One of the most common ways to use metal today is by making crafts. There are many different ways to use metal when it comes to crafting, and many different metals to choose from. Some of the more popular metal craft projects are jewelery, ornaments, metal sculptures/ paintings, wall hangings, and even basketry. So how do you know what type of metal to use for your metal craft? Let’s take a look at some different metals and their properties to determine which type of metal is the best for certain craft projects.
Most of today’s jewelery is made with some type of metal. The process of making the actual jewelery can be quite lengthy, especially if you have to fire and melt the metal to get it to do what you want it to. For those of you who wish to make jewelery without the hassle of using a torch, you may want to look into using metal clay. Metal clay was developed in Japan during the 90’s. It is a clay-like substance that when fired or heated in a kiln becomes a dense metal. It is used mostly in the fine silver form, but can be purchased in 22K gold. Depending on the type of clay you pick will depend on what temperature or at all if it needs to be heated.
Besides metal clay, for most of your metal craft projects you will need something to weld the metals together, and heat them to bend the way you want them to. A torch is usually the easiest and most convenient way to create metal crafts in a smaller area, but you can buy larger tools for different jobs. If you know what your project is, then go into a craft store and explain to them what you are doing and they will be able to tell you what the best metals are to use for your metal craft project.
If you are not interested in making just jewelery, and would like to branch out and make something else, you will want to know a little bit about metals in general before you go out and buy something and realize it won’t work for what you are doing. Here are a few types of iron and their properties so you can make a more educated decision on what to use for your craft project.
Iron
If you are working with iron, you should know that in most instances Cast iron is very brittle and will crack easily. It has a better resistance to rusting than pure iron and steel. Pure iron, also referred to as wrought iron is malleable so if you are going to be bending and shaping in your craft project this may work great for you.
Steel
There are many different kinds of steel. Mild steel is strong and easy to shape, and is also very cheap. High carbon steel is stronger than mild steel, but is more brittle. Stainless steel is extremely hard and strong and very resistant to corrosion. When working with steel you will most likely need to use a protective coating around your project as it will usually react with oxygen in the air and rust easily.
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc which makes it strong, and cheap. It is one of the softer metals to work with when crafting which may give you more options if you have not decided what craft you are going to do.
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