Questions tagged [metal]
For queries involving the use and selection of metal as part of a crafts project. This includes questions about the cleaning, maintenance, and restoration of metals of all kinds.
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Beginner Question: How would I cut this shape out of 6061 Aluminum?
I have 36" of Aluminum 6061 square bar (5/8"x5/8") that I am trying to cut into uniform I-shapes shown below where two parallel 2" x 1/8" x 5/8" sections are cut from the ...
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Looking for advice on making an electric furnace that can handle 10kg/22lb of aluminium [closed]
Can anyone recommend a method/tutorial for building an electric furnace that has the capacity to handle around 10kg/22lb of aluminium?
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Any quenching tips for 1090 steel?
I have a rasp that no longer works and I found out it's made of 1090 steel, and want to use it to make a tomahawk, but I can't find the proper temperature for quenching.
In case that's important: I ...
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Any ways to damping metallic snap fastener domes afterwards?
I bought handmade cushion covers, but what I did not realize to expect was that at the back, they're closed with a row of half an inch wide snap fasteners, and their metallic dome backs protrude.
On ...
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How to drill a hole on diecast toy using dremel?
I just bought a new-ray helicopter diecast toy. I want to modify it a bit, and one of the plan is to make holes for the windows (square, around 5mm by 5mm). What I'm thinking is to use dremel to drill ...
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Is there a special glue to use to bond acrylic and metal together?
I am currently looking into make some snow globes and I would like to bond the acrylic insert of the snow globe with the metal top. Does anyone know a glue that can bond these two materials together? ...
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What are these blue spots on a AISI 301 steel plate?
Below is a 150x microscope view of a 301 steel plate. It is covered by this type of small blue spots.
It appeared after the steel had been treated at 400°C. The subcontractor thinks that the steel was ...
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Which steels can be nitrogen quenched?
I have been making knives as a hobby mostly for myself and friends for some time now. I have been using mostly carbon steels such as UHB20C/1095, O1, 5160. I want to step up my game with more exotic ...
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Differences between silver jewelry alloys
I have bought 2 necklaces from the same place.
The necklace on the left is 3mm width, has a dark metal color similar to that of stainless steel and tarnishes in a matter of days on me.
The necklase ...
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How can I create a custom lamp shade frame?
Some people make custom lamp shade frames so it must be possible. A lot of people suggest wire coat hangers but I think they're too flimsy. It has to be rather sturdy.
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How can I force metal sheet to rust rapidly?
Basically my metal sheets are new and I need them to be with that rust effect rapidly.
Thanks
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Cheap metal discs?
I am in need of cheap metal discs >30 mm diameter, about 1-2mm in height - like a big coin.
This is because I want to weigh down the bases for my tabletop miniatures.
So far I have been using coins,...
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Restoring a wooden box with metal inlay
I have a couple of small wooden boxes with metal inlay that I would like to restore.
The wood was originally black and the metal silver in colour, but the black has faded and the metal has corroded.
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Is there a tool that will make a rounded cut in flat metal wire?
Is there a tool that can cut flat 5mm-wide aluminum jewelry wire to leave a rounded end? (An as-yet nonexistent extremely heavy duty nail clipper comes to mind).
In the image below, the wire on the ...
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How to create a metal ring?
I'm looking for a way to create a metal ring without using any machine or drill. I'd like to use cheap, simple tools. I found two ways for creating it, and they are very simple but it seems like ...
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Money clip rubber cement/hot glue?
The current project in my sewing group is making a money clip.
My question is whether I should use rubber cement or hot glue to attach the magnets that hold the clip onto the money.
If it helps, the ...
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How easy to cut a turn light?
How easy would it be to cut an item like the one shown below on a laser cutter?
I might want to cut out such an item for Christmas.
As you can see I’m just decorating it with glitter at this point:
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Trouble finding 11mm metal spacer rings [closed]
Introduction
Hello everyone, i am building a tank made out of Legos, it is a very ambitious project and it requires many components.
Question
You may be wondering why i am asking here something ...
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DIY galvanize copper on stainless steel?
For a little project, I would like to oxidize or galvanize stainless steel. So far I figured out, that it is not really possible to oxidize stainless steel yourself at home.
There for I had the idea ...
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Is there a cheaper alternative to aluminum wire for armatures?
I've seen many sculpting tutorials and recordings of works where the artist uses aluminum wire for the armature, with aluminum foil used where bulk is needed for the form.
However, as a beginner, ...
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How to clean neodymium magnet spheres
I have acquired a large quantity of used neodymium magnet spheres that I would like to use in a project. When I roll a couple of the magnets around in my hand, they leave a black residue on my palms ...
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Which steels are most suitable for knife making?
What steels are best for all-round knife making (i.e. not for any special applications)?
Carbon steels, 420C, 440C, VG10, RWL34, Damasteel... There are a lot of options.
