Picking Up Metal Shavings
Mark SimpsonPicking up metal shavings can be a real chore in the shop, and if left unchecked they seem to end up everywhere. So in this lesson, Mark Simpson shares one of his shop tips to make short work of all those pesky chips and metal shavings.
Dealing with metal shavings is always an issue in the shop. One of the situations you run into is if you blow them around, they end up everywhere. If you try to sweep them off with your hands, you run the risk of getting metal shaving stuck in your hands. If you use leather gloves then you end up with metal shaving stuck in your leather glove. One way I've dealt with these in the past, is just to take regular ziplock or plastic bag, turn it inside out.
And you've already got a magnet for your MIG welder. Just, put that magnet inside the plastic bag. It picks up the shavings. You turn the bag inside out and your shavings are there. You can now throw that in the trash or just keep using that same bag then to collect more.
But it's a good handy tip and it saves you a lot of hassle when cleaning up metal shavings.
In Aerospace, we use high tack polyester tape to pick up chips left behind on benches, etc. I've also used a Neodymium/Iron Boride magnet on the bottom of a test tube/sample jar to remove metal flakes for later analysis, magnets work a treat for iron filings.
What a great, simple tip. Thanks.
did you get them *all*, is that some left behind or is that non magnetic dirt on the table?