Steel

Mild steel, or more commonly refered to as just "steel" encompasses a group of metals that are iron based, with a relatively low carbon content ( 0.05 to 0.25% ).  These are the most common found in use today due to its relatievly low cost and ease of use.  They can be easily formed, welded and fabricated by people of adequate skill.  A wide berth of sizes, shapes, and thicknesses with well established supply chains make steel a go to for most projects. 

Steel will rust in exterior or moist environments if not protected by a secondary coating or sealer.  Is sometimes also referred to as  plain carbon steel, or low carbon steel.

Conceptual design

The range of material choices when it comes to metal is massive.  Each group has its own subtle nuances, mechanical properties and price points.  Some are better then others at certain things, and some are the only choice when building a quality product.  

Consider this the bare bones of an idea.  A fire place mantel, a staircase, exterior gates.  The possibilities of fabricating with metal are literally endless, stopped merely by imagination and understanding.  The internet has transformed the way ideas are moved, some outlets relying on nothing more then pictures to convey massive amounts of information with just a single glance.  And these places are exactly where you should be looking for that inspiration or design flare for your next project.  Use search fields to narrow down hashtags within apps, explore images in google, take pictures of things you see that align with your tastes on your smartphone.  All of these things are tools available to help you convey what you're really looking for.  Here are some of the heavy hitters that are of great value in the design stages:

Let's say that you have an idea for a project that you think would be a good fit for Califab Welding.  How do you start?  What do you need to plan?  Depending on the size and complexity involved these questions can become fairly duanting.  This page is dedicated to helping you figure out what material, processes , and coatings you might consider when planning your next project.

Material choices

Tel: 250-317-3137

  3100 Smith Creek Road West Kelowna

​British Columbia V4T 1M8

High Carbon Steels

Steels with a carbon content above 0.3% but less then 4% are generally classified as "higher carbon steels".  These materials are readily suited to knives, swords, axes, wires and springs.  This group is heat treatable for a wide range of uses and mechanical properties.  There are a number of extremely good high carbon steels out there like O1 or 1090 that are simple to use and can be made to perfrom very well as blades or in applications requiring easy hardening.