Ok, here we go: I AM A COMPLETE NOOB WHEN IT COMES TO USING METALS I haven't got the slightest clue what do do with them. So I beg my fellow modders, educate me in metals. 1. What are the advantages of using certain metals (e.g. Aluminium) 2. How do you cut metals at home? Can I use my dremel? 3. How do you stick them together? I can't weld, and don't have the resources. Are there adhesives? How is riveting? Thanks
Steel, typically harder than aluminium, aluminium is softer but less durable, as in, it could scratch more easily etc... dremel.... well, tbh, no not really, its not going to be man enough to get through most metals, it does depend on what dremel you have, but even, then, still probably a no, invest in a jigsaw and/or a decent table saw and bandsaw, that should see you through better Adhesives, your never gonna get a strong enough bond to support an entire case structure, rivetting is probably the best, blind rivetting (pop-rivetting) is the easiest one and is qquite cheap to get into aswell. However, this again might not be strong enough, it is strong, but not great, its usually done to combine spot welding with rivetting, so you rivet the chassis, then spot weld the joints into place... I know, my answeres arent very detailed, im in a rush, got somewhere to be, but hopefully they will provide an insight, and others can expand and correct dragon
it depends what you wanna do with it (like many things) Al is light, not so strong (esp. in thin sections) and will go white if work hardened (bent) too much, then will break. it's fairly easy to work, but drilling large holes can cause it to melt onto the drill bit (over heats - use coolant) which is a pig to get off. You will find a lot of tools that can cut wood can cut Al with a LOT of care Mild Steel (MS) could be said to be the most widely used metal (correct me on this) - it has a lot of strength / stiffness, and thin sheets are easy to work (e.g. cut / drill / join / etc). size for size, MS is stronger than Al (probably cheaper too). However it is significantly harder to work when thicker metal is used - decent heavy duty equipment is in order. These are the main metals avaliable, but there is also Copper, Brass, Steel Alloys that can be used. These are really only used if there is a real need for them though (+ price is going up and up recently). A jigsaw is a fantastic piece of kit, along with decent files / jnr hacksaw. thin sheets of steel (e.g. those on PSU / CD drive covers) can be cut with dremel / tin snips to a fairly good degree, but a small shearing press may be a good buy? i find it hard to cut thin sheets with the jigsaw as it just bends and absorbs the saw motion. A bending jig is good also for those beautiful 90 degree bends. Glue on metals can have a habit of being very brittle and coming off with a small knock. pop rivets Cheesecake for sheets of it, especially when using tubular sections. pop riveting is the best way by far for Aluminium (spelt with the "i") joining. hope this helps even more!
For aluminum, (no 'i' here,) -you need to use hack saws and files. Abrasive-type cutters and dremel grinding stones will glaze. - The aluminum melts and fills in the holes in the grinding bits. I guess what I'm trying to say is you need something with TEETH.
Does this information apply to Araldite? I've been told that Araldite provides an extremely secure bond and I was planning to use it in my own project, but now I'm not so sure.
i used araldyte but tbh it wasnt too strong soo i just used rivets instead/aswell. plus rivets are easier and quicker
good information JB weld has done me much good especially when bonding dissimilar metals (aluminum to steel) pop rivets are also great, cheap, fast and relatively easy. for 90% of the work common cheap mild steel will do the job. Profqwerty got it right, it IS the most common metal(alloy) in the world. I would pick aluminum if weight was important or on occasion for visuals, aluminum is much brighter and polishes up quite a bit better than steel, not to mention it won't flash rust like steel will, basically meaning all steels need to be coated or painted somehow for the long term or they start to rust. however, currently aluminum is a bit more expensive than steel which is somehting else to keep in mind, stainless doesn't have many advantages for a modder, nor does copper, brass etc save for visual purposes. find a few machining websites and they'll give you some good information about different materials and how to cut them. jigsaw is the number one way for most DIY modding, dremel for the tight spots, bandsaws and scroll saws are also viable for sheet steel.
A dremel will be great for cutting things out, or cutting in a design. just need the diamond wheel, with is like 7 bucks just get it. I got a 25 dollar jig saw, and it cuts through metal like butter. For someone like me and you, who won't be welding, use aluminum. Then rivit it together. all you really need is:a jig saw, a dremel, and a drill press/ hand drill. And a pop rivit gun can be bought for under 10 bucks at friegh harbor or whatever its called. hope i was helpfull, its not as hard as you think
