Metal art is an ever growing, timeless   field, surrounded with people of extraordinary talent. This is a unique and rare form of art. The metal can be etched, stained, heated and acid washed to bring color and texture to the work.

This dramatic form of art can be utterly significant, be it outrageous sculpture, jewelry, wall art, excellent humanities or even constructional work. Metal art takes any shape, from representations of the human body to wildly, cool, and  imaginative abstracts. You can even make metal art out of found metal objects put together in unique ways. Indeed, without any trace of doubt, metal art can bring life to its surroundings.

Over time, metal art has transformed into a unique gift of rugged beauty, eventually yielding numerous functions: for instance, metal art can beautify and compliment a home or office; recycled metal art takes trash out of land fills and makes a useful item out of it, giving it new life; they can be useful for garden ornaments, sculptures, home decor, furniture and more.

But creating one masterpiece is not only limited to those who studied this sophisticated form of science and the art. In fact, anyone who is as eager and passionate to this craft can learn this, and we’re gonna help you how:

Materials needed:

• sheet metals, sheet steel
• broad marker (any color)
• eye protection
• metal shears
• cutting wheel
• pliers
• hammer
• wire wheel
• paint

Instructions:

1)      Brainstorm on whatever object you would want to form. Look around for inspiration. Observe  the shapes and textures in your environment.

2)      Decide on what you desire to create. Since the metal is slim, a place is needed to support a smooth piece or rocks in securing cylindrical piece since the stuff may blow away when it is not being hold down. Among the items that you can produce by using metals are masks, angels, flowers, dinosaurs, vines, skulls and other abstract objects.

3)      Gather sufficient sheet metal intended for your design. Do not be discouraged if you could not find even and good pieces of sheet metal. The metals often come as tubes which you may easily slice through and squash.

4)      Sketch out your design in the sheet metal by means of a broad marker. It’s alright even if the  lines of the marker are so visible or large; you will paint the finished result anyway.

5) Do not forget to wear wrap-around eye protection before you cut all the design elements from your sheet steel or steel plate using center-cutting metal shears or a cutting wheel on a 4-inch right-angle grinder, depending on the gauge, or thickness of the steel.

6)      Use excellent pair of shears to cut your drafted outline. The slicing will be irritating until you have the drape of it. If you cut out a big piece, curve one wall of the metal downward and the other side upwards while you cut through it, or else your shears will get struck.

7)      Bend, curl and twirl the ends of metal by means of pliers. Your hands can do this also because sheet metals is flexible enough, however, pliers can provide tighter twirl and more sensitive angle is needed.

8)      Smith the steel to shape by hammering and bending it as needed. Hammer thin sheet steel and rod stock cold. You may have to heat thicker steel before working it. Use standard soldering techniques to secure small design elements to each other.

9)      Remove burrs with a bench grinder, using a fine-grinding wheel and a wire wheel.

10)  Arrange all design elements as desired, overlapping elements as needed. Solder or weld all pieces. Drill screw or bolt holes where necessary. Add any loops or hangers.

11)  Finish-grind and wire-wheel your project as desired to provide a brushed finish down to clean steel.

12)  Paint it. Spread paint works very well over the metals, it can cover smoothly without the use of brush. Sponge brushes may also create pleasant effect to the art. If you place the sheet metal arts outside, be sure you utilize weatherproof spray or paint with sealers.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money on other expensive items just to make your home and garden have a look of paradise. Metal art is an effective and unique alternative to all of your beautification problems. Besides, the allure of creating something beautiful out of something discarded is more attractive and economical.

So if metal art interests you, why not try this creative way in recycling that is laid out for you to follow? All it needs is just an inspired idea, some raw materials, and a handful of techniques for manipulating metals.

Go ahead! Unleash the artist in you and see how you could turn a scrap into one masterpiece!