I still remember the first time I stood in front of a heavy industrial lathe back in my apprenticeship, the air thick with the smell of cutting oil and the rhythmic, metallic shriek of steel meeting carbide. I was young, Continue reading Essential Operations on a Metal Lathe
I remember sitting at my old workbench back in the fabrication shop, staring at a piece of heavy brass hardware that had been ruined by some kid using a high-speed buffer and a cheap, abrasive compound. He thought he was Continue reading Ways to Polish Aged Brass
I remember sitting in a drafty fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a kid try to burn through a thick plate of mild steel with a machine that cost more than his first truck. He was following some fancy manual Continue reading Improving Mig Welding Bead Quality
I remember sitting in my old mentor’s shop back in the seventies, the air thick with the smell of burnt oil and fine iron dust, watching him work a single chisel for nearly an hour. A younger version of me Continue reading Sharpening Metal Cutting Tools
I remember sitting in my old shop back in the nineties, staring at a perfectly good set of custom-machined parts that had been left out in the damp for just a few weeks. When I went to grab them, my Continue reading Managing Aluminum Oxidation
I remember standing in my first real fabrication shop back in the late seventies, the air thick with the sharp, metallic scent of heated iron and the low hiss of gas. I watched an old-timer adjust his regulators, his movements Continue reading Fundamentals of Oxy Fuel Welding Equipment
I remember standing over a workbench in a cramped shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to save a few bucks by mixing a DIY batch of metal etching acid without a lick of sense. The smell of Continue reading Using Acid for Metal Etching
I remember sitting in a dusty shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to fight a piece of stainless steel with a tool that was as dull as a butter knife. He was sweating, cursing, and pushing the Continue reading Sharpening Lathe Cutting Tools
I remember sitting in my shop ten years ago, staring at a piece of hand-hammered copper that looked more like a muddy mess than a work of art. I’d followed a kit I bought online, thinking I could just spray Continue reading Methods for Creating a Copper Patina
I was sitting in my workshop last Tuesday, running a piece of coarse grit over a rusted gear, when I saw another advertisement for some “high-tech, synthetic thatch alternative” that promised to save a homeowner a fortune. It made my Continue reading Stop Treating Your Home Like a Disposable Commodity: the Slow, Honest Art of Rebuilding Traditional Thatched Roofs on Cottages.