I remember sitting in a drafty fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a kid try to pull a decent bead with a machine that looked more like a toy than a tool. He was sweating, cursing, and wasting through a Continue reading Essential Gear for Arc Welding
I remember standing over a piece of high-carbon steel back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to quench a tool far too quickly because he was eager to get to lunch. The sound of that metal screaming as it Continue reading Heat Treatment Processes for Steel
I remember sitting in my old shop back in the nineties, staring at a piece of copper that looked like it had been dipped in cheap, store-bought chemicals. The kid who brought it in wanted that “aged” look for a Continue reading Understanding Natural Metal Patina
I remember sitting in my old shop back in ’84, staring at a batch of brass fittings that looked decent enough under the shop lights, but the moment they hit the humidity of a customer’s workshop, they turned a muddy, Continue reading Finishing Metal Hardware
I remember standing on the shop floor of a massive fabrication plant back in ’88, watching a young kid try to troubleshoot a brand-new, computerized vibratory tumbler. The machine looked like something out of a sci-fi film, all sleek plastic Continue reading Machines Used for Metal Finishing
I can still smell the burnt ozone and stale coffee from that Tuesday back in ’84 when I ruined a perfectly good sheet of 10-gauge steel because I thought I could “eyeball” a curve. I was young, impatient, and convinced Continue reading Making Templates for Metal Projects
I remember standing in a massive fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young kid try to force a complex piece of art together using nothing but a cheap MIG welder and a whole lot of ego. He was so Continue reading Constructing Metal Sculptures Through Welding
I remember sitting in a drafty fabrication shop back in ’84, staring at a pile of cheap, stamped-out hardware that snapped the moment I applied any real pressure. People today seem to think you can just wander into a big-box Continue reading Tools for Installing Rivets in Metal
I remember sitting in a cramped fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a kid try to force a heavy-duty copper fitting onto a steel frame using nothing but a cheap, low-temp solder and a prayer. He thought he was saving Continue reading Uses for Brazing in Metalwork
I remember sitting in a cramped fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a kid blow a perfectly good piece of tool steel because he thought he could “eye-ball” a measurement before checking it. He had a brand new, expensive set Continue reading Using Calipers for Metal Measurement