Need Help. Zero Experience ..........

I'M NEW TO THE WORLD OF METAL SCULPTING/SHAPING. ZERO EXPERIENCE. NO KNOWLEDGE OF ANY TOOLS OR EXPERIENCE WITH ANY MATERIALS.

GOT INTERESTED IN ALUMINIUM. LOOKS LIKE A RELATIVELY EASY PROJECT FOR SOMEONE WITH NO EXPERIENCE. IS THIS HARD TO DO? HOW TO MAKE THOSE SWIRLS/PATTERNS? WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW TO DO THIS TO ALUMINIUM(SEE ATTACHED IMAGE). WHAT GAUGE DO I USE? WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED. ANY TIPS? ANY RESOURCES? ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!!!

[sha_ba_do_bang]

You could do that with 2 tools, a pairof metal shears and a right angle grinder or somthing like that.(or one of those green fingerpads by 3m)
The swirls are prolly made with the grinder, a steady hand and alot of patience. Looks very cool tho!

Brendan

[edwardd_]

Don't forget the safety stuff, glass / full face shield, gloves, ear plugs....

David Edwards

[tdoty]

Somebody's been watching people pay big bucks for this stuff on "the bay", haven't they? Don't worry, I have too.

Basically, your question has been answered. Ground metal finishes have been hot for a while, painting over them with a translucent paint adds yet another dimension.

Anyhow, a 4" angle grinder or a right angle air die grinder and tons of practice will allow you to grind the designs. I usually use a variety of 3" sanding disks in my air die grinder - 3M Rolocs in 36, 40, 60, 80 & 100 grit - and sanding disks on a 4 1/2" angle grinder - 24, 36, &120 grit there - to do the designs. You can layer the grinding to add depth and visual interest.

A face shield, safety glasses and ear plugs are a must! A dust mask would be a da......., ummm, good idea - don't wanna be breathing that crap!

For material ............... .063" is probably the minimum. No need for aircraft grade stuff, just get what you can. Thicker stuff will look more substantial, but it's bandsaw time when it comes to cutting anything over about .080".

Industrial off-cuts would also be a great source of material! Look around a scrap yard that does a fair amount of recycling. Even discarded stop signs and such will work - just don't decommission them yourself .

You can add a more substantial look to thinner sheet by adding some shape to it - just doming it, or tipping a flange around the edge. No need to go overboard, but it might make your work stand out just that little bit more. Might not, but it's always worth a shot!

Welcome to MetalMeet, good luck, have fun, and show us some pics of your work when you get rolling!!!

Tim D.

[gravy]

Hey,hisss

A friend of mine has a fabrication shop and does this type of work on stainless steel walls at several children's hospitals. It's really simple and can be done with hand tools. The board of directors at the hospital are very impressed with his magical ability. did i mention they pay BIG bucks for his work.


johnny

Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to give it a shot. Let's wait and see what the finished product looks like. Will post pics when I'm done.

Just thought i would mention that the metal in those pics appears to be stainless steel. That is a pricy metal and i wouldnt want to know what that guy paid to make that art piece.

In my experience ive never seen aluminum grasp the 3-D effect that you can achieve with stainless, but i guess its all in how you use your grinding technique.

Ive messed around with galvanized steel as well and you can get a pretty cool effect with that, but that stuff is nasty and i wouldnt mess with it very often of without a good face mask.

Good luck,

Josh