Working with stainless steel?

"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich)
12/03/2014 at 15:35 • Filed to: None

Random question, but has anyone here done any metal work with stainless steel? I'm looking at making a homemade Christmas gift for my wife. More after the break (and an unrelated picture for the rest of Oppo).

My wife has always been looking for a perfectly sized sauce ladle. So far I haven't found much, and what I have found hasn't impressed me enough to buy it (e.g.: cheap crap from Walmart). This got me thinking - how hard would it be to make my own stainless steel ladle? I did a bit of research, and it seems like most stainless steel stuff (kitchen sinks, pots/pans, etc.) is cold pressed. I also have a (free!) source for some stainless steel scraps - easily big enough to make what I'm after. I don't (yet) have a ball-peen hammer, but I'm interested in giving this a shot. So what I'm wondering is, how hard is it to work with stainless steel? Does it tend to spring back into shape, or is it fairly malleable?

DISCUSSION (9)

camaroboy68ss > BaconSandwich is tasty.
12/03/2014 at 15:41

Stainless is one of the most pain the butt metals to mess with. Very hard to bend and shape compared to aluminum. Most of the time you need special tools to work stainless.

desertdog5051 > BaconSandwich is tasty.
12/03/2014 at 15:59

I suggest starting on mild steel first. After you get a feel for it, move on to the stainless. Be ready for a shock, though. Stainless is a very difficult metal to work with. The most common being 18/8 meaning it contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > camaroboy68ss
12/03/2014 at 16:28

What sorts of tools are we talking about? Fancy hammers or heavy duty multi-ton hydraulic presses?

BaconSandwich is tasty. > desertdog5051
12/03/2014 at 16:30

I've done a little bit with mild steel. I made myself a new table saw fence and a few other small things. What in particular makes it difficult?

camaroboy68ss > BaconSandwich is tasty.
12/03/2014 at 17:01

a hammer will bend stainless but you'll thorw your shoulder out. Bending stainless can be a chore in a manual brake. Standard drill bits will get eaten up really quick. Hard to cut with snips or and power tool wouyh out special blades

tromoly > BaconSandwich is tasty.
12/03/2014 at 20:06

Go buy one from a cooking store, save your time and sanity.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > tromoly
12/03/2014 at 21:55

Keep in mind you're talking to the kind of guy who makes hand-carved chocolate roses, makes his own furniture, and enjoys the challenge of making things from scratch.

BJohnson11 > BaconSandwich is tasty.
12/03/2014 at 22:52

Depends on how thick the stainless is. I recently made door panels out of stainless for my truck, and bending the .075" stainless was a bitch even with our big finger break. Thin stuff (you probably wouldn't want a ladle thicker than like .049 or so anyways) could be doable, but I'd recommend making a wooden buck the shape of the spoon then trying to hammer the shape out over that. Tough, but doable depending on metal thickness.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > BJohnson11
12/03/2014 at 22:56

One thing I had considered was 3D printing some dies, casting them out of aluminum, and pressing the whole thing in a hydraulic press. Still certainly an option at this point, if hand hammering it doesn't work.