Profession ornamental metal worker

Ornamental metal workers use finishing equipment and machinery to shape and finish fabricated ornamental metal workpieces, often used for the installation process in construction, such as railings, staircases, open steel flooring, fences and gates, and others.

Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional
• Realistic / Investigative

Knowledge

• Types of metal

  Qualities, specifications, applications and reactions to different fabricating processes of various types of metal, such as steel, aluminium, brass, copper and others.

• Torch temperature for metal processes

  Ideal temperature of tools and machinery equiped with torches to perform various metal processing on workpieces.

• Design drawings

  Understand design drawings detailing the design of products, tools, and engineering systems.

Skills

• Ensure equipment availability

  Ensure that the necessary equipment is provided, ready and available for use before start of procedures.

• Use metalworking tools

  Use the appropriate metalworking tools to manipulate metal objects or surfaces. Use adequate instruments to grind, smoothen or sharpen metals.

• Operate precision measuring equipment

  Measure the size of a processed part when checking and marking it to check if it is up to standard by use of two and three dimensional precision measuring equipment such as a caliper, a micrometer, and a measuring gauge.

• Ensure correct metal temperature

  Ensure the necessary, usually constant, temperature of processed metal workpieces during metal fabrication processes.

• Apply precision metalworking techniques

  Comply with precision standards specific to an organisation or product in metalworking, involved in processes such as engraving, precise cutting, welding.

• Remove inadequate workpieces

  Evaluate which deficient processed workpieces do not meet the set-up standard and should be removed and sort the waste according to regulations.

• Cut ornamental design

  Cut decorative designs from a work piece of various materials, such as metal or wood, using hand tools or semi-automatic equipment.

• Mark a metal workpiece using punch

  Handle and operate a punch and hammer to mark a metal work piece, for example for the purpose of carving a serial number, or for drilling to mark the exact place where a the hole should be places in order to keep the drill steady.

• Heat metals

  Heat steel and metals in fire; adjust and regulate heat controls to reach appropriate pouring temperature.

• Wear appropriate protective gear

  Wear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.

• Mark designs on metal pieces

  Mark or engrave designs on metal pieces or pieces of jewellery, closely following design specifications.

• Shape ornamental design

  Form and shape decorative designs from a work piece of various materials, such as metal or wood, using hand tools or semi-automatic equipment.

• Recognise signs of corrosion

  Recognise the symptoms of metal showing oxidation reactions with the environment resulting in rusting, copper pitting, stress cracking, and others, and estimate the rate of corrosion.

• Remove processed workpiece

  Remove individual workpieces after processing, from the manufacturing machine or the machine tool. In case of a conveyor belt this involves quick, continuous movement.

• Shape metal over anvils

  Forge pieces of metal over an anvil using the appropriate hand tools and heating equipment.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB