How To Cut Sheet Metal For Art

The stencil decal removes easily from the metal.

How to cut sheet metal for art.

Trace your design onto the sheet metal using a marker. Tin snips or aviation snips are one of the most widely used tools to cut sheet metals. These will guide the plasma cutter to cut the art piece. In our test it cut through rebar like a hot knife through butter.

You will be left with an outline to follow with a plasma cutter. A soapstone pencil or metal scribe can help you in this regard. Thick using a ferrous metal cutting blade. Clamp the template directly to the sheet.

How to use sheet metal in art. You will notice in our helena martin collection that we feature precise decorative grind patterns to the surface of the sheet metal. Use at least two clamps. Hot metal chips will fly everywhere.

The method you choose to cut sheet metal depends on the thickness of the metal and the type of cut you plan to make. Such as straight cut snips left cut the right cut etc. Cut metal with your circular saw. To cut straight lines use an electric saw.

Terry leafty is a welder at bc welding in camp verde. This is something that can produce breathtaking artwork from sheets of metal however it takes years of practice to be able to create consistent clean symmetrical grind patterns that truly look professional. They look like scissors and work fine with sheet metals like brass aluminum tin steel etc. Clamp the cardboard template to the sheet metal.

Use a plasma cutter to begin cutting out the letters. Jigsaws and metal cutting band saws are more work but can make most cuts in light to medium sheet metal. Trace around the cardboard with soapstone. You can also use a soap stone pencil or metal scribe.

A handheld cutting tool fitted with a metal cut off wheel will easily cut through sheet. It may not be an obvious choice but fitted with the right blade a circular saw is a great metal cutting tool. For a large design use three or more clamps to hold the cardboard firmly in place. Cut out the design using a sharp knife.

There are some cuts that you can do with decent tin snips. Start by taping both sides of the sheet metal directly over the line you want to cut and clamp the metal to a work station so it doesn t move. You can cut mild steel up to about 3 8 in. If the metal sheet seems greasy you need to clean it with metal solvent.