You also have to grasp the fact that you can reduce the area of sheet metal by thickening it.
Cold forming sheet metal with a hammer.
The tokyo based goldsmith yutaka nagai demonstrates how to hammer down a gold ingot to form a sheet.
And some sand paper to smooth out the edges.
A ball peen hammer.
This is a handy metal fabrication technique you need to learn.
Something to cut the metal like sheet metal shears or tin snips.
You may want a smaller hammer for small shapes or a larger hammer for larger shapes.
Follow along as i demonstrate how you can begin shaping metal with hand tools only.
How can you go about shaping metal with hand tools alone.
You have to adjust your mind to the concept that when you hammer on sheet metal with a steel hammer onto a steel dolly or anvil that you will expand or increase the surface area by thinning the metal.
Hammer forming is one of the oldest simplest and least expensive ways to shape sheet metal.