Metalwork is about shaping metal into useful and beautiful things. You'll learn how metal behaves when you bend, heat, and cool it, then make a project of your own. It's real craftsmanship that blends science and skill.
Why it's worth it
Metal seems solid and stubborn, but with heat, hammers, and know-how you can bend it, shape it, and make it harder or softer on purpose. Metalwork teaches you the science of what's happening inside the metal and the skill to make something real, like a hook, a bracelet, or a small box. Welders, machinists, and blacksmiths are in demand, and many of them learned by making their first project just like this.
Start this week
- Bend a paper clip back and forth until it snaps, and notice how it gets stiffer and warmer before it breaks. That's work-hardening.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Metalwork counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Read through the project options in requirement 5 and pick the one that interests you most.
- Ask your counselor or a parent about a school shop, maker space, or blacksmith who could supervise your hands-on work.
Stay safe
- Do all hot work, cutting, and grinding with your counselor or a trained adult supervising, and wear safety glasses every time.
- Treat all metal as hot until you've checked it, and keep a bucket of water and a fire extinguisher nearby when using a torch or forge.
Requirements · 5
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
Note: Finish requirements 1–4 before starting your requirement 5 option.
- Requirement 1
Read the metalwork safety rules and discuss how to work safely with metal, plus the extra safety rules for the option you pick in requirement 5
Tip: Learn the safety rules for heat, sharp edges, and tools, and wear eye protection every time. Work with a trained adult nearby.
For example: Show your safety setup: safety glasses, leather gloves for hot work, cotton clothes instead of synthetic, long hair tied back, no loose sleeves, a bucket of water and fire extinguisher nearby, and tongs for anything hot.
- Requirement 2
Explain these terms: native metal, malleable, metallurgy, alloy, ferrous, and nonferrous. Then do 2a–2d
Tip: Bend a paper clip back and forth to feel work-hardening happen, then talk about what's going on inside the metal.
For example: Explain terms with things you can hold: brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; steel is iron with carbon; a soda can is aluminum. Work-hardening makes metal stiffer when you bend it, and annealing softens it again with heat.
- Requirement 2a
Name two nonferrous alloys that metalworkers used before the Iron Age, and the metals mixed to make each
- Requirement 2b
Name three ferrous alloys modern metalworkers use
- Requirement 2c
Describe how to work-harden a metal
- Requirement 2d
Describe how to anneal both a nonferrous and a ferrous metal
- Requirement 3
Hardening, annealing, and tempering
Tips for this section: Do these steps with your counselor or a skilled adult supervising the heat, and compare how each sample bends before and after.
Example for this section: With your counselor supervising, bend a copper strip 45 degrees and peen along the bend to work-harden it, then anneal that same strip and feel how much easier it is to straighten. Next, make a temper color index on a flat piece of steel, then shape and temper a center punch.
- Requirement 3a
Using 26- or 28-gauge brass or copper sheet, bend a piece 45 degrees and peen heavily along the bend to work-harden it. Note the effort needed to get past the yield point of the unworked metal
- Requirement 3b
Anneal the work-hardened piece from 3a to soften it, then try to straighten the 45-degree bend, noting how much effort it takes to pass the yield point
- Requirement 3c
From a flat steel piece, make a temper color index. Then shape a center punch by hand from medium- or high-carbon steel and temper it
- Requirement 4
Careers or hobbies. Choose 1 of 2
Tips for this section: Visit a welding shop, blacksmith, or jeweler and ask how they learned their trade.
Example for this section: Compare three jobs: a welder who joins steel on a construction site, a machinist who cuts precise parts on a lathe, and a jeweler who shapes silver. Find out the training each needs and what a day looks like.
- Requirement 4a
Name three careers that use metalworking skills. Pick one and research its training, education, certification, experience, costs, job outlook, starting pay, and advancement. Talk over your findings with your counselor, including whether you'd want this career
- Requirement 4b
Identify how metalworking skills could become a personal hobby. Research the extra training, costs, and organizations that could help you get the most from it, then share your findings and your short- and long-term goals with your counselor
- Requirement 5
Metalwork option (after requirements 1–4). Choose 1 of 4
Tips for this section: Choose the project option that excites you most, sketch your plan first, and take your time on each step.
Example for this section: If you choose blacksmithing, you might forge a simple S-hook: heat a steel rod, draw out a taper, scroll the ends, and quench it. Sketch it first and keep notes on each heat.
