Abstract: A method of producing powder metal articles includes compacting and sintering powder metal to produce a shaped powder metal preform having at least one exposed surface to be surface densified which extends parallel to an axis of the preform between a free end and a blind end adjacent a transverse portion of the preform. The blind surface is cold worked by forcing a shaped densifying tool axially along the surface in a direction from the free end toward the blind end, and then reversing the direction of the tool toward the free end to densify a layer of the material at the exposed surface. In addition to the blind surface, the article can include one or more additional surfaces that can be densified in the same manner in a simultaneous operation.