Metal Guides
Straight answers about buying, cutting, and shipping metal in Canada, written by the sales team that cuts it.
What can you build from one bar of metal?
A shop's worth of first projects. One 36″ length of 1/8″ × 1″ 6061 flat bar ($8.89 CAD, July 2026) becomes shelf brackets, drawer pulls, a bench square, and a griddle scraper with hand tools. Six bars from our rack...
Anodizing, brushing, or polishing: how do you finish aluminum after you buy it?
Brush it with one-direction grit steps, buff through tripoli to white rouge for a mirror, or anodize it for hard permanent colour. 6063 anodizes cleanest, bare polish needs wax to hold its shine, and prep decides every result. July 2026...
How do you drill and tap each metal? Speeds, lubricant, and bits
One formula sets drill speed: RPM = (SFM × 3.82) ÷ bit diameter. That's about 1,375 RPM for a 1/4″ HSS bit in mild steel, 460 in stainless, press max in aluminum. Oil steel and stainless, WD-40 on aluminum, brass...
Oil, paint, or powder coat: how do you keep carbon steel from rusting?
Match the protection to the exposure: an oil or wax film in the shop, primer plus paint outdoors, powder coat or hot-dip galvanizing when it has to last decades. Prep decides the result: degrease, get the mill scale off, and...
Can you weld 6061 aluminum? Filler, prep, and when to pick 5356
Yes, 6061 welds well with TIG or MIG. The heat erases the T6 temper beside the weld, dropping strength from about 45 ksi to 24-27 ksi, so design for the welded number. Run 4043 filler for general work and 5356...
How do you cut metal at home? The right saw and blade for each material
Four tools cover most home metal cutting: a hacksaw, an angle grinder with thin cut-off discs, a circular saw with a ferrous-rated carbide blade, and a miter saw with a negative-hook blade for aluminum only. Keep three teeth in the...
What metal should you use for your project?
Three questions pick it: indoors or out, machined or bolted together, and does weight matter. Indoors and painted, carbon steel wins on price. Outdoors, 304 or 316 stainless and 6061 aluminum skip the paint. Machined parts want C360 brass or...
Already know your metal?
Each guide covers the grades we stock, what they're good for, and what they cost. Or skip the reading and go straight to the shelf.