Working in Metal
Tools at hand
“From a metalworker’s perspective, metal just may be the perfect medium”
Metals, ancient and enduring, have been at the heart of all essential craft for millennia.
From blacksmithing to bronze casting and from welding to wire forming, metals are an integral part of our everyday lives.
We find metals employed in some fashion in nearly all utilitarian, structural, industrial, sculptural and artistic endeavors and products.
The most commonly used metals are gold, silver, bronze, copper, iron and steel, aluminum, lead and tin with each having their own unique properties and workability parameters.
Metal can be worked hot or cold through an array of processes: additive (welding, riveting), subtractive (cutting, grinding), manipulative (hammering, bending, forging, pressing) and molded (hot casting).