r/metalworking

I was working with some 1/4" aluminium plate.

I was having a lot of problem working it.

My tools were a small cold cut saw ,flap wheel on a grinder and some hand tools.

The aluminium seemed to smear instead.of cutting. Is there better tools or techniques to follow to remove more metal.

What seemed to work best with .h poor technique was to chamber both sides and then remove the peak formed. Keep the contact area to a minimum.

Sorry for my English, I'm from Europe, Poland, and I work with injection molds. I have a question: what's the best way to weld injection molds besides laser welding? Any ideas or tips? Maybe TIG, and if so, what TIG options? Thank you very much for your help.

As the title states, I cut a bolt without a mask to protect my lungs. It was a bolt underneath my car and I used some cordless oscillating tool to cut it. I think maybe about a minute in I saw metal flakes come down as I was cutting so I started to hold my breathe as I did more and more cutting of the two bolts.

The problem is now, I feel like I have a shortness of breath and is something I’ve never experienced before in my life. A bit scared actually of permanent lung damage from my dumb mistake. My throat has been producing more mucus than normal and this difficulty in breathing is concerning. Anyone else had similar an experience? Is this something that goes away by its own or do I have to go to the hospital? Currently it’s been just over 48 hours since the symptoms started to appear along with the bolt cutting. Symptom of shortness of breath came about 1-2 hours after inhaling the metal shavings.

How well do wood/chipboard-style screws work in aluminum? Specifically: drilling the hole, achieving a secure hold, and—if necessary—unscrewing and re-screwing the fastener while maintaining a fit comparable to the original installation.

Application: mounting an aluminum bar or flat bar (2–3 mm thick) onto a stainless steel sheet. An electronic device will be attached to the bar; the device's weight is comparable to, or at most equal to, the weight of the bar itself.

I considered bonding as an alternative. However, the adhesive would need to be thermally conductive, and bond degradation over time would be a concern.

Another alternative is riveting a U-profile, though that presents different challenges for this specific application.

Background details here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Lighting/s/KGxDHmboVH

Son and I are learning to weld. We’re using a grinder now but have some projects planned. A cold saw looks like the answer. I have a sliding miter saw but my understanding is they spin too fast. Don’t want to break the bank, but is an Evolution the answer?

The double miter is familiar but I can’t see dropping that kind of cash when we still can’t stack dimes

If it helps, the first project will be sides for a trailer made from angle iron and extruded steel.

I’ve been doing a lot of research into the making of steel but I can’t really find much good info about the making of wrought steel, specifically this question; if I have a bar of wrought steel, that has been forged into said bar, I imagine that it had to of been melted and cast into some precursor prior to it being forged into that bar right? Wouldn’t that mean that cast steel becomes wrought steel when worked? I’ve always been told that you can’t forge or weld cast metals but if the difference is just grain structure and carbon content I imagine you can make it into wrought through working it?

Any info is much appreciated

I've been using AirPods Pro for about a year now. They work okay, but I still end up with pretty noticeable tinnitus by the end of the day.

I've seen a lot of posts asking about this, but most of them are over five years old, and I'd imagine there's been some better technology released since then.

I'd prefer to stick with Bluetooth earbuds if there's an option that's easier on my ears. If that's not possible and wired earbuds or another solution is the only way to better protect my hearing, then that's just something I'll have to deal with.

EDIT: somthing that has long battery life and has a good enough NRR rating for grinding for more then 4 hours a day

I was thinking of taking a drawbar, setting it up so that it juts out the back end a foot or so, then making a frame and guide , and running a high speed belt sander?

It would just be super convenient to use the extant gearing as speed control.

The biggest concern I could see would be the grit from sanding; a quick board to act as a shield, and a bucket of water under the grind path, and maybe a cover for the lathe itself?

Any suggestions, comments, criticisms, all very appreciated! Thanks for your time folks!

Looking for recommendations for quality, interesting metalworking or fabrication YouTube channels. This should be easy enough, but YouTube is absolutely flooded with slop content, often featuring unsafe practices with little or no PPE, builds with questionable practicality, and comment sections that are obviously filled with bots. I'm looking for creators who demonstrate good craftsmanship or even just have an interesting personality while they work through their projects.