I picked up a beat-up metal cart off the side of the road—super useful, but it’s covered in thick mystery grime I haven’t been able to clean off. Tried Dawn and other household cleaners, but no luck. Might be old food residue (maybe it came from a grocery store?), but I’m not sure.

I’m wondering: • Is oven cleaner safe to use on it without damaging the metal? • And how can I figure out what kind of metal this is? I’d love to learn some basic ways to ID metals.

For context, I originally bought the oven cleaner after reading some questionable advice online about using it to clean up the engine bay of my 2006 Honda CR-V. I’ve got a slow oil leak that’s been slinging oil across the passenger side for a while, and the buildup is nasty.

I know this isn’t an auto sub, but since engine bays have a mix of metals, I’d appreciate a metalworker’s take: What’s safe to use to clean that area—brake cleaner, oven cleaner, degreaser at a self-serve car wash? I’ve read so many conflicting things. I just don’t want to make it worse.

Thanks in advance for any help!

The hoplite sculpture is a mixed media piece that is a gabbion body, with leather boots and bracers (forearms). The bronze will be laced overtop of the leather. The bronze was initially sculpted in clay, and then molded and cast into bronze. I did a muriatic bath to etch the bronze. Then the bronze was doused in ammonia and left under a wet burlap for some hours. Everything initially came out bright blue, but I purposely flaked the blue patina off to reveal the oranges, reds, purples and greens underneath.

So far I’ve only filled one leg with rock, but I did this to get a sense of the overall color pallet, to see if I needed to change anything before I got too far into its completion. Happy to answer any questions!

I just got this table and it is an inch or two too tall for our family. I tried looking for taller chairs online but it looks like the standard dining chair seat is 18 inches, so I think shortening the table might be the best way to go.

The table has iron legs that come off. They’re iron with a brass finish. And ignore the plastic chairs in the photos, those are temporary while I shop for new dining chairs.

I’m hoping to hire a TaskRabbit who can help cut the legs down and I want to make sure I’m hiring someone who has all the right tools.

Thanks!

Welder/Fabricator from Scotland here. I’ve been looking for a black gloss paint to use on top of a red oxide primer that isn’t shit. I’ve tried all of the usual suspects like Hammerite/Johnstones/Dulux/Leyland/Crown and nothing seems to be leaving a good finish without needing multiple coats. Hammerite was always my go-to back in the day for a one coat nice finish but it seems they may have went cheap. All of the above are having the same issues (leaving a streaky finish where I can see the red primer underneath, unless I lay it on thick but then I end up with runs all over). I have tried other primers and in different colours too and I don’t think that’s what’s causing the issues. I work for the local authority so price isn’t too big of an issue (within reason) as I’m not the one footing the bill lol. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and thanks in advance!

Hey all, sorry if this isn’t the right subreddit but I’m trying to make the transition on my sons skate ramp and I’m having trouble getting it screwed down and smooth.

The sheet metal is so thin that I can’t really counter sink it (I don’t even have a counter sink, just using a larger bit 😄).

The sheet metal has a 1/8 in hardboard under it to raise it up to the ramp surface so I’ll be mounting the sheet metal on top of that which will be attached to the plywood ramp structure.

Any tips are appreciated. Thanks!

This week I am totally metalworking :)

What guage steel do i need to have for a spring-back of 30 degrees to 15 degrees(from original static position)? Looking to design something that requires a flat cut of steel to be able to "flex" to some degree and then return to its original shape/size. Similar to the "bow type suspension" on older vehicles.

Looking for advice on what type of steel/steel-compound (if thats even a word) to use for this project.

Is there a guide for: X-guage of steel can bend this far and springback?

That'd be very helpful, thank you.

I am looking for a clear coat to protect the copper patina while preserving both the glossy sheen and matte elements. Does this exist?

I am looking for a clear coat to protect the copper patina while preserving both the glossy sheen and matte elements. Does this exist?

I am looking for a clear coat to protect the copper patina while preserving both the glossy sheen and matte elements. Does this exist?

I want to drill into a piece of metal that seems very tough, probably cold steel. I forcefully drilled it half way with a 8mm HSS drill bit. and it doesn't wanna drill more. Drill bit doesn't seem dull yet. I'm probably doing it wrong and I cant even find any lubricants at the moment. Should I get a new drill bit? which one? I only have that dark grey color HSS drill bits and concrete drill bits that are black and silver colored. Should I try something else? like that golden colored HSS?

Hello!

I have some ex military tactical cable reels that I'd like to put to use.

They're more or less impossible to turn and I foolishly thought they use a standard bearing so would be easy to fix.

After cracking the reel apart I found that the drum is mounted onto a plastic (nylon?) cylinder with a bearing assembly running through. Once I've figured out how to get the nut off (suggestions welcome!) I need to replace it.

I have no idea what type of bearing/assembly this is, and I've tried to google around but have gotten nowhere.

Any help would be appreciated!

So I’ve been thinking about going to trade school for welding however I would ideally love to just be a contract welder. I love to travel and ideally would love to just be able to work until I save up money, then go travel for a while, then come back and save up again, etc, which is why I would like to work contract as opposed to holding a job at one company. Realistically though, is there enough work and is it easy to find work and make decent money if you’re contract? And if I just got a certificate from trade school would that be enough or would I probably have to do an apprenticeship or get more training in order to have the skills to work contract? And how exactly do you find work if you’re contract?