- Requirement 5a
Option A: sheet metal mechanic/tinsmith
- Requirement 5a1
Name the basic sheet metalworking tools and describe how each is used
- Requirement 5a2
Sketch two objects to make from sheet metal, marking each part's dimensions (the sketch doesn't need to be to scale)
- Requirement 5a3
Make the two objects from 24- or 26-gauge sheet metal, using patterns your counselor provides or approves and a metal suited to each object's final use. Shape and join them by cutting, edging, and bending, then soldering or brazing
- Requirement 5a3a
Include at least one riveted part in one of the objects
- Requirement 5a3b
Unless you used zinc-plated or tin-plated sheet steel, protect your work from oxidation
- Requirement 5b
Option B: silversmith
- Requirement 5b1
Name a silversmith's basic tools and describe how each is used
- Requirement 5b2
Sketch two objects to make from sheet silver, marking each part's dimensions (not necessarily to scale)
- Requirement 5b3
Make two objects from 18- or 20-gauge sheet copper, using patterns your counselor provides or approves, each with a soldered joint. If you've done silversmithing before, you may use nickel silver, sterling silver, or lead-free pewter instead
- Requirement 5b3a
Include a sawed part you made yourself in at least one object
- Requirement 5b3b
Include a sunken part you made yourself in at least one object
- Requirement 5b3c
Clean and polish both objects
- Requirement 5c
Option C: founder
- Requirement 5c1
Describe what each basic part of a two-piece mold does, and name at least three kinds of molds
- Requirement 5c2
Sketch two objects to cast in metal, marking each part's dimensions (not necessarily to scale)
- Requirement 5c3
Make two molds, one from a pattern your counselor provides and one from your own counselor-approved pattern (no copyrighted designs), placing the pouring gate and vents yourself
- Requirement 5c3a
Cast lead-free pewter in a mold your counselor provides
- Requirement 5c3b
Cast lead-free pewter in the mold you made yourself
- Requirement 5d
Option D: blacksmith
- Requirement 5d1
Name a blacksmith's basic tools and describe how each is used
- Requirement 5d2
Sketch two objects to hot-forge, marking each part's dimensions (not necessarily to scale)
- Requirement 5d3
Forging exercises (low-carbon steel, 1/4 in. or thicker)
- Requirement 5d3a
With low-carbon steel 1/4 inch or thicker, forge a taper by drawing out the metal
- Requirement 5d3b
With low-carbon steel 1/4 inch or thicker, forge a U-shaped bend over the horn of the anvil
- Requirement 5d3c
With square low-carbon steel 1/4 inch or thicker, form a decorative twist
- Requirement 5d3d
With low-carbon steel 1/4 inch or thicker, forge an L-shaped bend over the edge of the anvil
- Requirement 5d4
With your counselor's approval first, hot-forge the two objects you sketched from low-carbon steel 1/4 inch or thicker
- Requirement 5d4a
Give one object a decorative twist
- Requirement 5d4b
Give one object a hammer-riveted joint
- Requirement 5d4c
Protect your work from oxidation
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A blacksmith demonstration at a living history site or craft fair
You can watch a smith heat, hammer, and shape steel and see how color shows temperature.
How: Check event calendars with a parent, or have an adult contact a local blacksmithing group to ask about youth demonstrations.
A high school or community college welding or machining program
Instructors can show you welders, lathes, and mills and explain how students train for these jobs.
How: Have a parent or your counselor call the program and ask about a tour for a few Scouts. Wear the safety glasses they give you.
Where it can lead
- WelderJoins metal for buildings, ships, and pipelines; trained through technical programs and certifications.
- MachinistMakes precise metal parts with lathes, mills, and computer-controlled machines.
- Sheet metal workerBuilds ducts, roofing, and metal parts for buildings; often learned through an apprenticeship.
- Blacksmith or farrierForges tools, art, or horseshoes; many learn through classes and mentors.
- Metallurgical engineerDesigns new alloys and studies why metals fail; needs an engineering degree.
Ask yourself
- What metal objects do you use every day that you never thought about how they were made?
- How did it feel to work with heat and tools under supervision for the first time?
- What went wrong on your project, and how did you fix it?
- What surprised you about how metal behaves?
- Would you like to try welding, blacksmithing, or jewelry making next, and why?
Good questions to ask a welder, blacksmith, or machinist
- How did you learn your trade, and how long did it take to feel skilled?
- What's the most important safety habit in your shop?
- What's a project you're especially proud of?
- How do you know what temperature metal is just by looking at it?
- What skills or classes would help me if I want to work with metal?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Partner with a school shop, makerspace, or local blacksmith for access to proper tools and supervision.
- Make sure scouts use eye and hand protection whenever heat or cutting tools are involved.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Makerspace or school shop — Tools, workspace, and experienced helpers.
- Local blacksmith or welding shop — A chance to see metalwork done by pros.
- Public library — Books, videos, and a librarian who can help you dig deeper.
- Artist-Blacksmith's Association of North America (opens in a new tab) — Find blacksmithing groups and demonstrations near you.
- American Welding Society (opens in a new tab) — What welders do and how to train for a welding career.
- CareerOneStop (opens in a new tab) — Look up pay, training, and apprenticeships for metalworking jobs.
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.