After working around the clock fabricating, welding, and lasering (turning our white work shirts brown and black with grease and grime) you finally have it — a 40 foot tall, larger-than-life metal sculpture. So, now what?
Now that we’ve done the hard part, here comes the other hard part. After designing and building your dream art installation, the skilled craftsmen at Latest Metalworks get to work putting the finishing touches on your pièce de résistance. Which means a lot more dirty work! Pretty soon, our formerly white work shirts will be solid black with rainbow polka dots from polish, powder coating, and paint. (Why do we keep buying white?)
Depending on the desired pattern, color, and texture, our master metalworkers use a variety of techniques and processes to make your finished project absolutely breathtaking. These include heating, powder coating, electroplating, hot-dipping, electro-galvanizing, sanding, brushing, polishing, and painting. And if that sounds like a lot, that’s because IT IS.
Below we offer a comprehensive breakdown of what each process is and how it helps transform your metal sculpture into ageless art.
Heat Treatments
Heat treatments affect the hardness and durability of the final product. Some materials and applications demand that the metal be hard, while others benefit from it being more ductile.
Annealing softens metal to improve ductility and relieve internal stresses by heating it to a specific temperature and then cooling it slowly. Annealing is used for metals that have become too hard and brittle after processes like cold working or welding. The slow cooling rate allows the new structure to form uniformly, while cooling too quickly might result in residual stresses and hardening.
Similarly, tempering reduces brittleness in quenched metal by reheating to a lower temperature and then cooling. Quenching, on the other hand, increases hardness by rapidly cooling the heated metal in water or oil. While case hardening balances the best of both worlds, as it hardens the surface layer of the metal while keeping the core softer and more ductile.
Powder Coating
Powder coating gives your piece the finish and texture you want — whether that’s matte, gloss, solid, metallic, clear, or colored. A powder coat finish protects the metal against corrosion, chemicals, and weathering.
Dry powder is applied using an electrostatic gun. The coated metal is then heated in an oven to melt and cure the powder, forming a smooth and uniform finish.
Hot-Dipping and Electro-Galvanizing
Hot-dipping involves submerging metal in molten zinc. When cooled, the result is a thick, durable zinc layer to protect the metal from corrosion.
Electro-galvanizing involves immersing metal in a zinc solution and passing an electric current through it, causing zinc ions to deposit on the surface. This process also creates a zinc layer, but one that’s much thinner and more uniform when compared to the thicker layer that results from hot-dipping metal in molten zinc.
Polishing
Polishing involves using abrasive materials to grind the metal, removing any rough spots or imperfections, then applying polish using a buffing wheel. The result is a smooth, mirror-like surface.
Just think of a fresh off the lot Mercedes or the Chicago Bean to appreciate the majestic appearance of freshly polished metal. It’s the type of surface that makes you think, “Hey good looking,” when you walk by your own reflection.
Sanding and Brushing
Fine grit sand paper and wire brushes are used to give metal a raw, rugged look.
Make Your Project POP!
For coatings, treatments, and rugged appearances, you know who to call. From start to finish, the pros at Latest Metalworks will help you achieve your vision for your metal masterpiece.
We offer a wide variety of highly technical secondary operations for every look imaginable. Smooth, glossy, colored, reflective, rugged, or raw — we have what you need.