Many people will associate metalworking with images of heavy industry involving large pieces of machinery and a lot of heat and noise. But metalworking covers a wide range of skills and processes at almost every scale. It can be enjoyed as a rewarding and productive hobby. Since metalworking isn’t widely taught at schools, this is a perfect hobby for those who like to really get into a subject and learn new skills. It’s a great chance to engage in some manual, hands-on crafting, and as you learn and improve, you’ll be able to produce genuinely useful items or beautiful decorative pieces. And despite the image of big machines and hard labor, you can start metalworking with some basic tools and materials right in your own home.
Getting Started
To see if metalworking is for you, you can try it out with minimal investment in time, tools or the metal itself. A local metal shop or scrapyard should be able to provide some scrap metal, such as a piece of angle iron or steel bar. Then you need a sturdy bench vice (with a bench to attach it to), a metal file (also called a mill file), a handheld (‘junior’) hacksaw and – most importantly – good quality workshop gloves and safety glasses.
Your piece of scrap metal may not look that appealing, and you certainly aren’t going to be turning it into anything beautiful at this stage. But for now, we’re just getting used to basic tool handling and what metal’s like to work with. Firmly clamp the metal into the vice. Use the file to remove any sharp cuts or edges in the metal and to remove any burrs – raised edges where the metal has been cut or machined. Practice filing edges flat, then to different shapes; make the edges sloped or curved, then file them flat.
When you can do this – getting the shapes and flatness you need without filing away too much metal or filing parts, you didn’t intend to – consistently, use the hacksaw to cut and trim the metal, then file the new edge smoothly and remove all burrs. Measure and mark the length of the metal, and then be sure you can cut it accurately, using the file to tidy up or adjust any errors. This is why you should always cut slightly more metal than you’ve marked!
While this won’t produce any marvelous creations, it will let you experience working with metal, handling the basic tools and the patience of performing a task, correcting any mistakes and ending up with a clean and safe piece of metal.
Moving On
When you’re ready to move on to actual projects, it’s best to start with brass. It’s an attractive, versatile and relatively ‘soft’ metal that’s easy to work with, and there are a huge number of projects out there using brass for simple ‘start’ pieces. Making a simple door or drawer hinge from drawings is a great first project and can be made from a single piece of brass sheet.
You still don’t need fancy tools or equipment at this stage. A pair of metalworking snips (like large scissors, also called tin or aviation snips) will be all you need to cut the metal from the sheet. A center punch lets you mark points on the metal, and a standard workshop drill with a set of metalworking bits is used to make holes in the sheet. You can make a template for the various individual parts from pieces of a cardboard box or cereal packet.
Use a fine-tip felt pen to mark out the shape on the sheet, a center punch to mark the center of any holes with the center punch. Cut out the parts with the snip, making sure to cut slightly larger than the final dimension, which you can then file to the correct size using your newly acquired filing skills. If parts need bending, use the vice to grip the part and then bend it to the correct angle (it’s easiest to start with designs only needing a right-angle bend). For a really sharp, neat bend, tap the metal down onto the vice with a hammer.
See – you’re already working with metal! Keep progressing from here, trying out more skills and gradually working up to more complex projects and more difficult metals.
