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.
I remember sitting on a grease-stained stool back in ’84, staring at a seized block that most folks told me was nothing more than a heavy paperweight. They said you needed a million-dollar machine shop and a degree in thermodynamics Continue reading A No-nonsense Guide to Restoring Classic Car Engines: Why You Can’t Shortcut the Metal
I remember a Tuesday back in ’84, hunched over a stubborn piece of etched brass in a shop that felt more like a cave than a workspace. I was squinting so hard my eyes felt like they were going to Continue reading Stop Squinting at Your Mistakes: Why Choosing the Best Lighting for Detailed Craft Work Is the Difference Between a Masterpiece and Wasted Material.