Services for Metal Work
Hi, we have for each category of service, compiled relevant information that you may find useful.
Please note: All information contained within this section is for guidance only. It is best that you check current sources of information.
If you would like to contribute or make a suggestion, please click here.
Please note: All information contained within this section is for guidance only. It is best that you check current sources of information.
If you would like to contribute or make a suggestion, please click here.
Metal Work
Services
Useful Links
Products
Jargon Buster
Areas covered under this Category are as follows:
- Bespoke
- Blacksmiths
- Cages
- Ironmongery
- Plating
- Silver
- Structural Steel Work
- Welding
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Lead Contractors Association (LCA) - www.leadcontractorsassociation.com LCA comprises of specialist contractors committed to providing quality craftsmanship for their clients, supported by associate members supplying materials and ancillary services.
British Artist Blacksmiths Association - www.baba.org.uk
British Constructional Steelwork Association - www.steelconstruction.org
- A & R Engineering
- Metal Offcuts
- ITW WELDING Products
- Corus
- Caunton
A to B
- Air-arc cutting: thermal cutting using an arc for melting the metal and a stream of air to remove the molten metal to enable a cut to be made.
- Applied decoration: decoration such as swags or garlands, stampings or castings made independently from the main body of the piece and then attached to it.
- Blowpipe: a device for mixing and burning gases to produce a flame for welding, brazing, bronze welding, cutting, heating and similar operations.
C to D
- Carbon steel or mild steel: most common and generally useful form of steel. Contains 0.3% of carbon.
- Carbon-arc welding: arc welding using a carbon electrode or electrodes.
- Cartouche: decorative shield applied to an article to allow a coat of arms or inscription to be engraved.
- Cast iron: iron with a high carbon content (above 2%).
- Casting: creating a solid object by pouring molten metal into a mould and allowing it to cool.
- Chasing: decorate metal by engraving or embossing.
- Co2 welding: metal-arc welding in which a bare wire electrode is used the arc and molten pool being shielded with carbon dioxide.
- Continuous weld: is a weld extending along the entire length of a joint.
- Cutting oxygen: oxygen used at a pressure suitable for cutting.
E to F
- Electron-beam cutting: thermal cutting in vacuum by melting and vaporising a narrow section of the metal by the impact of a focused beam of electrons.
- Electro-plating: costing a metal object with silver by passing an electric current from a block of pure silver to the article to be plated through a solution of cyanide and silver salts.
- Engraving: process of cutting or etching images into a hard surface.
- Flame cutting: oxygen cutting in which the appropriate part of the material to be cut is raised to ignition temperature by an oxy-fuel gas flame.
- Flame washing: surface shaping and dressing of metal by flame cutting using a nozzle designed to produce a suitably shaped cutting oxygen stream.
- Flux: is a substance that promotes the fusion of two substances or surfaces, as in soldering or welding.
G to H
- Gilding (gold plating): the electro-plating process is used to apply a thin layer of gold to a metal surface.
- Gilt: thin layer of gold, or a substance that looks like gold, applied to a surface.
- Hand-forging: hammering hot metal over an anvil..
I to J
- Inclusion: slag or other foreign matter entrapped during welding.
- Intermittent weld: is a series of welds at intervals along a joint.
K to L
- Lacquering: a clear coating applied to silver to prevent tarnishing..
M to N
- Metal-arc cutting: thermal cutting by melting using the heat of an arc between a metal electrode and the metal to be cut.
- Mild steel: strong steel containing a low proportion of carbon.
O to P
- Oxyacetylene: is a mixture of oxygen and acetylene, used to produce an extremely hot flame for cutting and welding metal.
- Packed lance: is an oxygen lance with steel rods or wires.
- Penetration bead: weld metal protruding through the root of a fusion weld made from one side only.
- Plug weld: weld made by filling a hole in one component of a workpiece so as to join it to the surface of an overlapping component exposed through the hole.
Q to R
- Repoussé: embossed decorations hammered from behind as opposed to chasing hammered from the front.
- Residual welding stress: stress remaining in a metal part or structure as a result of welding.
S to T
- Scarfing: removal of surface defects from ingots, blooms, billets and slabs by means of a flame cutting machine.
- Shrinkage groove: shallow groove caused by contraction of a metal along each side of a penetration bead.
- Silver gilt: a thin covering of gold over solid silver.
- Spinning: a method of producing circular shapes such as bowls, plates and cups from sheet silver.
- Stack cutting: thermal cutting of a stack of plates usually clamped together.
- Stainless steel: a corrosion-resistant steel containing at least 12 per cent chromium.
- Sterling silver: the standard alloy of 925 parts of pure silver to 75 parts copper that gives it durability and workability.
- Tempered: hardened through tempering process e.g. Tempered steel.
- Tinning: a cost-cutting method used in the old sheffield process where tin is used instead of silver for unseen areas.
U to V
- Vice: tool with two jaws that close by a lever or screw that is used to hold an object so that it can be worked on.
W to X
- Weld: to join together pieces or parts of some material by heating.
- Welding sequence: the order and direction in which joints, welds are done.
Y to Z