blade cuts groove, but I’m not sure if this is feasible. I have to do 1,000+ rods and likely many more in the future.

    37 Comments
    2024/11/28
    15:56 UTC

    1

    [DIY] I wanna try to make an alabaster/opium watch from scratch

    I orderd some cheap stainless steel watches on the internet and wanna try to customize them.I already have a soldering tool and already orderd some alloy.I need some tips on how to make this posible.Any help is apriciated. Here is the site i saw the models on https://dystopiumdesigns.com/collections/shop-all . I saw some people were saying to use a copper wire as a base for the solder .These are the models Im trying to recreate:

    https://preview.redd.it/vauac3bdhn3e1.png?width=387&format=png&auto=webp&s=3b2574dfee852c851b9b509d8ba6b4ee6b84379b

    https://preview.redd.it/zgx5euvdhn3e1.png?width=443&format=png&auto=webp&s=144f8a1b75fcedd8f54fc5745305d460426309f5

    https://preview.redd.it/ax19q2mehn3e1.png?width=632&format=png&auto=webp&s=4b5570a95fdca9d5215e9d55efcd3d4ef1173eb9

    0 Comments
    2024/11/28
    14:14 UTC

    2

    Metal inlaying: how to start

    Hey guys, I would like to try inlaying as a hobby, though I found some beginner tutorials about the technique and the process, I can not seem to find what exact tools are needed to begin and where to buy them, I don't even know the prices to know if I can even afford this hobby right now. Can anybody help me with the tools needed? I don't have the money to mess around with gold, so what cheap materials can I use to practice at first? Would copper on steel be viable? Thanks in advance

    3 Comments
    2024/11/28
    10:44 UTC

    52

    Can't drill through

    I don't know what's going on. I just can't drill through this so called mild steel angle iron. Wtf is going on brand new 6mm drill bit shattered.

    106 Comments
    2024/11/28
    09:41 UTC

    10

    Tried new lights

    3 Comments
    2024/11/28
    07:10 UTC

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