Got some cold rolled steel from an industrial auction? While this may seem like a strange thing to buy at an auction, there are actually lots of things that you can do with the steel. Here are three creative uses for cold rolled steel to get you started.
Construct Your Own Boat
Smaller boats are usually made of aluminum, but as long as your hull is solid and secure, the boat can be built from any metal. You will need to create a pattern to cut the pieces of the boat's hull out of the roll of steel, and then you will need to cut the pieces using a blow torch. After that, you will have to weld the pieces together to make sure they hold. You could solder them too, but you would have to hot solder them to have any chance of making the boat leak-proof. To reinforce the boat, cut strips of the steel and adhere them in a perpendicular fashion to the rest of the pieces of your boat. Weld those strips on and always test for leaks before actually using the boat.
Stamp the Cold Rolled Steel and Use as Ceiling/Wall Decor
You have probably seen the copper and tin stamped panels used in old buildings to decorate the ceiling and/or walls. You can do that in your home using the cold rolled steel you bought. Stamping the steel may be tricky, since you may need the help of a metal stamping company. You could create your own stamp in your shop and then stamp and cut individual squares of steel until you have enough or until you have used up the roll of steel. If stamping is too much of a challenge, then acid washes can really make dazzling designs on the long sheet of steel. Then you can just cut to fit the pieces of steel to your walls and/or ceiling.
Die-Cut the Steel and Sell for Decorative Purposes
Another creative option for that rolled steel is to die-cut it. Using die-cuts, you can "punch" out various shapes from the roll of steel, then sell the shapes to crafters and DIYers for whatever they want to use the shapes for. The remaining scrap steel can be recycled for cash at your local metal recycling plant, which means you could make money off of your bought-at-auction cold rolled steel twice over with this particular idea.
For more information, contact local professionals like A & C Metals - Sawing.
