Cold Metal Skills

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Skills Needed for Cold Metal Tasks

Identify Metal• Identify metal so that its

characteristics will be known before trying to do other cold metal and welding tasks

Cutting Cold Metal•Done to make it the correct size: length and width

Thin Metal•Cutting thin cold metal is done by using snipes, shears, or a cold chisel

Thick Metal• Cutting thick cold metal

is done with a hacksaw or a metal cutting saw blade in band saws, jigsaws, or reciprocating saws

Drilling •The method used to make round holes in cold metal using drills and metal cutting bits

Bending Metal• Bending cold metal not

more than 3/8” thick can be done with a ball peen hammer and machinists vise

Bending Metal•Metal thicker than 3/8” should be heated before bending

Shaping Cold Metal

• Shaping cold metal can be done by cutting, filing, grinding, or bending or combining any of these skills

Filing• The main reason to file

metal is to smooth rough places, but filing is also used to sharpen some tools

Grinding• Grinding is the procedure

used to sharpen points or edges of cutting tools made of high carbon steel

Demonstrating Cold Metal Skills

Ferrous•Contain iron

Ferrous Metals •Will rust and have to be painted or oiled to protect

Ferrous Metals•Cast iron

•Wrought iron

•Steel

Non-ferrous •Do not have iron

Nonferrous Metals•Aluminum

•Copper

•Magnesium

Identify Metal• Identify metal so that its

characteristics will be known before trying to do other cold metal and welding tasks

Metal Identification•Identified by color, weight, texture, use, shape, forge or cast marks, and spark test

Spark Test•Color, shape, quantity, length, and position of sparks are used to identify metals

Cast Iron•Has red lines in the sparks

High Carbon Steel•Has yellow lines with several star bursts

Wrought Iron•Has long straw-colored lines without burst

Galvanized Steel• Should be identified

because it gives off poisonous gas when heated for cutting or welding

Snips or Shears•Will not cut metal that is too thick

Thick Metal• Should be cut with a

metal cutting saw such as hacksaw, band saw, or abrasive cut-off saw (chop saw)

Drilling Metal•Done by securing metal in a machinist’s vise

Drilling Metal• Using a center punch and

ball peen hammer to dent the metal to prevent the drill bit from wandering from the desired location

Drilling Metal•Using a drill and bit to drill the hole

Machinist’s vise•Should be used to secure cold metal for cutting, drilling, filling, or bending

Round File•The inside of a drilled hole should be smoothed with a round file

Flat File•Can be used to smooth the cut edges of cold metal

Grinder• Used to shape and

sharpen the hollow-ground cutting edge of tools such as wood chisels

Alloy•A mixture of two or more metals

Steel•Is an alloy of iron and carbon

Mild Steel•Known as the workhorse of steels

Mild Steel•Used to make expanded metal

Stainless Steel•Will not rust

Cold Metal Skills

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