Christopher Thomas
Metallurgist
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Co-authored Articles (16)
How to
Weld Plastic
Whether you need to repair a crack or join pieces of plastic together, welding is the solution. Welding is a relatively simple task to do at home since plastic is so soft and pliable. You need an electric welding gun and...
10 Tips to Drill through Metal
If you're tackling a DIY project that requires you to drill through metal, how can you know if you have the best tools for the job? Even if it may seem like a tough material to work with, you can easily drill through met...
Everything You Need to Know About Melting Lead at Home
A guide to melting lead using tools anyone can buy As far as metalworking goes, lead is an incredibly easy and fun material to work with. With a melting point of only , you can easily melt lead yourself and cast it into ...
How to
File Metal
Metal files are relatively inexpensive and effective tools for reshaping and smoothing metal and hard plastics, offering the potential for high precision and many years of trouble-free use. Be sure to select the right ki...
How to
Bend Sheet Metal
Most frequently, expensive sheet metal bending tools, called brakes, are used to bend sheet metal. 25 January 2023., but you can also complete this task without one. Bending sheet metal by hand is a manageable task if th...
How to
Blue Steel
Bluing steel is the process of oxidizing the surface of the metal to protect it from rust. There are several different techniques, and each one has its own particular uses. The most commonly used are cold bluing and hot ...
How to
Cut Sheet Metal
Sheet metal comes in a variety of thicknesses and strengths. Depending on the pattern and type of sheet metal, you can use several different kinds of equipment to make a cut. You can use an electric saw for simple lines,...
How to
Bend Rebar
Construction experts use the term rebar to refer to pieces of steel that will often constitute part of the inner structure for a piece of concrete. Rebar also has other various uses. Essentially, it is a long piece of st...
How to
Clean Galvanized Steel
Galvanized steel is steel that has a tightly bonded zinc coating that prevents corrosion and increases the steel's longevity and durability. Galvanized steel can often be found in sheet metal, gutters, and car doors and ...
How to
Drill Steel
Steel is a common metal used in a number of applications, such as appliances, architecture, and even decoration. For some jobs, you may need to make holes in the metal to achieve the effect you want. By using the right t...
How to
Grind Metal
Grinding metal is a necessary process if you don’t want any sharp edges along a weld line or if you want to polish your piece. As long as you have experience with power tools and a shop to work in, you can grind metal ...
How to
Fill Rust Holes in Metal
Rust is an inevitability with metal, but that doesn’t make it less shocking when you walk out and see a hole forming. By filling in holes, you stop rust in its tracks and ensure the metal lasts longer.
How to
Prevent Metals from Corroding
Corrosion can be a huge problem for anyone who works with metals, from small projects to large-scale constructions like buildings, bridges, and aircraft. All metals will corrode eventually, but fortunately, we have a few...
How to
Identify Mild Steel
Mild steel, also known as low carbon steel, contains about 0.05% to 0.25% carbon by weight. It’s relative affordability makes it a popular choice for many different applications. But, how do you know that what you’re...
How to
Cut Steel
Steel comes in many different forms and thicknesses. Steel thickness is referred to as “gauge.” The smaller the number of gauge, the thicker the steel. Thin-gauge steel, like sheet metal, can be cut with a large vari...
How to
Cut Galvanized Steel
Galvanized steel has a protective layer of zinc on the surface, which makes the metal sturdier and less likely to corrode. If you don’t have a lot of experience working with this metal, it may be intimidating to start ...
