Metal Fabricators

Metal fabricators are contractors who shape metal fixtures and installations from raw materials. Metal can be bent, welded, stamped, or otherwise manipulated to create any metalwork you need for your home. The other common way to form metal is with a mold cast. There are also several different mold cast methods, including injection, sand, forging, and cast iron, just to name a few. Molten metal is poured into the mold to create the metal fixture. Metal fabricating and metal mold casting are two separate skills, and it's not uncommon for a metalworking professional to specialize in only one form of metal forming.

Metal Fabricators v. Mass-Produced Metal
The major advantage of metal fabrication is that it is significantly easier and cheaper. It's extremely unlikely that you would ever want to choose a metal cast mold unless you were buying a mass-produced metal item. The advantage of cast molds is that once the mold is made, a nearly unlimited number of metal items can be produced. For this reason, metal fixtures purchased from a home center may be fabricated or made from a cast mold, while custom made metal is almost always fabricated. The quality of the metal produced varies, and one process is not inherently superior to the other.

Different cast mold methods have slightly different advantages. Sand casting allows for greater flexibility, while cast iron is a permanent mold casting that can reduce the cost of producing the metal fixture. For home improvement purposes, though, flexibility is usually the greater asset. Low-cost, mass-produced metal parts are generally more desirable for the automotive industry.

Metal Repair, Alterations, and Creations
Another advantage of metal fabricators is that metal manipulation allows for greater versatility and a wider range of operations than cast molds. If your metal becomes badly dented or damaged in some other way, metal fabricators can sometimes repair and reproduce the original fixture. Plus, if you have a metal staircase, TV stand, light fixture, or another common metal household fixture, a metal fabricator may be able to alter the appearance to fit your needs and tastes. In fact, you can even bring a design of your own creation and a metal fabricator can produce this item for you. Such customized services are expensive, however, simply because quite a bit of labor and time goes into producing the design and calibrating the necessary machinery.

Steel Fabricators
Any metal can be fabricated, but metal fabricators are also commonly called steel fabricators simply because steel is cheap, strong, and easy to work with. Sheet metal is especially easy to handle and shape. If you plan on installing steel in your home, you'll need to take precautions to prevent rust.

Stainless steel, of course, is highly resistant to rust and can still be fabricated with all of the conventional methods. Some grades of stainless steel are easier to work with than others, though. Generally speaking, some degree of corrosion resistance must be sacrificed to achieve the additional workability of the metal. Certain grades lend themselves to different fabrication techniques. A particular grade of stainless steel may be easy to machine but more difficult to weld.

Why You Should Care
Of course, all of this may not seem to matter to you, the homeowner. But, which metal you choose and how it's formed can greatly influence your metal's appearance and longevity. Talking to a steel fabricator about how intricate you can make an affordable metal fixture for your home may open decorative avenues you didn't think possible. Outdoor metal installations, in particular, can have widely varying options and costs that you may not be able to see from a cursory examination of patio coverings, metal fencing, or shed building.