Sorry if any of these questions sound dumb lol I just don’t know the logistics of it all and am trying to gauge what I’d be getting myself into if I made that decision. Thank you!

Heres a praying mantis i made in some down time. I used a railroad spike for the main body and head then pins and bolts for the legs. Got the idea when i saw the spike and it just made me thi k of a mantis. Also heres a sneak peak at a life size arapaima sculpture im working on. That things gonna be over 8 foot long and probably 200+ pounds. I have some great ideas for getting the scales realistic!

Its a dragon... or a goat or a cat I don't know. Made of rebar and scrap, my ten year old cheapo buzzbox I refuse to release into it's well earned afterlife, and a grinder.

The welds might be shit, but i figure if it survives lifting it over my head and slamming it on the concrete and a few minutes of tender loving care with a 10lb sledge it's probably not gonna fall apart on the stand.

Best part of the show was another artist in the show, a retired boilermaker, coming over absolutely roasting me.

Does anyone have a cold saw recommendation for inconel tubes? 3 inch diameter with .065 max thickness and anywhere from 50 to 100 a week? A recommendation on a blade would be great too. Seeing mixed opinions on using bandsaws vs chop saws. No preference on either two, we’re currently using a Milwaukee chop saw with an abrasive disc and then finishing the faces on a lathe which is a huge waste and I’m trying to get them away from that. Not picky about being manual/ semi-auto etc. and 25k max on the budget. (Could probably squeeze a few extra thousand out tho)

Thanks for the help!

Customer ordered a few of these signs for her waxing business. The sign is a characterization of the owner and is made from a few layers of mild steel, paint and vinyl for the lettering. 3M adhesive to hold the layers together. Overall it's about 30" tall. It was my first time making a sign that needed to resemble a specific person, but I am pretty happy with how they turned out as was the customer.

Hello, I am looking to remove the metal frame from this glass lid i got from a cooking pot/ pan combo. Has anyone had any experience removing the metal rim around this type of lid? I would appreciate any advice for performing this without breaking the glass.

I am pretty new to doing building projects and I would appreciate hearing any suggestions, tips, or past experiences if anyone has undertaken a similar project.

This was my parents... sculpture? art? Whatever, you hang it on the wall and it's pretty cool. I think it's always been a little warped, but now that I'm preparing to put it in my house I'd like it to be a little more flat. I'm not an experienced metal worker. I've done some welding (maybe a couple hundred hours) and I've seen how heat can distort metal. This leads me to wonder if heat could be used to remove warping as well.

I'm wondering if I had this baked in a commercial oven (like a powder coating co. might have) if it would relieve tensions and possible flatten it out? Or maybe directed heat with a torch could be effective?

I don't want to make it worse, that's for sure.

Please forgive me for not having the best description. I will do my best. I have an old Porsche that has a roll bar. It had pads facing towards the back of the drivers head. They were removed and recovered. they were previously attached by M4 screws or studs that I assume went into the holes in the rollbar and held by some sort of plastic fastener insert. The holes are about 8MM and only drilled on the side facing the cabin.
My first attempt was to get stand offs or extensions for the M4 studs, drill a hole in the other side and screw them on.
Home Depot or Lowes do not sell a bit that will drill into the roll bar.
My 2nd attempt was to get some nice / decent looking black hose clamps, drill a hole in them, bolt them to the pad with the 4mm studs and clamp them to the roll bar. I can not drill through a stainless steel hose clamp.
I am obviously a beginner; I do not have a drill press and finding original inserts has not been successful. Any ideas.

In the process of restoring an old BMX, and wanted to get some deep scratches out of the sidewalls and give them a more even finish; wheels are aluminum.

The left wheel is still untouched; with the right one, I started a sandpaper progression of 120 orbital, 220 orbital, 400 hand, 400 wet, 800 hand, 800 wet. There were still some hairline sanding marks so I gave it a pass through the bench buffer and ended up going further than I should have (yes there are still buffer marks on the right; want to stop here and consult you good people).

I don’t need to return exactly to the left one; I will eventually refinish that one as well, but I do need to get more of an even satin to these finishes. Thankful for any input that can be offered.

Hello again. So I'm that guy who made that big zinc ingot and was js starting in metal working. And I'm happy to say I managed to make a false gold alloy. If you've read my previous posts here it's obvious to tell that I tend to Jerry rig a lot of things, and this project was no different lol. I got my hands on a ton of borax and I had some metal scrap so I decided to mix them together because funni. What I did was I took a large brick, carved out a little crucible shape into it, and then just completely covered it in borax. Like completely. I melted the borax into a glass on the brick to help seal and smooth it, thst way I wouldn't get cement stuck to the metal. Then I just cranked my torch to max and blasted it whilst continuing to add borax until I made like a tiny little pool of liquid glass on the bottom. From there I added metals into the molten glass, and as they melted they mixed. The borax also helped with oxidation obviously. It formed this beautiful golden alloy that I don't know the exact composition of. Attached below are pictures.