Metal Sanding Art

Metal Canvas

• One type of metal art involves using a polished piece of sheet metal as a kind of metal canvas. Various tools are applied to the metal in order to create abstract shapes, patterns, swirls and designs. For round or swirled shapes, a powered disk sander that spins a sanding wheel at high velocities allows artists to get clean curves on the design. A belt sander also may be used by an artist working on this type of piece. Brushes, sanding disks and other tools for sanding can be attached to the end of a drill to use on this sort of artwork.

Painting

• Sanding can be an important part of working with metal artistically, even if it is not the primary mechanism by which the piece is created. Many metal surfaces' untreated forms are not ideal for accepting paint. If metal is too smooth, paint will not adhere to it well. Sanding metal before painting it creates a surface to which paint adheres better. Sanding is a key part of the process when painting many metals, including steel and aluminum.

Sandblasting

• Sandblasting is a technique that uses highly pressurized air to blast tiny particles at a surface. The high velocity and small, uniform size of the particles create a force that cleans a surface very effectively. Sandblasting is sometimes used in metal art as part of the finishing process. A metal sculpture could undergo a sandblasting process as its final step or as a means to clean the surface to see if any imperfections were hidden and need to be corrected before the piece is done. Sandblasting requires special equipment, and some artists may send their pieces to be sandblasted by a professional technician rather than attempting the procedure themselves.

Sculpting

• Just as it can be used as a technique for creating patterns and images, sanding also can be used to sculpt metal. Using sandpaper to shape metal allows an artist to create valleys and contours in the metal with feel and precision. The softer a metal is, the more easily it can be worked in this fashion. Sanding also can be used to make two pieces of metal appear as one piece. A high-quality weld that is sanded properly can be flattened to make the seam almost disappear when an experienced artist does the work.