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Rusty axe head restoration
I have an old axe head, kind of a family heirloom, that I want to clean and restore. Given its age (approx. 60-70 years) and condition, my goal is not to make it usable as an axe, but preservation and ...
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What is the cheap (copper color) metal underneath items plated to look like silver?
I've noticed that many metallic items that look silver-ish in color, attain that effect because of a thin surface coating. Whenever those items get scratched, a copper-colored metal is revealed to be ...
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Kiln elements keep burning out
So, I bought a medium kiln on craigslist for $100. It was old, and my friend and I wanted to upgrade it, so we bought some new heating elements, removed the entire controller-box, bought a ...
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Weatherproofing metal
I have some large galvanized metal disks that I going to grind into an outdoor decoration.
Grinding will destroy the zinc covering. It'll be painted afterwards.
How can I weatherproof the metal?
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What type of glue will work well on wood and metal?
As per this question I'm needing to glue a wood veneer inlay into a metal bracelet, but don't know what type of glue to use.
I have a tube of Gorilla Glue, which I know is suitable for wood - should ...
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What wire would be suitable for a papier-mache armature?
The project involves making a papier-mache tree, about 50cm high. So, I need to make a wire armature first but I'm not sure what type of wire would be ok to use (naturally, I don't want it to get ...
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Realistic tempered steel effect on aluminum
Im working on a project with aluminum Ive machined. I want to give it the rainbowy effect of heated steel known as the “heat affected zone”. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get the most realistic ...
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Pirate sword painting
So, I've thought of using glue to stick pieces of cardboard together into a sword and then putting aluminum foil on it and painting it to look like it has rusted. Turns out, for paint to stick to ...
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What is a castable gold-coloured metal that is less expensive than gold?
I have plans for a table with a gold inlay. Problem is, gold is expensive and the inlay is quite large (it's not a 'wire' inlay - I'd be casting a pretty substantial piece and setting it into the ...
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What is the equivalent to niello for brass?
I have some brassware with nice engraved designs that I'd like to bring out. If it were silver or gold, I'd use niello, but that apparently doesn't work on brass. I could try and do something to ...
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Durability concerns with damascus steel and rose gold ring
I'm looking into creating a Damascus steel ring, but using a rose gold and steel mix. Because of the blending of two metals, I'm curious whether or not there would be durability concerns?
I have ...
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What safety precautions should I take when working with 316L/A4 steel?
I'm working with 316L/A4 steel and I was wondering which precautions I should take when heating it. I want to heat bend a 316L steel rod, so it will need to be heated up to arround 1000°C.
316 is a ...
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How can I affix a ball bearing to a metal shaft without welding?
I am making a ball joint for a figure and have decided on ball bearings since they're easy to source in the correct size.
I need to attach the ball to a shaft of some sort, like a small steel rod.
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Stainless steel spray coating
I'm using spray gun with automatic reciprocator system to coloring stainless steel sheet with some translucent lacquer. However, I found the color is unevenly sprayed and can't figure why is it uneven....
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What's the best way to blacken metal jewellery to this quality?
I've been researching different ways to blacken brass and steel such as with blackening agent, electroplating, etc. I don't know which one I should try to achieve a finish like ones given in the ...
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Gluing metal to glass
What type of glue is ideal for gluing metal to glass? The metal piece is fairly heavy. The glass sheet will lay vertical such that the adhesive will have to contend with gravity (weight of the metal ...
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How to remove coating from metal ring?
I've got this here ring.
It's covered in some sort of grey paint or varnish that I can scrape off to reveal a copper base. I'd like to remove all of the varnish, and scraping will only do so much - I ...
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What size saw blade should I look into for cutting letters out of a 1/32" sheet of metal (I think steel) with a saw
From this question How would I cut out lettering from a stamped piece of thick-sheet metal
I am looking to use a Jeweler's saw to cut through a piece of what I believe is stainless steel. According ...
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What will permanently fill the hollow backs of alloy pendants?
I have two crescent shaped 3" alloy pendants with hollow backs (like a scooped out avocado). I want to fill the hollows, insert a two-pronged hairpin between them and attach the pendants back to back. ...
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How to attach copper wire (8 gauge) to wood (Eastern White Pine)?
We are looking to add a bit of "bling" to a the bar in a nano-brewery tasting room. The front of the bar (where your legs go if you are sitting at the bar) is 8" tongue-and-groove with a V-groove at ...
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Confused on what kind of drill bit I need for my sheet metal project
I have been looking at drill bits, and I have found so many kinds that I am overwhelmed on what I will need.
Firstly I found a few types. Regular drill bits, step drill bits, countersink bits, spade ...
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How would I cut out lettering from a stamped piece of thick-sheet metal
I have a piece of thick-sheet metal that has letters stamped in it that looks like this
to which I am looking to cut the lettering out of the metal. I am curious what tools would work for this? ...
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