Why don’t metals bond when touched together?

I think that mere touching does not bring the surfaces close enough. The surface of a metal is not perfect usually. Maybe it has an oxide layer that resists any kind of reaction. If the metal is extremely pure and if you bring two pieces of it extremely close together, then they will join together. It’s also called cold welding.

For more information:

• What prevents two pieces of metal from bonding?
• Cold Welding