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Metal
CONVENIENT - metal shipped right to your door! You may purchase your hot rolled mild steel locally or from us. Many of our customers purchase their first bundles of metal from us with their tool order to see the quality and type of steel we like to use. Metal we carry in stock is HOT ROLLED MILD STEEL or ANNEALED metal. When possible, we stock flat strip metal that is A36 Hot Rolled Mild Steel (pickled & oiled, no scale) with carbon content of .04 to .10 Anytime we are able to buy flat strip metal that is P&O (Pickled and Oiled) we will do so as that material, while hot rolled, DOES NOT flake off material from the metal as it is twisted, scrolled, rolled, etc. The time saved on not having to remove the loose remaining flake from the metal prior to spray painting or powder coating offsets any slightly higher price one may pay for Pickled & Oiled material.Common question: Will Metalcraft tools only work with
special steel or metal and where can I get it?
A. No. Metalcraft tools are designed and guaranteed to work with generally available Hot rolled (Black) Mild Steel or Annealed (softened) Bright Mild Steel to the specified sizes stated in the accompanying web pages. Many steel yards in the USA carry hot rolled mild steel but the annealed metal isn't readily carried. On our website we do carry 2 smaller sizes of annealed metal and they are 3/8"w x 1/16" thickness x 36" long and 1/2"w x 3/32" thickness x 36" long which are handy for smaller in home type projects and prototypes. Other metal we stock that may be hard to locate in your area is: 1/4" and 5/16" Hot Rolled solid square bar. These are popular square bar for use with the basket attachments on either the Master Twister or XL Twister.
Please note: If you should wish to use other metals, please contact our Technical Sales staff to discuss the suitability of using them with our tools. We would be most pleased to give our best advice and have successfully supplied either our standard or specially modified versions of our tools for all sorts of unusual applications including use with copper, brass, sterling silver, aluminum, and in certain cases stainless steel. __________________________________________________________________________
NOTE ABOUT METAL
Many of the Hot Rolled (generally lower carbon) metal sold at steel yards today is described as 15 carbon maximum. The actual Hot Rolled carbon content allowed to be called Hot Rolled Metal can range from .02 carbon up to .15 carbon.
If using metal that is in the mid to lower range of carbon content, you will find it easier to work with. When metal is at the upper range of the .15 carbon allowed, it will be more difficult to work with versus metal with lower carbon. For example, when scroll bending, if the metal has more carbon it may not hug the scroll bending segments tightly as lower carbon metal does. You can also hear it when punching holes as higher carbon metal will give a loud bang as the punch is made versus a muffled sound when using lower carbon metal. In general steel yards may not keep good records on the actual metal specifications, but at least ask for this information. Trust us - metal is NOT all alike and if sold real cheap- run!
- Ask for the specifications.
- If specs are not available, attach the Master Punch/Shear tool to a portable board and take to the steel yard. Measure a piece of the metal you plan on purchasing to see how much extra length is available to cut off. Ask if you can cut off a part of the extra length. Listen to how it sounds when you cut. Next, punch a hole and listen to how it sounds.
- If you like the sounds from the test metal pieces, buy 1 or 2 pieces to take with you to test in your shop. Then after using the metal in all tool functions, go back to the steel yard the same day, buy off the same rack, and buy more than you plan on using.
Tip: When using Pickled and Oiled metal, "finish grind" a beautiful pattern in the metal BEFORE doing any forming. Then protect with a clear enamel spray paint or a clear/translucent powder coat color that will allow the pattern ground in the metal to be seen.
