Metal Art Tools

If you are a metal artist or want to become a metal artist you will need some tools. Not some simple hand tools like hammers and ratchets. You will probably need to invest some real money into things like welders and torches. Why you ask? Metal Art making is a bit more expensive then driftwood art.
Cutting Tools:
Plasma Cutters – These machines give you fine cuts in your metal. They are the newest generation of torches out there. You can spend anywhere from $500-$10,000.
Acetylene Torches – Also know as a “blow torch.” This has been one of the base tools for creating metal art for quite some time. One of the basic tools in your kit.
Band Saws – You don’t need a band saw, but they are handy. They give you more precision cuts if you are fabricating something critical. The are a bit more messy as they use cutting fluid.
Chop Saws – Quick and dirty saw that gets the job done. If tight tolerances aren’t needed then this saw is the quickest. It makes a mess as well, but it is a dry mess that sweeps up. It is a bit cleaner then the band saw.
Prep Tools
Grinders – It seems you are forever grinding when you are making metal art. There are all kinds of things you are trying to get rid of. Think of a grinder like a chisel if you were a stone sculptor.
Buffers – Some times to create shines and surface textures we use buffers in metal art. Think of polishing chrome.
Hand Chipping Tools – In the rough fabrication stage we use a lot of hand tools. Some of these we use to chip away slag. This slag could be left over from plasma cutting or welding. To make our metal art look good, we need to remove it.
Welders
MIG Welders – These welder are also know as Wire Feed welders as there is a spool of wire that you use to weld up your Metal Art. Most commonly used on mild steel.
TIG – This type of welding fuses two pieces together. You can also use a filler rod if needed. Most of the time you are just sealing up a seam. This seems to be more popular with Aluminum and stainless steel welding.
As you can see these are a few of the tools you might need when creating metal art. There are many others we didn’t describe, but these are some of the basics of metal artwork.